WTB 4 - My Beloved Sh'ma

 
Sh'ma Isra'el! ADONAI Eloheinu ADONAI Echad.
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
And you are to love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your might (or resources).

I love what is called "The Shema," a group of verses that begins with the above, Deut 6:4-5. It stood out to me the first time I read through the Old Testament and remains one of my very most favorite pieces of Scripture. I sing it to myself sometimes. I sing it to Sam often. He sings it to me and to Amol just as often. In Hebrew. It's the one piece of Scripture Amol knows by heart. In the children's books I got Sam (The Bedtime Sh'ma and  Modeh Ani), his favorite page is when we get to this phrase.

A quick break down of the original language of this, according to Strong's, makes this a very emphatic and urgent verse.
Sh'ma - Hear. But not just to register an auditory signal. No, this is "to hear intelligently with implication of attention, obedience, and causatively, to tell or proclaim."
ADONAI or LORD is to let us know the actual use of the specific name of God was used, reserved for times when only the most reverent reference will do. And here it's used twice in a row. That tells us something.
Finally, Echad - one. A rich word meaning one, first, and interestingly, united.

It is Scripture like this that makes me wish I knew Hebrew to read it in its original fullness, though something about it just stands out as important in any language. And it is, which is why amongst our Jewish cousins, it is repeated 3 times a day, to always keep it forefront in the mind and first in the heart. It is also the most important commandment, according to Jesus. It poetically goes on:

Hear, Israel! The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

And you are to love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your resources. These Words, which I am commanding you today shall be in your heart, and you shall be careful to impress them upon your children, and shall speak of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up...  Deut 6:4-7 (CJB & The Scriptures)

In other words, this thought is to be all-consuming and we are to consciously make it so. With that in mind, Moses goes on to give specific teachings and laws - the Torah or Law. Because I just can't let this one slide by, it's worth noting that even then, God's Law was intended to be on our hearts and did not come only with the advent of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

What would that look like, to hold the Word of God so dearly that we made a very specific effort to give voice to it multiple times a day in just about any scenario? Would it help to keep our children from leaving God's family? Would it help to keep hearts soft so that they continue to grow spiritually rather than becoming ambivalent about an extended relationship with God? Could it help someone find their long lost children after death and tragedy and extended separation?

I've known I loved the Sh'ma and what it represents since first coming to it. But after reading the following story, I revere it in a more powerful way that extends beyond the poetic or its ability to calm my sometimes-ravaged soul.

In 1945, Rabbi Eliezer Silver headed up the search for thousands of displaced Jewish children across Europe.  The rabbi had a promising lead with a report that a monastery in southern France had taken in Jewish children. But the priest in charge was of little help, declaring that to his knowledge, all of their children were Christians. He scanned their small faces—many had lived there since they were toddlers. How could he know if any of them were from Jewish families? He asked if he could visit the wards. In front of the children he began singing in Hebrew, “Shema Israel, Adonai Elohenu, Adonai Echad.” (Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.) A handful of faces lit up, and tiny voices from around the room joined in. They recognized these ancient words from their bedtime prayers, and from their earliest memories of their mothers and fathers reciting them each morning and evening, during their own prayers.  (excerpted from Lois Tverberg's blog and her upcoming book, "Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus")

Dearest Adonai,
May I never forget the power You hold in my life and what it means to call you Father. More than that, may I never falter in making sure Sam sees me giving you the credit and the glory and the love and making sure he knows that above all else, is You.  Amen.