Reflections on the Shema - Part Albah

וּקְשַׁרְתָּם לְאוֹת, עַל-יָדֶךָ; וְהָיוּ לְטֹטָפֹת, בֵּין עֵינֶיךָ

(8)And you shall bind them for a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes (AKJV).

וּכְתַבְתָּם עַל-מְזֻזוֹת בֵּיתֶךָ, וּבִשְׁעָרֶיךָ

(9)And you shall write them on the posts of your house, and on your gates (AKJV).

Whether taken literally or metaphorically, the importance of these commands is such that they (these words) should be bound as a sign on the hand and on the forehead (near the eyes). These words are taken literally by our Jewish brothers and sisters who actually bind, with some sort of thread, these words as well as the instructions from Numbers 15:37-41 to their heads and hands as well as their door frames and gates. The word translated 'posts of your house,' mezuzah, has become a technical term, identifying a small box containing parchment. So, through signs and symbols, literally or metaphorically, the individual, the home, and the community reflected in their being a response of love to/of God.

So, what does this mean for us today? Or more importantly, I should ask what does this important text say about who we should be as individuals as well as a faith community?

Reflections on the Shema - Part Shalosh

וְהָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה, אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם--עַל-לְבָבֶךָ

וְשִׁנַּנְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ, וְדִבַּרְתָּ בָּם, בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ בַדֶּרֶךְ, וּבְשָׁכְבְּךָ וּבְקוּמֶךָ

Continuing on to verses 6 & 7, you will notice an echo (or reiteration) of the previous verse (5). 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

The flow of the verses - again - is an inside to outside movement beginning with a person's heart followed by teaching the word of God to one's children (household), followed finally by taking the word of God out on to the streets. One could say - in all that you do remember these commandments - impress them always not only upon your own heart but also the hearts of your family members as well as where ever you go. And finally, remember these commandments before you lie your head down at night and remember when you first arise in the morning.

Reflections on the Shema - Part Schteim

Before I head off to Frankfort, IN for three days of Wesleyan Church History class, I thought I should get in one more reflection on the Shema. In my previous post, I talked a little about the oneness (or unity) of God as reflected in verse 4. Beginning in verse 5, we encounter the first of a series of repetitions - "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might" (NRSV).

וְאָהַבְתָּ, אֵת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, בְּכָל-לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל-נַפְשְׁךָ, וּבְכָל-מְאֹדֶךָ

Reading literally in English: and / love / you / the Lord / of you / with all / heart / or you / and / with all / the soul / of you / and / with all / the strength / of you. We have the repetition of the phrase “with all” followed by the sequence: heart, soul, and strength. So a good reflective question to ask is, what is the intent behind this series of repetitions? Checking outside sources the word we translate as "soul" can also refer to one's household. And the word we translate "strength" not only refers to one's physical strength but material strength as well. So, with this in mind, the sequence of heart-soul-strength may very well be an inside-out principle showing God's people how to return his love. Moses may then have been indicating that God's children's love should move in to larger circles - beginning in the heart, moving in to the family, and following in to the household/town. What a beautiful way to express one's love for God! We'll encounter this repetition again. Till next time.

The Shema

Reflections on The Shema - Part Echad

For the last few weeks I have been meditating on The Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). This passage of Scripture is named the Shema because in Hebrew the first word of the passage begins with shema which means hear or listen. The Shema is so central to the entire message of the Bible that it's importance cannot be overstated. When Jesus was confronted by a teacher of the law concerning the greatest of the commandments, Jesus says to the teacher. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and all you strength." The first sentence literally translates - Hear Israel! YHVH our God YHVH one. There are no linking verbs in the Hebrew, so we have to provide them in English. Here are three common translations...

1. Hear O Israel! The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
2. Hear O Israel! The LORD our God is one LORD.
3. Hear O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.

The one thing that all three translations emphasize (maybe one more than the others but we'd be splitting hairs) is the "oneness" or the unity of God. There is only one LORD and that LORD is YHVH (the Divine Name). Lastly, the last word in this sentence translated "one" comes from ehad which can also mean unique. So, not only is the LORD our God one, He is also unique.

Stay tuned for more on the Shema