Shema Siddur Page

(ד) שְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל ה' אֱלֹקֵ֖ינוּ ה' ׀ אֶחָֽד׃ (ה) וְאָ֣הַבְתָּ֔ אֵ֖ת ה' אֱלֹקֶ֑יךָ בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ֥ וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁךָ֖ וּבְכָל־מְאֹדֶֽךָ׃ (ו) וְהָי֞וּ הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה אֲשֶׁ֨ר אָנֹכִ֧י מְצַוְּךָ֛ הַיּ֖וֹם עַל־לְבָבֶֽךָ׃ (ז) וְשִׁנַּנְתָּ֣ם לְבָנֶ֔יךָ וְדִבַּרְתָּ֖ בָּ֑ם בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ֤ בְּבֵיתֶ֙ךָ֙ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ֣ בַדֶּ֔רֶךְ וּֽבְשָׁכְבְּךָ֖ וּבְקוּמֶֽךָ׃ (ח) וּקְשַׁרְתָּ֥ם לְא֖וֹת עַל־יָדֶ֑ךָ וְהָי֥וּ לְטֹטָפֹ֖ת בֵּ֥ין עֵינֶֽיךָ׃ (ט) וּכְתַבְתָּ֛ם עַל־מְזוּזֹ֥ת בֵּיתֶ֖ךָ וּבִשְׁעָרֶֽיךָ׃ (ס)

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

(4) Listen, Bnei Yisrael! Hashem, our G-d, Hashem is One. (5) You shall love Hashem your G-d with all your hearts, with all your soul, and with all your measurements. (6) And these words shall be, which I command you today, on your heart. (7) And you shall teach them sharply to your children, and you shall speak through them, when you are sitting at home, when you are walking on a path, and when you go to sleep, and when you wake up. (8) And you shall tie them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be boxes between your eyes. (9) And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Shema is one of the most famous and important portions of the Torah, and it expresses the ideas that are most central to us as Jews. While Shema is a part of the daily prayer service, it is actually not a prayer -- rather, Shema is a testimony to the Jewish people (שמע ישראל) of the fact that we believe in one G-d. The Shema begins with the idea that there is one G-d and that G-d is One (ה' אחד). Then, Moshe invites us to develop a relationship with Hashem, to love Him (ואהבת). In the פסוקים that follow, Moshe describes various mitzvot that flow from our love of Hashem: teaching our children Torah, speaking words of Torah, saying Shema twice daily, wearing tefillin and having mezuzot (פסוקים ח-ט). These mitzvot show us that our love for Hashem should express itself in everything we do: our speech, our actions, our dress, our relationships, and the way we set up our homes and communities. Judaism is not just one aspect of our lives -- it is an all-encompassing philosophy that affect everything we do. Jews have turned to say Shema in good times and bad, for our belief and love of G-d anchor us no matter what we are going through and help us always grow in our relationship with Hashem.

1. ה' אלקינו ה – Dr. Stewart Halpern notices that the number 3 appears many times in Shema. For example, Hashem’s name is mentioned 3 times, we are told to love Hashem in 3 ways, and we are commanded to put reminders of Hashem in three places. Dr. Halpern explains that throughout Tanach, we see that the number 3 represents deep, transformative thoughts. For example, the Jewish people prepared to receive the Torah for three days, and during this time, they transformed into a nation worthy of receiving a Torah. As we notice the number 3 appearing in Shema, it should remind us that our relationship with Hashem must not be shallow; rather, it should be a deep relationship which transforms us as people (Dr. Halpern, Mitoch Ha’Ohel).

In our generation, when we are so easily drawn to what is quick and easy, what can be accomplished in “one click,” Shema reminds us that we can achieve a deeper connection and really grow as people when we take the time to do something that takes times and effort.

2. ואהבת – Although we are also commanded to fear Hashem (Devarim 10:20), we are told here that fearing Hashem is not enough. One who only fears his boss will quit his job when it becomes too hard, but one who loves his boss will always remain loyal. In the same way, we are commanded to love Hashem so that we will always continue to do the mitzvot, even if it may be difficult (רש"י ו:ה "ואהבת").

Another way to think about this is like a person who really loves her basketball coach. Even though the coach might push her sometimes and make practices really hard, she will continue to stick with the sport because she loves the coach and feels loyal to the team.

3. בכל מאדך – Literally, the word מאדך means “your a lot.” The commentaries explain this in various ways. Rashi quotes the Sages who translate מאדך as ממונך, your money. This may appeal to a person whose money is of utmost importance; for that person, serving Hashem with money shows the highest level of loyalty. Rashi offers an alternate explanation as well: to love Hashem with your measurements, from the root of מדה. No matter what experience Hashem measures out for you, whether good or bad, you can use it as an opportunity to serve Hashem. This is exemplified by King David who turned to G-d both in times of victory and in times of suffering (רש"י ו:ה "בכל מאדך"). Ramban offers a third possibility, which is that מאדך simply means to love Hashem a lot, from the word מאד. Ramban quotes the same definition from the Sages that Rashi brings as well (רמב"ן ו:ה "בכל מאדך").

Just seeing the poetic language of the Torah and how many different meanings one word can have can help a person feel more love and appreciation for the Torah and for the One who gave it to us!

4. ודברת בם – Rashi notices the strange phrasing of “And you shall speak through them (the words of Torah). In what way should the words of Torah be something we speak through, as if they are the frame of our conversations? Rashi explains that the Torah should be the עיקר, the main part of our conversations, not טפל, the secondary part. We should make Torah the focus of our conversations (רש"י ו:ז "ודברת בם").

One way to think about this is like a dinner plate. You might have steak as your main dish, with salad and mashed potatoes on the side. Although the steak might not take up most of the room on the plate, you know that it is the main dish and the other things are just there to complement it. In your conversations as well, it should be obvious that when you speak about Torah it is the most important thing in your life. When you speak about other things, they should “complement” the Torah by being consistent with the messages that the Torah teaches us and not including lashon hara or other sins of speech.