- Navigate
- Ritual Objects
- Jewish Lifecycle
- Jewish Holidays
- Jewish Books
- Israel
- Jewish Gifts
- Hebrew
The Shema is one of the most fundamental prayers in Judaism. Typically, it is one of the first prayers learned by children. Traditional Jews regard it as a commandment to recite the prayer every day. Coming from the Torah, the Shema is an affirmation prayer of God’s singularity and mighty power.
“Shema Israel” translates to “Hear, O Israel” and serves as an essential prayer in the Jewish faith.
The first section of the prayer explains the importance of faith and how to live by it. You should love God, teach the faith to your children, recite your faith every day, and keep a symbol of the faith on your body. The first line of the section declares that the Lord is God and that He is one.
The second section explains what happens if people obey and worship God. By heeding to Him, you can expect blessings, such as rain and abundant crops. By not following, the opposite occurs.
To ensure that worshipers remember these instructions, the final section of the prayer regards tzitzit. These are traditional fringes that Orthodox men wear as a reminder of God’s presence and existence.
Traditional Jews recite the prayer twice daily, just as the Shema commands them. Once in the morning and again at night. It is also a tradition to recite the prayer at your time of death.
Typically, when reciting the Shema, people cover their eyes. This is to help them concentrate on the prayer’s meaning.
When saying the prayer in the morning, there are three blessings to be spoken as well. The two preceding blessings talk about gratification for God’s creation and revelation. After the two blessings, the Shema is recited. Following that is the final blessing, which thanks God for redemption.
The text of the Shema appears to be very long. However, it is traditional for Jews to learn and memorize the prayer at a young age. Knowing the prayer by heart is a symbol of holding with you some of the most fundamental beliefs about God.
The first section of the prayer, containing the most crucial line, comes from Deuteronomy chapter six, verses five through nine:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Take to heart these instructions with which I charge you this day. Impress them upon your children. Recite them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a symbol on your forehead, inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Prayer necklaces are one way of how Jews can bind their faith to themselves. Nano Style creates beautiful jewelry that represent different religious aspects. You can find various accessories that display the Shema.
Nano Style engraves the Shema with unique nano technology, which precisely and meticulously etches the prayer at the nano scale- between one and 100 nanometers. For reference, a nanometer is one billionth of a meter. Your necklace is carefully crafted and handled, just like your faith.