Shema, The

“Hear O’ Israel…G-d is One” is arguably the most essential statements of the Jewish faith. Discover layers of meaning to this central verse we recite daily.

I obliterated the shadow of illness and defilement that had poisoned what I had held sacred. When I affixed the mezuzah to the doorpost of the den, I affirmed that what is created in this room, what is thought in this room, is free of lies and deception. ...

What is the source for it? Why do we add it to one of the most fundamental Jewish prayers, and why do we say it quietly?

My uncharged cell phone flashing red at me, as if to say, “Feed me! Feed me!” And where is the charger, anyway? Why can’t I keep track of simple things like the phone charger? Who’s in charge here anyway?

Why 70 souls? Why 12 tribes? Why 4 directions?

The subtle differences between the first and second paragraphs of the Shema offer the key to our spiritual survival in a world without miracles.

Shortly after arriving at Auschwitz, Frankl was stripped of his most precious possession—a manuscript that was his life’s work, which he had hidden in his coat pocket. Realizing that the odds of his survival were small, he had what he describes as “perhap...

It is crucial to have the proper intention when reciting the first verse of Shema, even more so than during other parts of prayer.

Question: Why are the final letters of the first and last words of the Shema larger than all the others in the Torah scroll? Answer: One of the many explanations is that we enlarge those letters to ensure that they are read properly. If the word shema, שמ...

Now we bring this all back down to earth with an added line after the Shema.