Shema is the most well-known and arguably the most central prayer of Judaism. Jews have sacrificed their lives for millennia with the words of Shema Yisrael on their lips, and are praised as the people who “say Shema twice daily.”1
But—as we’ll see—Shema is far more than just a prayer, in which we ask G‑d for our needs.
Shema is an affirmation and a meditation.2
The word “Shema” literally means “listen.” The Torah uses the term “listening” for concepts that are somewhat distant to us.3 We don’t need to be told things that are obvious and tangible; we see them. If Shema was merely an affirmation of our certainty of G‑d’s oneness and our connection with Him, shouldn’t we say, “See O Israel?”4
Clearly, Shema is not simply affirming something to be true. It is a contemplation of that truth so that it will enter into your heart and change you.
Further reading: Active vs. Passive Meditation.
What Is the Shema?
Here’s a quick rundown of the Shema in case you’re unfamiliar. The Shema is almost entirely a direct quote—without any edits or amendments—from several different sections in the Torah, and is made up of three sections.
The first section begins with a quote from Deuteronomy, in which we accept G‑d as our King:
“Hear O Israel, the L-rd is our G‑d, the L-rd is One.”5
The second line is the only part of the Shema that isn’t from the Torah at all. A “response” to the first line of Shema, the second reads:
“Blessed be the name of the glory of His Kingdom forever and ever.”
Though it’s the only part of Shema that’s not from the Torah, the practice of saying it right after the first line of Shema has a rich history. Jacob famously did so on his deathbed,6 and Moses later discovered that the angels say it and “stole” the idea from them.7 Nevertheless, since this section is inserted in between the quotes from the Torah, we say it in a whisper.
The continuation of Shema, as well as the following paragraph,8 talk about the mitzvahs of loving G‑d, learning Torah, teaching Torah to our children, as well as tefillin and mezuzah.
This second chunk emphasizes that if we listen to G‑d’s words He will bless us, and if we don’t, all our efforts will prove fruitless.
The final section9 talks about the mitzvah of tzitzit and the requirement to remember G‑d’s commandments and how He took us out of Egypt, which is why it is included.
1. G‑d Is Everywhere
At its most basic, Shema is an acknowledgment of G‑d as the ruler of the universe. He’s the only G‑d, there is no other,10 and He alone is worthy of being served.
Ok, you might think, so there’s a G‑d. Does that matter? After all, G‑d is very lofty. He’s infinite. He’s perfect. And I’m not. If a tiny ant is beneath my attention, surely I am far beneath G‑d’s.
This question is old. The first generations of humans were so conflicted by it that they started idolatry.11 “G‑d’s in the Heavens,” they argued. “Earth is for humans. He doesn’t care about us down here.”
Shema affirms the fallacy of this argument. The first line ends with the words “G‑d is One,” or in Hebrew, “Echad.” The numeric value12 of the three letters of echad (Alef, Chet, and Daled) are 1, 8 and 4. When we say G‑d is One, we don’t just mean in a theoretical sense. G‑d is One (Alef) in the 7 Heavens and 1 earth (Chet) and in the four directions (Daled).13 There is no place outside His attention, and there is nothing that isn’t His. And He places all His attention on us.14
2. The Realization That I’m a Jew
The opening words are commonly rendered as, "Hear, Israel," but there's another way to translate it.15 Not that we, Israel, should hear, but that we should hear that we are Israel. "Listen," says Shema, "and recognize the most profound truth of all: You are a Jew with a unique soul and mission from G‑d."
Rabbi Shmuel, the fourth Chabad Rebbe, known as the Rebbe Maharash, asked one of his disciples who had just finished sharing his lengthy daily schedule contemplating G‑d, "With so much time focusing on G‑d, when do you ever focus on yourself?"
This is the meaning of this meditation. Our contemplation and meditation of G‑d isn't abstract, without any relevance to us. You are a Jew. You are a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. No matter what came before and what will come after this moment—with your hand over your eyes and your lips whispering the words of Shema—this is you.
Further reading: I just discovered I’m Jewish. What do I do now?
3. A Prayer of Hope for Our Future
On the opening verse of Shema—“The L-rd is our G‑d, the L-rd is One"—the commentaries ask: What do we mean by the L-rd is our G‑d? He is the only G‑d. He's the G‑d of everyone. How is He just our G‑d?16
They answer that G‑d might be everyone's, but they haven't accepted that fact yet. He is our G‑d in that we've accepted Him as ours. But that's now. When Moshiach comes, the entire world will accept Him as G‑d, which is why the verse concludes, “the L-rd is One." As the commentators explain, Shema is saying: “The same G‑d we have already accepted as G‑d will ultimately be accepted as One by the entire world in the times of Moshiach."17
This, too, is an interpretation of Shema that invites reflection. Understood this way, our daily recital of Shema is an injection of hope for Moshiach and the ultimate Redemption, and a strengthening of our commitment to bringing those days sooner and faster.
Further reading: What is the Jewish belief about Moshiach?
4. G‑d Is Our Nature
"The L-rd is our G‑d," reads the first line of Shema. It’s an interesting phrase. What does it mean? The literal translation—as we explored earlier—is that G‑d is real. But Kabbalistically, Shema is saying something much deeper.
Shema references two names the Torah uses for G‑d. One—which we translated above as “the L-rd”—is the Tetragrammaton, also known as Yud Kay Vov Kay and, in Chassidic literature, as Havayeh. The other—which we translated above as “G‑d”—is Elokim.
Kabbalistically, these two names present two different ways G‑d interacts with existence. Havayeh denotes G‑d revealing just how, well, G‑dly He is. Havayeh is the name for Divine Revelation—a revelation before which nothing, not even the laws of nature, can stand18. Elokim, by contrast, refers to G‑d concealing His incredibleness through the laws of nature (as well as other methods of concealment).
By combining these two seemingly opposite viewpoints together and saying Havayeh (Divine Revelation) is our G‑d (our nature), Shema is telling us that the Divine is embedded within nature, and if we dig down deep enough, the two modalities of G‑d’s interaction with reality are really one. No matter the struggles we face, no matter how dark things seem to be, our very nature is to be unlimited revelations of light. We just have to tap into who we really are.19
Further reading: What Is a Soul?
5. Two POV’s on G‑d’s Oneness
“G‑d is One." Chassidic thought explains that this famous phrase from the first line of Shema is meant literally: G‑d is literally all that there is.20 It’s why we say this first line with our eyes closed. For a moment, we let all of existence fade away and see things from G‑d’s point of view. There is no world, there are no bills, there is no you, there is no me. There is just G‑d.
But we cannot keep our eyes closed forever. Eventually, we need to open them, and when we do, the world comes screaming back at us. What do you mean there's no world? it demands. I'm right here! And so we say the next line: “Blessed be the name of His glory forever and ever." Kabbalah explains that each of those words represents a different way G‑d concealed His presence so that the world appears to be an independent entity.
These two lines of Shema represent two points of view. The first doesn’t see existence. The second does. But the conclusion remains the same. The first line ends with “Echad,” which Kabbalah explains to mean, “One in the most obvious way.” The second ends with “Va’ed,” which Kabbalah translates, “One, but you have to work harder to see it.” Translated like this, Shema is saying, “Sometimes it’s obvious and sometimes it takes work to see, but no matter how you look at it, G‑d is one.”
For more on this topic, including what it means that G‑d is “one” when there’s very obviously a whole world, see here.
6. A Readiness for Self-sacrifice
We then go on to read, “And you shall love the L-rd your G‑d with all your heart, all your soul, and all your might." The Talmud explains this famous verse to mean that we should be willing to sacrifice our lives for our Creator.21 Which is beautiful, except the laws of self-sacrifice in Judaism are actually quite specific.22 There are only three mitzvahs in the entire Torah we're obligated to give our lives for. What meaning, then, does this command to be ready to give our lives for G‑d have to us as we recite the Shema?
Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of Chabad, known as the Alter Rebbe, explains as follows: every soul innately would rather die than separate itself from G‑d.23 That's why Jewish history is filled with stories of professed atheists who died in G‑d’s name. The Jewish soul cannot bear to be cut off from its Source. Shema’s directive to love G‑d “with all our soul" isn't just a command, then, but a reminder of who we are and what we're made of. No matter the life we live, we'd be willing to die for G‑d.
And if we're willing to die for G‑d, we ask ourselves, shouldn't we also live for Him?
Further reading: Is a Jew required to die rather than disobey a Torah command?
7. The Need to Actualize Our Emotions
Follow along with Shema, and you’ll notice that the subject matter shifts from paragraph to paragraph, much like a progression of themes. It starts with the greatness and oneness of G‑d. It then talks about loving G‑d, because recognizing that G‑d is one and G‑d is great is a surefire way to come to love Him.24 It then moves on to our relationship with G‑d, and how He’ll take care of us if we listen to Him.25 This expression of our emotional yearning for G‑d is likewise a progression from the previous paragraph. But what about the last paragraph? The last paragraph talks about Torah and mitzvahs—as it concludes, “And you will do all my mitzvahs and be holy to your G‑d." How does this paragraph flow from the previous ones?
Chassidic thought explains that emotion alone are insufficient to build a relationship with G‑d.26 We need to express and actualize our emotions, because a relationship that's only emotion lacks loyalty, devotion, meaning, or purpose. And Torah and mitzvahs are the ways we express our relationship with G‑d.
This last paragraph of Shema reminds us to make our relationship with G‑d real—and to do so with humility. Having a real relationship with G‑d means recognizing that it’s not all about us. We need to ask what G‑d wants out of it, too.
Further reading: What is a Mitzvah?
8. An Obligation to Declare G‑d Is One
Shema isn’t just a reflection but a statement. It’s a meditation, yes, but it’s a meditation that we share out loud, in public. The Midrash27 explains that when the Jewish people accepted upon themselves to say Shema, they declared to G‑d, “Master of the universe, just like there's no one else I want in the Heavens but you, there's no one else on earth I want but you. And just like I haven't accepted another god in Heaven besides you, so too I haven't accepted another god on earth besides you. Instead, I will go to synagogue every day and testify that there is no G‑d aside from you by saying the Shema.”
On this level, saying Shema aloud is a recognition of and reflection of purpose and obligation. Yes, I need to resonate personally with Shema, but it doesn’t stop there. Like our Forefather Abraham, who, as the first Jew, taught the world about G‑d, Shema can’t remain an internal meditation. On this level, Shema is a paradigm shift. All the internal meditations of Shema truly take meaning when we share them with others.
As the Rebbe taught, “If all you know is the letter Alef, teach the letter Alef.”
Further reading: Did Abraham Really Invent Monotheism?
Learn More About Prayers
As we've seen, there's a lot more to Shema than meets the eye. But Shema is just one prayer. To learn more about the meaning of our daily prayers, keep on reading here.
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