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The prayer Shema Yisrael is the most notable and renowned prayer in Judaism. The first verse of the prayer directly addresses God, proclaiming: " Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is One." This declaration of faith is the foundation of the Jewish religion – the belief in one God, God of Israel. However, Shema Yisrael prayer does not only relate to a monotheistic faith, as these verses specify; the Jewish person is also obliged to devote his whole being to the love of God and the Torah. The Shema Yisrael prayer is recited twice a day, as a morning and evening prayer. Although Jewish women are not obligated to recite the prayer, it is common practice among all Jews - women, men, and children – to do so.
"Shema" is generally used by extension to refer to the full version of the daily prayers that commence with Shema Yisrael and comprise three paragraphs from the Torah: Deuteronomy 6:4–9, 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37–41. In these verses, we are commanded to say Shema twice a day - before sunrise and shortly after nightfall: "when you lie down, and when you rise up" (Deuteronomy 6:7).
Reciting Shema prayer by believers is a declaration of faith in the existence of one God – God of Israel, and recognizing the kingship of God. The Hebrew verse translates in more than one way. According to one interpretation, the verse could mean, "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God! The LORD is One!" Another meaning could be, "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God — the LORD alone."
The second verse commands us to love God with our whole being. In this psalm, the believer is asked to fully surrender himself to God's love: "And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might". Some have raised the question of how one can be commanded to love, be it God or anyone else. One answer is that we cannot really help ourselves but to love God if we truly believe in His kingship and Light. Others go even further to argue that this part of the prayer that directs to loves God fully and not merely recognize the existence of one God is the most significant part of the prayer.
We are also commanded to learn Torah and teach our children the Shema prayer. Shema Yisrael is indeed the first prayer in every Jewish child’s vocabulary since it reflects the essence of the Jewish identity. As the Talmud suggests, one can find references to the Ten Commandments in the three portions of the prayer. Over time the Ten Commandments were removed from the daily prayer, and so the Shema serves as an opportunity to commemorate the Ten Commandments. These verses also include the mitzvahs to wear Tfillin and to inscribe to God's commandments by affixing a mezuzah on the doorpost.
Where did this important prayer originate?
According to rabbinic literature, when Jacob, who was named by God as Israel, was about to die he called upon his sons and swore them to continue to believe in the one God, the God Jacob followed. Feeling death approaching, Jacob feared that one of his sons doubted the God’s totality. His twelve sons that stood by his bed responded with 'Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is One. Jacob responded with the blessing 'Baruk Shem'(Blessed be the name)", which has become a traditional response to saying Shema Yisrael.
The prayer, as a tool to express one’s total devotion to God, is said by many Jews prior to death. This custom is believed to have started with Rabbi Akiva Ben Yossef, a great scholar and righteous man who lived in the second century and was known for his great love for God. He was a renowned authority in the matter of the Jewish tradition and one of the most central contributors to the Mishna and Mishrash Halakah.
According to the Talmud Brakhot, Rabbi Akiva was imprisoned by Tyrannus Rufus and painfully tortured by his executioners. Rabbi Akiva patiently endured the torture and as his flesh was being torn with an iron tool he was reciting his prayers calmly, undergoing enormous suffering. When asked by his persecutor whether he was a sorcerer since he seemed to be feeling no pain, Akiba replied, "I am no sorcerer; but I rejoice at the opportunity now given to me to love my God with all my life.” And so Rabbi Akiva died reciting the Shema with his last breath.
Since then it has been a tradition for Jews to say the Shema as their last words on earth. During the Holocaust, hundreds of thousands of Jews led to their death by the Nazis were calling out the words of Shema Yisrael. Reciting Shema in that particular moment when one is most likely to doubt the existence of God expresses the very core idea of the prayer – having faith and trust in God even in the gravest of moments. The believer must acknowledge that the same God that has brought the good in our lives is the same One that causes the bad. All events are caused by God. These tragic circumstances exemplify the eternal power of the prayer and its meaning to every Jewish person. Shema Yisrael has become a prominent sign of the Jewish identity.
Now to some interesting facts about Shema.
In the Hebrew bible you can see that the letters "Ayne" and "Dalet" are enlarged. These two letters spell out the Hebrew word Ed "עד" that stands for "witness" .
שְׁמַע, יִשְׂרָאֵל: יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ, יְהוָה אֶחָד.
The highlighted letters reinforce the purpose which is giving testimony to God's presence and recognizing that God is One. Thus, the main idea conveyed is that through the recitation or proclamation of the Shema one becomes a living witness testifying to the truth of prayer’s message. Kabbalists teach that when one recites the last letter of the word 'echad' (אחד), meaning "one", the person must intend that he or she is ready to "die into God".
Shema does not have to be recited in Hebrew. It may be recited in any language spoken by the believer (Berakhot). However, the common practice everywhere across the world is to recite it in Hebrew.
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