Understanding The Shema

Understanding The Shema And The V'ahhavta L'rayahcha           

The Shema and the V'ahhavta L'rayacha are at the foundation of the Jewish faith and should very well be at the foundation of faith, for all who believe in the Jewish Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ). All of the Mitzvots (Commandments) of the Almighty, are summed up in these few words, which are called the greatest commandments. Indeed, in the ancient Jewish culture, it was recited twice a day, morning and night.  Most Orthodox and Conservative Jewish cultures, still do this today. The Sage Ramban comments,  "Its importance is indicated by the fact that the Torah places it immediately after the Ten Commandments." It is considered the very essence of Judaism.  In Mattityahu (Matthew) 22: 34–40, we read the following words;

 But the Pharisees, when they heard that Yeshua had silenced the Sadducees, gathered together in one place. And testing Him, one of them, a lawyer, asked, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Torah?" And He said to him, '"You shall love ADONAI your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  The entire Torah and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.'"

Mattityahu (Matthew), only records this small portion of the Shema and the V'ahhavta L'rayahcha. However, in all probability, Yeshua recited the whole Shema, which would have been familiar to all Jews listening at that time. It has always been the custom among Jews to recite the Shema, exactly as it is still done today. It would only make sense, that Yeshua would speak it, in accordance to how the people of  His day understood it. I base this on the passage of Scripture found in The Gospel of  Yochanan (John) 21:25 which says;

 "And there are also many other things which Yeshua did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. A-men'."

It was their custom in that day, to understand a portion of Scripture, within the context, of which it was written. If we desire proper understanding of God's word, it is important  that we would view all of Scripture from this Hebraic perspective today. Therefore, it is most probable that Yeshua  spoke the complete Shema as it was written in D'Varim (Deuteronomy) 6: 4–9;

Hear O Israel (Shema Yisrael), the LORD is our God, the LORD is One. And you shall love the Lord your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. And have these words , which I command you this day, be upon your heart. And you shall teach them diligently to your children, and speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you retire, and when you arise. And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand and let them be frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gates:

Then the V'ahhavta L'rayahcha from Vayikra (Leviticus) 19:18 is recited as such;

And you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

I believe there is a vast amount of revelation contained in the words of the Shema that many people never seem to grasp. The Tanakh (Old Testament) and the B'rit Hadashah (New, or Refreshed Covenant), both revolve around the importance of understanding these few verses. These few words, are the glue that holds all of Scripture together and give it meaning. They are the core to understanding the love of the Almighty for His children. They show us, how we are to relate to Him, by allowing ourselves to be vessels, carrying His love to all mankind.

 I ask that Ruach Ha Kodesh (The Holy Spirit) would grant me the wisdom to explain these few verses, in such a manner, that the eyes of your understanding would be opened to what Ruach Elohim is saying in these times. In the name of  Yeshua Ha Mashiach and to the Glory of HaShem I pray. A-men.

Hear O Israel, (Shema Yisrael)

 The Hebrew word Shema is translated into the English as the word  Hear.  As, with almost every word in the Hebrew language, the true meaning is lost in the translation process. The word from the Hebrew means much more than just the sounds entering into the ears and being interpreted as words.  Shema means to pay attention in such a way, that the words enter into your very being and you would obediently respond to them. It means that you would carefully and attentively consider them. You would diligently discern them and allow them to enter into your heart, in such a manner that you would be joyfully obedient to them. You would not only do them, but you would be a witness to them. It means you will proclaim them and publishing them, to whosoever will listen. There is an action required once you hear.

The Lord is our God, 

 (I will use the term HaShem [The Name] in place of יהוה [Yod, Hey, Vav, Hey] so as not to offend our Jewish brothers and sisters.) HaShem is Eloheinu (Our G-d). This statement separates the Hebrew people from all other peoples of the world, as they are declaring that the G-d of Creation is their G-d. All of the surrounding cultures, at that time, were pagan, idol worshipers. The Hebrews were the only people, to whom, G-d had revealed Himself, at that time in history. Not because they were a great, or a mighty people, but because G-d chose to show His grace and mercy toward them.

