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Shema Yisrael – the most renowned prayer in Judaism.
The prayer Shema Yisrael is the most notable and renowned prayer in Judaism. The prayer is usually identified with the first verse of the prayer that proclaims: " Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is One." The full version of Shema Yisrael is comprised by three paragraphs from the Torah: Deuteronomy 6:4–9, 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37–41
Shema Yisrael origins and commandments
In these passages, Jews are commanded to recite Shema twice a day - before sunrise and shortly after nightfall: "when you lie down, and when you rise up" (Deuteronomy 6:7). We are also commanded to love the God of Israel with our whole being. "And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might".
In these psalms, the Jews are also commanded to teach their children the Shema prayer. Shema Yisrael is indeed the first prayer that every Jewish child knows. Although Jewish women are not obligated to recite the prayer women, men, and children do so. As the Shema Yisrael also includes other important mitzvahs: to wear Tefillin and to inscribe to God's commandments by affixing a mezuzah on every doorpost.
The meaning of the prayer
The first verse of the prayer directly addresses God, proclaiming: " Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is One." The believer asks God of Israel to listen to his prayer, in which he or she proclaims their entire devotion. This declaration of faith is the foundation of the Jewish religion – the belief in one God, the God of Israel. 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."
However, Shema Yisrael does not only express the belief in one God: the believer is obliged to devote his whole being to the love of God and the Torah.
Shema Yisrael and the Holocaust
According to Talmud, when Rabbi Akiva was imprisoned by Tyrannus Rufus , he was painfully tortured by his capturers. his flesh was being torn with an iron tools, he remained calm . With his last breath, Rabbi Akiva called Shema Yisrael. 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. This gesture demonstrate the core idea of the prayer – having faith in God in the most tragic circumstances, recognizing that the God who brings the good , also brings the bad.
The images of the assassinated Jews who called Shema Yisrael just before they were murdered by the Nazis have imprinted its mark in the collective memory. Shema Yisral has become the most recognizable prayer of Jewish identity.
Shema Yisrael in Jewish jewelry
The sacred words of Shema Yisrael can be found on many Jewish jewelry accessories. Besides the fact that every Jewish person can relate to this prayer, it is also considered a protection amulet. Many Jewish men and women wear Shema Yisrael pendants around their necks as a virtue for protection and blessing.
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