WHAT IT IS
The Shema is the great prayer of the Jews. Often recited countless times during the day by the devout, it is part of morning and evening prayer, and it is written upon the doorposts of Jewish homes. It is the prayer of the Bible for the Jewish faithful. It is a Declaration of Faith derived from three passages of the Old Testament:
- Deuteronomy 6:4-9
- Deuteronomy 11:13-21
- Numbers 15:37-41
For MORE INFORMATION about the SHEMA, detailed instructions on reciting the prayer and other Jewish prayers and practices, visit Chabad.org.
PRAYER OF THE SHEMA
Cover your eyes with your right hand and say:
Hear, O Israel, the L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is One.
Recite the following verse in an undertone:
Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever.
You shall love the L-rd your G-d with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you today shall be upon your heart. You shall teach them thoroughly to your children, and you shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road, when you lie down and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for a reminder between your eyes. And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gates.
And it will be, if you will diligently obey My commandments which I enjoin upon you this day, to love the L-rd your G-d and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, I will give rain for your land at the proper time, the early rain and the late rain, and you will gather in your grain, your wine and your oil. And I will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be sated. Take care lest your heart be lured away, and you turn astray and worship alien gods and bow down to them. For then the L-rd’s wrath will flare up against you, and He will close the heavens so that there will be no rain and the earth will not yield its produce, and you will swiftly perish from the good land which the L-rd gives you. Therefore, place these words of Mine upon your heart and upon your soul, and bind them for a sign on your hand, and they shall be for a reminder between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, to speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road, when you lie down and when you rise. And you shall inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates – so that your days and the days of your children may be prolonged on the land which the L-rd swore to your fathers to give to them for as long as the heavens are above the earth.
The L-rd spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the children of Israel and tell them to make for 
themselves fringes on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to attach a thread of blue on the fringe of each corner. They shall be to you as tzizit, and you shall look upon them and remember all the commandments of the L-rd and fulfill them, and you will not follow after your heart and after your eyes by which you go astray – so that you may remember and fulfill all My commandments and be holy to your G-d. I am the L-rd your G-d who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your G-d; I, the L-rd, am your G-d. True.
The shoots of corn stand eight inches tall. The sun has only just come over the horizon, giving a pale pink glow to the morning sky. We are in the middle of the long western expanse of the cornfield, Vic holding a paper map in his hand and surveying the project. A smudge of jam on the corner of the map recalls the fun of last night as he and the kids had penciled in and erased lines. Together, they worked hard to plan the maze. Better yet, they had fun.
attention.
Thou whose glory above the heavens is chanted
