Shema Yisrael

The Jewish declaration (to declare/state) of faith is summed up in the Shema Yisrael (shortened to the Shema) found in Deteronomy 6:4-9:

Sh'ma Yis'ra'eil Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad. 4Hear, Israel, the L_rd is our G_d, the Lord is One.

[ Barukh sheim k'vod malkhuto l'olam va'ed. 5 Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever.

V'ahav'ta eit Adonai Elohekha b'khol l'vav'kha uv'khol naf'sh'kha uv'khol m'odekha. And you shall love the L_rd your G_d with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

V'hayu had'varim ha'eileh asher anokhi m'tzav'kha hayom al l'vavekha 6 And these words that I command you today shall be in your heart.

The Shema : The first line of the Shema declares that G_d is the only G_d “the L_rd is one”. will cover their eyes with their right hand when they say this first section. They do this so that they can concentrate on the words without being distracted. This first section shows the belief that G_d is the only G_d (). The Shema is the most important prayer in . It is traditionally said twice a day, once in the morning and before bed. Jews are encouraged to teach their children to say the words of the Shema before they go to bed as seen in the quote: “Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” Deuteronomy 6:7 (RT).

Tefillin or Phylacteries: The prayer continues into Deuteronomy 6:8 - “Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads” (RT). During morning strict Jewish males will wear two special prayer boxes called or phylacteries. Each of the two boxes contains the Shema on a tiny piece of parchment which is carefully placed into each box when it is made. One is tied on the left arm and the other on the forehead. The left arm is the closest to the heart as the blood pumps round the left-side first. This symbolises that your heart or soul is with G_d following positive mitzvot 19 and 20 found in Deuteronomy 6:8. The binding on the forehead symbolises the fact that a worshipper’s mind or concentration on G_d as instructed in Deuteronomy 6:5. The idea is to remind worshippers to keep G_d and G_d’s laws on their mind all day long, worshipping G_d throughout the day.

Mezuzah: The use of a follows positive mitzvot 21 found in Deuteronomy 6:9 - “Write them on the door-frames of your houses and on your gates” (RT). The mezuzah is a door plaque which is placed on a gate and front doorposts of a Jewish home. Like the tefillin it has a piece of parchment with the Shema written on it and the name of G_d on the back. Every time a Jew passes through a door with a mezuzah on it, they touch it and then kiss the fingers that touched it. This expresses love and respect for G_d reminding them of the laws contained within the mezuzah. It is normally placed at an angle.