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It’s somewhat laughable to attempt a commentary on the Shema in a few paragraphs, so a few thoughts are recorded here for consideration. First, while reciting the Shema, we cover our eyes, in order to minimize distraction. In removing our attention from the world of things, and reciting the words of the Shema in a cloak of darkness, we can almost imagine our becoming one with the fabric of the universe, which itself is the handiwork of God.

At one time, the Shema’s message meant to identify the Israelite god for the Israelites in a world where many gods were in vogue. In this case, God had a name and that name was a four-lettered sacred name: YHVH. The name seems to be built out of a Hebrew root meaning "to be." The thrust of the name probably has something to do with being, timelessness, or eternity. Over the centuries, the group of people allowed to actually say the name in public grew smaller and smaller until following the destruction of the Temple, when no one uttered the name and the actual pronunciation was lost. But whenever we come to the four-lettered name in the liturgy, we pronounce it Adonai, which means "Lord," which has nothing to do with the letters or the actual meaning of YHVH. In saying the Shema, it is sometimes useful to think about what God’s name actually means—Hear O Israel, the-One-who-is-Forever is our God and the-One-who-is-Forever is One!

oo-vi-koo-ME-ha.

oo-veesh-a-RE-ha.

The first paragraph of the Shema (there are three in all) instructs us to love God. Even for those of us who love God, we know that it is virtually impossible to demand love of anyone. Love may be born. Love may evolve. But love never comes into being because someone demanded it. That being the case, what is this first paragraph of the Shema really instructing us to do?

The first paragraph of the Shema is an invitation to a relationship. God would like to be close to us. But in order to get close to us, we have to get excited about the relationship. We have to talk about God at home, on the road, in the morning, and in the evening, etc. What’s there to talk about? We have to talk about "these words." It’s virtually impossible to tell from this context, but based on the section of the Torah from which this section of the Shema is found, "these words" refer specifically to the Ten Commandments and more generally to all the rules and laws found in Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy, which is Latin for "Second Law," seems to be a repetition of many of the laws found elsewhere in the Torah. These are laws which help formulate the Jewish vision of a just society, an ethical life, and a spiritual existence. Unlike some traditions which focus on personal self-actualization, the Torah focused the attention of the people on a just society in which people abided by a sense of justice, mercy, love, and integrity.

Imagine what the world would be like if everyone took seriously such laws as: You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal.