0+-+Background+on+Sh'ma

**__ GENERAL BACKGROUND __**
 * שְׁמַע **

The first line of the שְׁמַע comes from Deuteronomy 6:4. שְׁמַ ע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָ ד // Hear, O Israel, the Eternal is our God, the Eternal is One. //

Besides being found in the Torah, the words of the שְׁמַע are also found on the scrolls of the //m’zuzzah// placed on our doorposts and in the //t’fillin// (for those who wear them) wrapped every morning around one’s head and arm. This short declaration has been called the “Watchword of our Faith.” It is recited by Jews twice daily in traditional worship, is sung during the Torah service after a scroll is taken from the holy ark, it is said at night upon going to sleep, and is the line that Jews throughout the generations have recited just prior to their death.

The שְׁמַע gives expression to God's oneness and power, as well as our people’s personal relationship with The Eternal. These words are a statement of belief, not a prayer that praises God, thanks God, or asks God for something. The שְׁמַע reminds us of a core principle in Judaism: God is One; God is our God and there is no other.

In the Torah scroll, the שְׁמַע is printed with the ע in the first word ( שְׁמַ**ע** ) and the ד in the last word ( אֶחָ**ד** ) enlarged. One explanation for this is that those who made this decision wanted us to notice that together ע and ד spell the Hebrew word עֵד or witness. שְׁמַ ע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָ ד עֵד

We stand as __witnesses__ for God when we, individually and as a people, enter into a relationship with God (“The Eternal //our// God”)//.// We show others the influence God has on our lives when we behave in a way that illustrates the line that immediate follows שְׁמַע in the Torah, that we “love God with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our might.”

The first line of שְׁמַע is found in the midst of a speech that Moses gives to the People of Israel at the very beginning of //D’varim///Deuteronomy. While the plain meaning of the text has Moses saying the entire line, there is a tradition that the שְׁמַע is actually a dialogue: that Moses said שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל and the Israelites responded //"Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad."// Still others consider it a dialogue between the Jewish people and God. Regardless of how it is viewed, the words and teachings of the שְׁמַע have its source in Torah and are central to the teachings of the Jewish people.

The second line of שְׁמַע is also quite ancient, though not found in the Torah itself. Over 2000 years ago, the //kohanim// (the priests) led the morning service at the Temple in Jerusalem.

They recited the first line of שְׁמַע and the Jews in attendance would respond, “Praised is God’s glory forever and ever!” In Hebrew the words are:

בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתולְעוֹלָם וָעֶד

After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, the rabbis chose to preserve the two lines together. However, they also opted to have the congregation quietly recite the second line (starting בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם ) as a way of signaling that it was not part of the full passage from Torah that begins with שְׁמַע (Deuteronomy 6:4) and moves immediately into וְאָהַבְתָּ (Deuteronomy 6:5).

**__ SPECIAL CHOREOGRAPHY __**

The first line of the שְׁמַע (//Sh’ma Yisrael Adonai eloheinu Adonai e__h__ad//) is said aloud, while traditionally the response (//Baruch shem k’vod mal__h__uto l’olam va’ed//) is recited silently to oneself or in a whisper except on Yom Kippur, when it too is said aloud.

It is not necessary for one to be standing to recite the שְׁמַע. In fact, it is customary to remain in whatever position one was in prior to the recitation of שְׁמַע. This means that during a typical worship service, the congregation will rise for בָּרְכוּ, then sit down and remain seated for the recitation of שְׁמַע. However, some congregations rise for the שְׁמַע. Others will just stay in a standing position from בָּרְכוּ through the recitation of the שְׁמַע and then sit down at the start of וְאָהַבְתָּ.

Some people cover or close their eyes while reciting the שְׁמַע so that they can focus very intently on the words they are speaking.

**__ WORKING WITH TRANSLATIONS __**

The שְׁמַע has been translated in many different ways, each translation touching on the meaning of the declaration a little differently. Below is a list of different translations for reference and comparison purposes:

Hear, O Israel: Adonai is our God, Adonai alone. Praised be God’s glorious sovereignty throughout all time. ** CONSERVATIVE **// : Or Hadash: A Commentary on Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat and Festivals //, Reuven Hammer, page 30.

Hear, O Israel: the Eternal One is our God, the Eternal God alone. Blessed is God’s glory forever and ever! ** REFORM ** : //Gates of Prayer for Young People//, edited by Rabbi Elyse Frishman, page 9

Listen, Israel: THE ETERNAL is our God, THE ETERNAL ONE alone! Blessed be the name and glory of God’s realm forever! ** RECONSTRUCTIONIST ** : //Kol Haneshamah Mini-Siddur//, edited by Toba Spitzer, page 23.

Hear, O Israel, //Adonai// is our God, //Adonai// is One! Blessed is God’s glorious majesty forever and ever. ** REFORM ** : //Mishkan T’filah//, edited by Elyse D. Frishman, pages 64-65

Upon first glance, the different translations might seem very similar, but there are nuances unique to each. When we translate the end of the first line as “God alone,” similar to the first three translations listed above, we communicate the idea that we are to have no other gods, as is commanded in the Torah. When we translate the declaration as “God is One,” similar to the last translation listed above, we communicate the idea that our God is unique, the only one in the universe. Another way that the end of the first line has been translated is to say “//Adonai// our God is One //Adonai//,” and this communicates that God is not made up of separate parts. [1]

Traditionally, Jews are allowed to say the שְׁמַע in any language. For many people, the Hebrew carries a stronger sense of purpose or meaning, yet the declaration would be useless to a Jew who does not know what he or she is saying. No matter the translation, the message of the שְׁמַע is central to the Jewish belief structure.

[1] Seymour Rossel, // The Torah Portion-by-Portion // (Los Angeles: Torah Aura Productions), 2007. p. 297.