The Lord is One,

  HaShem is One. HaShem is Echad ( אחד ) The word "Echad" is probably the most argued over word in all of Scripture. Its proper translation will probably be discussed until Messiah comes. The word Echad, as it is commonly used in Scripture, means, a composite unity. What is a composite unity? A good example of a composite unity is light. We may see light as white. However when that white light passes through a prism we can clearly see that it is made up of a rainbow of colors from infra-red to ultra-violet. We only see it as white, but there is more to it than what the eye can naturally see. Another example is the egg. It has a shell, the white and the yoke, but it is still one egg. Please understand that I am not trying to make a Trinitarian argument here. I am just stating the facts which properly define the word echad.

 Examples of this word used in Scripture are found in B'Resheet (Genesis) 2:24, where it says;

"Hence a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, so that they become one (echad) flesh."

It is obvious that the two people do not suddenly become one person, but that the Almighty looks upon them as one unit.  The word echad is also used in B'Midbar (Numbers)  13:24a, where it says;

"They came to the Eschkol Valley; and there they cut off a branch bearing one (echad) cluster of grapes, which they carried on a pole between two of them;

It should be evident from the context that there was not only one grape, but one cluster of grapes. Though there were many grapes, there was only one cluster. If the Almighty, had wanted to describe Himself as a single, solitary entity, there is a Hebrew word He could have used. That word is  יחיד  yachiyd [yaw-kheed'].   Yachiyd means; sole, solitary, only (as an only child, or an only son.) However, HaShem chose the word echad. Why? I do not claim to have the answer to all of the Almighty's mysteries. As stated in the Commentary of the Chumash Torah, "There is an inner harmony for all that He does, though human intelligence cannot comprehend what it is. This too, will be understood at the End of Days, when God's ways are illuminated." The Almighty will reveal, or manifest Himself as He pleases and I have committed myself to trusting in Him, not the wisdom of men. Men will find enough ways to create division. I will not play that game.

And you shall love the LORD your God, with all your heart,

 The heart is a metaphor for the center of all of our desires. All of our wants, our ambitions, our likes, our dislikes, all that we crave and all that we abhor are seated in our hearts. We are to love HaShem with all of our inclinations. He is to be constantly in our thoughts in everything we do, think or say. Our hearts are to be, so inclined towards our  Creator, that we would walk in obedience to Him in love and turn away from sin. If you are walking in a loving relationship with Ha Shem, His commandments will never be grievous. Instead, they are life, and most blessed.

With all your soul, and with all your might.

 Our soul is that portion of our being which makes us who we are. It contains our personality and our will. It is considered as the seat of the intellect. It is closely associated with the heart mentioned above. In a sense, it can be described as, our life. The soul has two things that influence its desires. The soul can be influenced by the natural (fleshly) desires which are associated with the things of this world. The natural man/woman was made from the dust of the earth and his/her natural inclinations are toward those things that come from the earth, from which they were made. This is the primary arena where HaSatan does his work by tempting us with lust for the things of this world. The lusts, appetites, and desires of our heart and soul are mostly directed towards the things of this earth. Food, drink, smells, feelings, sex, property and materialism all have their seat in the soul influenced by the natural man. The fleshly person always desires to please self.

The soul is also influenced by the Spirit that breathed life into us. Without the Spirit, there can be no life. The Almighty has given every living being a portion of His Spirit. Therefore, man/woman is composed of body, soul and spirit. The spirit is that portion of us that comes from the Almighty, and as the natural man is influenced by the earth from whence he came, the spirit communes with the Spirit from whence it came. Yochanan (John) 3: 5–6  reads thus; "Yeshua answered, 'Amen, amen I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. What is born of flesh is flesh, and what is born of Spirit is spirit.'"    All human beings have a sense for the Almighty, because we all have a portion of His Spirit dwelling in us. The Almighty's desire is for us to seek him with all our heart, all our soul and all our might, that our souls might live. You must love God, even if that means giving up our lives for His glory. G-d is to be above all.

