Shema
2
9.3
- noun
- /ʃəˈmɑː/
- Israel's "Shema" -- "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord" (Dt. 6:4) -- is the core teaching of Christianity (see Mk. 12:29).
- Shema Yisrael prayer
- recite the Shema
- Shema Yisrael
Examples
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Every morning, he recites the Shema to affirm his faith in God.
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A man asks Jesus about the greatest commandment, and Jesus proclaims the Shema.
Blog text (24) -
...will you come up and sing the Shema?
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You are in bed alone with the "Shema," the first prayer you learned, the one your mother and father say to each other at night.
Fiction book (1993) -
You learn other prayers, but the Shema keeps its status as the first fundamental.
Fiction book (1993) -
Through tears, my family recited the Shema together.
Fiction book (2002) -
At formal services, which you attend erratically, you say the "Shema" along with everyone else.
Fiction book (1993) -
During the synagogue service, they all stood together to say the Shema.
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The Shema teaches the importance of recognizing the oneness of God.
Surface Forms
Etymology
Shema comes from the Hebrew verb shema, which means 'hear' or 'listen' and the prayer even begins with the words 'Hear, O Israel'. So the name reminds believers to listen and to declare that 'God is one'.