For thousands of years, Jewish people have daily prayed the "Shema.” It’s a prayer that calls God’s people to respond to the divine love with faithfulness and devotion.

ABOUT THE SHEMA

a Video Series from The Bible Project

One of the most famous (and important) prayers (1) contained in the Bible (2) is one that we see the Hebrew people repeat over and over again throughout the Old Testament (3) - the Shema. In Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (4), we first see this prayer, which says, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one, and as for you, you shall Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength."

It is a powerful prayer, and one with a lot of meaning packed into just a few words. The Shema, which is the Hebrew word for "listen," is the centerpiece of the last speech Moses gave to the Israelites before they went down into the promised land. After entering the promised land, the Shema became a prayer that the Israelites prayed twice a day.

The Shema was still a significant part of their religion when Christ (5) was born (6). Jesus references the Shema in Mark 12:29-31 (7) when He says, "The first of all the commandments is, ‘Listen, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these."

Without a doubt, the Shema is an important prayer and one of the cornerstones of the Christian faith. In this video series, we will unpack some of the meaning and significance behind this beautiful prayer.

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Source Link:

https://thebibleproject.com/explore/shema-listen/