And have these words, which I command you this day, be upon your heart. 

These words which God commands us, are to be upon your heart this day. Today you are to consider them. Today you are to approach them as though they were just given to you. They are to be new, fresh, alive and exciting every day of your life, for they are life. The commands are not to become stale, or burdensome.

And you shall teach them diligently to your children, 

It is the responsibility of every parent to diligently teach Torah, to every one of their children. You are not only to teach the Torah to your children, but also to any student, for whom you may be responsible. You are to teach by your example. A person demonstrates his devotion to Torah, by the priority he gives to teaching it to children. Many adults have erred in their youth, or before they came to the saving knowledge of Yeshua Ha Mashiach. Many have come out of the traditions of men, or the doctrines of devils. It is our responsibility to teach children of the pitfalls of this ungodly behavior and not be flippant about the transgression of Torah. We who know Messiah, are to be protectors of our children and defenders of Torah. We are to constantly bring the joy Torah before them in such a way as encourage them. That which is contrary to Torah is to be exposed as such. We are not to compromise with paganism, the ways of this world, or that which is contrary to Torah.

And speak of them when you sit in your house,

The focus of conversation in your home should be upon the Almighty, His Torah, and salvation through the shed blood of Yeshua Ha Mashiach. What has he done in your life in the past? What is He doing in your life right now? How has His provision been revealed to you?  How have you trusted in Him and what is the evidence that He is working in your midst? How has He kept you through difficult situations? How has He healed you? We are to avoid vain conversations, which profit nothing and focus upon HaShem and His son Yeshua.

When you walk by the way,

I have found that some of the best times to focus upon Torah and ADONAI Yeshua, is when my wife and I are walking by the way. It is our custom to walk for exercise and it is commonplace for our conversation to be centered upon ADONAI and what he has been doing in our lives. There is just something about walking under the sky above that seems to turn your thoughts upon HaShem. It doesn't matter if you are walking under clouds, a clear sky, or a star lit night. The conversation always seems to focus upon HaShem. I believe that is what He desires of us.

When you retire, and when you arise,

At the end of your day, it is comforting to dwell upon HaShem and what He has done for you throughout the day. It is a wonderful time to give Him thanks and ask for His protection  and Shalom (Peace) as you let down your guard and slumber. It is Jewish custom to recite the Shema twice a day. Once in the evening, when you retire and in the morning, when you arise. You complete your day thinking on Torah and your begin your thinking on Torah. Rabbi, Haamek Davar (1817-1893) had this to say concerning these words; "This verse is understood on two levels. For those who seek perfection, it is a call to study the Torah unceasingly, at all times and in every possible situation. But those who are not capable of this goal are commanded at the very minimum to recite the Shema morning and night."

And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand and let them be frontlets between your eyes.

During the Old Testament times and even to this day, Orthodox Jewish people have the Shema written down in boxes called tefillin or phylacteries which are worn on their upper arms with leather straps wrapped around their forearms down to the hand. They also do the same thing with another box worn between the eyes just above the hairline. If you have ever seen pictures of Jewish people praying at the Wailing Wall, you may have noticed them. Most New Covenant believers do not wear tefillin, (They may be seen in some Messianic Congregations) but we are to be reminded of Torah with all the work of our hands and the Torah is to be ever present before us. We are to have Torah in mind wherever our eyes seem to wander. Our thoughts are to ever be upon the Almighty and His commandments.

And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and upon your gates;

Many Jewish families, place a mezuzah upon the doorpost of their houses. It is a little box with a parchment inside with the Shema written upon it. This is done in obedience to this commandment. People also place them upon their gates for the same reason. It is there as a constant reminder to have Torah upon your mind during your coming in  and your going out. His word is to be constantly carried within our hearts.

The Shema closes with the words of the V'ahhavta L'rayahcha from Vayikra (Leviticus) 19:18,

And you should love your neighbor as yourself.

Does that statement really need further explanation?

Shalom Ahlaychem,

Barry W. Gaugler