Shema Yisrael
The Shema (! Hebrew Shema Yisrael שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל, Sch ᵉ ma Yisrael or just Shema, Hear, O Israel " ) and the following Toraverse are central components of daily prayer: Shacharit (Hebrew שחרית ), which is the Jewish morning prayer, and Maariw (Hebrew מעריב ), which is the Jewish evening prayer.
The Shema Israel
The Shema expression includes the monotheistic essence of Judaism and the central context of the Torah, in which the core message of the charity is embedded:
The Hebrew text of this central block is:
It is the oldest expression of Jewish self- understanding and includes the unity and uniqueness of God as well as several central commandments of Judaism:
- The daily recitation of the Shema itself
- The application of tefillin ( phylacteries )
- The Zizijot ( fringes )
- The mezuzah ( capsules on the doorposts )
- The passing of the commandments to the next generation
The Sch ᵉ ma Yisrael as a testimony expression in prayer
The text is recited twice daily in the Hebrew language, both in the morning after waking up and in the evening before lying down. It consists of Deuteronomy 6:4 (Deut 6.4 LUT), a set of the Mishnah ( mJoma 6.2 ) and the Toraabschnitten Deuteronomy 6.5-9 (Dt 6 LUT & ref = Dtn6 LUT), 11.13 to 21 ( Deuteronomy 11 & ref = Dtn11 LUT LUT) and from 15.37 to 41 Numbers (Numbers 15 LUT & ref = Num15 LUT).
The Sch ᵉ ma Yisrael in Jewish liturgy
In Jewish liturgy, the Shema is framed by three eulogies, the philosophical and content relate to each a portion of the Shema. It is recited out loud.
Text by Reform Jewish translation
Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is unique. (Deut 6:4)
Blessed be God's glorious reign forever and ever! ( mJoma 6.2 )
You shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all your soul and with all your strength. These words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon your heart. You shall tell your children. Thou shalt talk of them when you sit at home and when you walk on the street, and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign upon your wrist. They should be as frontlets on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deut 6.5-9 )
In silence repeated: And if you listen to my commandments which I command you this day, so if you the Eternal your God, love and serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give your land its rain in its season, the early rain in autumn and the latter rain in the spring, and you can corn, wine and oil harvest; I will give thy beast his grass on the field and you can eat and be satisfied. But beware! Let not your heart be deceived, does not deviate from the path, does not serve other gods, and not making obeisance to them! Otherwise the wrath of the Eternal be kindled against you; he is going to shut the sky, it will fall no rain, the field will bring no return and you will be repaid immediately from the magnificent land that the Lord will give. These my words shall write to her on your heart and on your soul. You shall bind around the wrist as a sign. You be as a pendant on your forehead. You shall teach your children and tell them about it when you sit at home and when you walk on the street, when you lie down and when you rise. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. So that you and your children live long in the land which the Lord swore to your forefathers to give; so numerous are to be in it as the days arching of the heavens above the earth your days. (Deut 11.13 to 21 )
The Lord said to Moses, Speak unto the children of Israel and say to them, they should sew tassels on the ends of their garments, from generation to generation. At the tassels they are a blue thread mount. It should be shopping tassels for you: When you see it, then you shall remember all the commandments of the Eternal and they do. Ye shall not give your heart and your eyes, if they want to you make you swerve to infidelity. Through them you will remember all my commandments, and shall observe them and be holy to your God. I am the Lord your God; I have brought you out of Egypt, to be God to you; I, the Lord am your God. (Num 15.37 to 41 )
On the Jewish liturgy heard the Shema Yisrael and accompanying eulogies, such as the following, in the silence continues the Shabbat morning service after a short time: This word is the truth. At all times it is valid for us, recognized and praised. It is true that you are God and forever and reign over us. You are the rock of Jacob, the Shield of our salvation. Resistant to you from generation to generation. Your rule and Your faithfulness have perpetual existence. You, O Lord, are in truth our God and God of our ancestors. Our Redeemer and our Savior - this is always your name. There is no other God beside thee. The help of our ancestors were you since ever. You were a shield for them. You were her help - for them and their children and their grandchildren in each generation. Happy is the man that is determined by your commandments and your law and your word to heart. This is true: You are the beginning and you're the end. And besides you are there for us nothing that can save us and help us. Rock of Israel, arise to help Israel! Our Saviour, who supplies all the creature, Holy One of Israel, that's his name. Blessed are you, O Lord. You redeemed Israel.
In the music
- Arnold Schoenberg's Holocaust melodrama A Survivor from Warsaw, which focuses on the suppression of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, closes to that of a male choir singing the Shema Yisrael.
- The organ symphony Le Cantique des Cantiques (2004) by Walter Steffens is opened by the prologue Hear, O Israel (after the Mosebuch ).