Going Deeper: The Shema
Last night at LYFT we begun our series on Deuteronomy 6:4-5, popularly known as “The Shema.” The Shema is one of, if not, the most important passages in the Old Testament. When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment in Mark 12:29 he quoted The Shema: “Hear O Israel. The Lord our God. The Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” During Jesus’s life, he would have prayed The Shema twice a day like every faithful Jew.
This passage is called “The Shema” because shema is the Hebrew word translated as “hear” in Deuteronomy 6:4, but shema means more than just to hear. It also means to listen, focus on, or pay careful attention to. In other words, The Shema begins by asserting its own importance. The Lord says to his people through Moses, pay careful attention to this commandment I’m about to give you (because its a big one). The rest of Deuteronomy 6 emphasizes this even more by commanding the people to talk about this command at home with their kids, to write it down on their doorframes, and more. God considers it very important that his people not forget this pivotal command: Love him.
In order to help students remember The Shema, we gave them a 4” x 4” print with the text written on it. In the spirit of Deuteronomy 6:7-9 we encouraged students to put this print somewhere they would see it often, and we challenged them to recite the Shema at least twice a day (like Jesus himself did).
For students and families interested in going deeper with The Shema this week, here are some simple things you can do either individually or as a family.
1) Read/recite/pray the Shema: You can do this either by yourself or together as a family. Add a simple recitation of the Shema to your pre-dinner or bedtime prayers. We know for a historical fact that Jesus was shaped deeply by this simple passage. We would be wise to let it shape us as well. Doing this together as a family helps fulfill Deuteronomy 6:7’s command to impress the Shema on your children.
2) “Talk about them when you sit at home”: Deuteronomy 6:7 encourages us to talk about the Shema at home. You can do this together by reading through the Shema and talking through it together. Simple questions like “What does this teach us about God?” “How can we better obey this command today?” “What does this text teach us about humanity/human nature?” can help start these conversations.
Whatever you do and however you do it, I’d strongly encourage you all to make the Shema a part of your day on a consistent basis as we move through this series. If it was important to Jesus, we ought to prioritize making it important to us as well. I’d also recommend watching the video by the bible project linked here explaining the Shema.