One of the best-known Jewish prayers begins, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” Known as the Shema, Moses spoke these words which have unified and guided the people of Israel throughout history.
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-6 NKJV)
The Israelites had traveled many miles, suffered much, and seen many miracles. God’s chosen people believed Him, and then they disobeyed Him. They worshipped together, and then they clashed with each other. The Jewish nation fought enemies and then embraced foreign gods.
Moses led them through 40 years of highs and lows. The huge group wandered through the desert, with Moses shepherding them toward a land promised by God. The words of the Shema united the Jewish people with one purpose and direction.
Gathered together, Moses spoke to a new generation of Israelites in preparation for entrance into the land. Hundreds of years after God’s first promise to Abraham, God’s people were finally ready to enter the land.
Many had not yet been born or were too small to remember when their journey from Egypt began. They hadn’t seen the parted Red Sea, the pillar of smoke that led by day, or the night fire. They weren’t present when lightning and thunder shook the mountain where God gave the Ten Commandments.
And so, Moses recapped history for the entire population of Israelites. He reminded them of God’s promises and His mighty acts. He proclaimed God Almighty as the One and only True God. Moses declared that by God’s unmerited favor and grace, He had picked them from all the people in the world to be His people.
“Shema Yisrael (שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל, Hear, O Israel),” Moses entreated.
These words, spoken as a prayer, are core to the Jewish faith. For millennia, the tradition of speaking the Shema morning and evening has brought His people together in devotion to the God of the Bible as Israel’s One God. It calls for obedience and draws its listeners back to the very roots of their faith.
As Moses pronounced these words from God, he desired his listeners to be followers spurred by hearts of love. He did not want them to repeat the sins of their forefathers. The Shema pledges allegiance to God with every part of our being.
In Hebrew, Shema means “hear” or “listen.”
Shema is a common word in the Bible, used some 1159 times (KJV) in the Old Testament. The word “hear” appears physically as “shema,” connected to hearing with the ear. However, it also has a much broader significance.
Shema in Deuteronomy talks not simply about listening to sounds: shema requires action. In Hebrew, “hearing” and “doing” are the same. Shema means obedience, like when a parent commands a child to “Listen.” That parent intends more than a desire for sound waves to enter a child’s ears. The mother or father calls for obedience to do what is asked.
Ancient Hebrew writers did not have a separate word for “obey.” Listening and doing were included in shema. God uses shema to command obedience. Many passages also use shema to ask God to act or do something. The Psalmists pled for God to “shema” or “pay attention.”
Four Israelite men are recorded as being named Shema in the Bible. Derived from the same root but with slightly different pronunciations, they are found in 1 Chronicles 2:43-44, 1 Chronicles 5:8, and 1 Chronicles 8:13, 21.
In Nehemiah 8:4, Shema was one in a list of men, probably priests, who flanked Ezra on a platform of wood while Ezra read the Law to the people. Shema and the others were listeners and hearers of what took place. They heard the words of God as they were read to the people.
Shema was also the name of a place in the Bible. Also spelled Shama, Joshua 15:21-26 cites the town (in the Negev near the southern border with Edom) as part of the inheritance and territory of the tribe of Judah. The Negev is a desert and semi-desert region in southern Israel.
Although the root word varies and shema may be used in other contexts, its core usage is hearing, listening, and obeying.
Shema Yisrael (שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל),“Hear, O Israel.” Spoken morning and evening is part of Jewish liturgy. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 proclaims One God and allegiance to Him. Tradition places a hand over the eyes while reciting the first verse of the Shema, possibly to keep from distraction. Children learn to recite the prayer at bedtime. It’s the final prayer of Yom Kippur, considered the holiest day of the year and often repeated before death.
Two additional passages are included in the Shema: Deuteronomy 11:13-21 and Numbers 15:37-41. The three passages are said to encompass all of the Ten Commandments. This practice and these words set the Jewish nation apart in custom, action, and faith.
Deuteronomy 11:13 begins much the same as the passage in Deuteronomy 6, “And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul…” (Deuteronomy 11:13 ESV).
Numbers 15: 37-41 begins with practical instructions about wearing tassels and their significance, then ends by reminding the nation of loyalty to God.
“So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the Lord your God.” (Numbers 15:40-41 ESV)
Each of these segments encourages, reminds, and warns the listeners. They link blessings to obedience and punishment with disobedience. Each passage establishesJehovah God as their God and pledges allegiance to Him alone. These verses separate God’s people as unique heirs of a divine plan.
“You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” (Deuteronomy 11:19 ESV)
“You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” (Deuteronomy 6:7 ESV)
The command and responsibility to pass down their history to the next generation demonstrates the fullness of dedication and devotion required. The Deuteronomy model shows how knowledge and belief appear in daily family life, perpetuating faith from generation to generation.
Loving God engages all of our being. We are to love Him with our hearts, will, and affections. We are to love Him with all our inward selves, physical beings, and the totality of our whole life. God wants us to love Him with all of our strength and with all our capacity.
The repetition and knowledge of the Torah and the Shema would have played a big part in Jesus’ growing-up years. When asked which commandment was the greatest, Jesus answered:
“The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31 ESV)
In its expression of worship and commitment, Shema passionately identifies the God we serve today. It testifies to us of Jesus’ words that He and the Father are One (John 10:30). Even today, it reminds us, much as it did when Moses spoke it, that loving God and listening to Him results in our wholehearted obedience.
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Her love for pasta and all things Italian stems from years of ministry abroad. She’d love to tell you about it over a steaming cup of cappuccino. Connect with Sylvia on her blog, When the House is Quiet, her Facebook page, or Twitter.
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