שְׁמַע

`שְׁמַע`

Updated: 2013.10.11

Shᵊma!; Hearken! Hear! (To decode the meaning of the two enlarged letters in the שְׁמַע, see DërꞋëkh, "The Way.")

Non-Jews who have any familiarity with Judaism—and too many Jews—have the misconception that the שְׁמַע is (only) Dᵊvâr•imꞋ 6.4.

In fact, not even the three passages from written תּוֹרָה fully cover the recitation of the 'Shᵊma'.

The recitation of שְׁמַע begins with the tᵊphil•âhꞋ that introduces the שְׁמַע in the si•durꞋ, אַהֲבַת עוֹלָם, and continues through אֱמֶת וְיַצִּיב

Particularly salient to the self-orientation and Displacement Theology of today's western culture are two concepts inherent in the שְׁמַע

Q: What is expected of you, perfection? A: "You shall love ha-Sheim your Ël•oh•imꞋ with all of your heart, and with all of your nëphꞋësh and all of your utmost" (Dᵊvâr•imꞋ 6.5) and "to love ha-Sheim your Ël•oh•imꞋ and to serve Him with all of your heart and with all of your nëphꞋësh" (Dᵊvâr•imꞋ 11.13). No more than your utmost; all of your heart and all of your heart. Also, no less.
Q: Who interprets Tor•âhꞋ for you? A: A legitimate Beit-Din in the Orthodox Jewish community, "not straying after your own heart and after your own eyes after which you prostitute yourselves" (bᵊ-Mid•barꞋ 15.39). Displacing the authority of Beit-Din with the self-authority of "straying after your own heart and after your own eyes" is Displacement Theology.

Reciting the שְׁמַע is a verbal commitment to all of these principles.

By at least as early as the second century C.E., the שְׁמַע comprised three portions of Tor•âhꞋ, in the following order, each prefaced by the introductory bᵊrâkh•âhꞋ (or two) and concluded with another bᵊrâkh•âhꞋ (or two):

Introductory bᵊrâkh•âhꞋ
1. Sha•khar•itꞋ (2)
  1. יוֹצֵר הַמְּאוֹרוֹת (yo•tzeirꞋ ha-mᵊ•or•otꞋ; Molder/former of the illuminators, luminaries)—No•sakhꞋ Tei•mânꞋ
  2. אַהֲבַת עוֹלָם (A•hav•atꞋ O•lâmꞋ; love of the world-age)… —No•sakhꞋ Tei•mânꞋ
2. Arᵊv•itꞋ (2)
  1. הַמַּעֲרִיב עֲרָבִים (ha-Ma•a•rivꞋ A•râv•imꞋ; causes the evening to become evening).
  2. אַהֲבַת עוֹלָם (A•hav•atꞋ O•lâmꞋ; love of the world-age)…
Dᵊvâr•imꞋ 6.4-9
Dᵊvâr•imꞋ 11.13-21
bᵊ-Mid•barꞋ 15.37-41
Concluding bᵊrâkh•âhꞋ
1. Sha•khar•itꞋ (1)—אֱמֶת ְויַצִּיב (Ë•mëtꞋ wᵊ-ya•tzivꞋ; True and reliable/stable) is…
2. Arᵊv•itꞋ (2)
  1. אֶמֶת וֶאֱמוּנָה (Ë•mëtꞋ wᵊ-Ë•mun•âhꞋ; true and trustworthy/faithful) is…
  2. הַשְׁכִּיבֵנוּ (Ha•shᵊkiv•einꞋu; cause us to lie down)…

The earliest extant texts of the שְׁמַע are from the tᵊphil•inꞋ of Bar-KokhꞋvâ's soldiers, found near Qum•rânꞋ. The most complete of these tᵊphil•inꞋ scrolls discovered was found to contain a fourth passage: Dᵊvâr•imꞋ 5.1-21—the A•sërꞋët ha-Di•bᵊr•otꞋ.

This find provides physical evidence that, up until 135 C.E., the שְׁמַע included this passage containing the A•sërꞋët ha-Di•bᵊr•otꞋ.

The rabbis eliminated this from both tᵊphil•inꞋ and recitation of the שְׁמַע to distance Judaism from Christianity that was claiming that only the A•sërꞋ ?;ët ha-Di•bᵊr•otꞋ remained valid.

While the Christians were wrong, diminishing from established Ha•lâkh•âhꞋ by eliminating the A•sërꞋët ha-Di•bᵊr•otꞋ is prohibited by Tor•âhꞋ shë-bikh•tâvꞋ (Dᵊvâr•imꞋ 13.1) and, therefore, isn't valid Ha•lâkh•âhꞋ.

שְׁמַע

Nᵊtzâr•imꞋ… Authentic

`שְׁמַע`