Shema: The Heartbeat of Jewish Belief

The Shema is the central declaration of Jewish faith. "Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is One" (Deuteronomy 6:4). It is said twice a day, in the evening and in the morning, following the instruction in Deuteronomy 6:7 to speak these words "when you lie down and when you rise up." If you are looking for the foundation of biblical belief, this is it. Below you will find the opening of the Shema in Hebrew, a transliteration you can read aloud, and an English translation. We will also look at what the words mean and why Yeshua (Jesus) called them the first of all the commandments.

Where the Shema comes from

The Shema is not a prayer someone composed in a study. It is Scripture, read aloud. The first line is Deuteronomy 6:4, and the full recitation strings together three Torah passages: Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Deuteronomy 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37-41.

That makes it unusual. Most prayers involve us speaking to God, asking for help, giving thanks, or offering praise. The Shema contains no requests and no pleas. In the Shema, God speaks to us through His Word, and our part is to listen and agree. The Hebrew word shema means "hear" or "listen," and in the Bible it usually carries the sense of hearing that leads to obeying.

In the synagogue, the Shema sits at the center of both the evening and morning services. It comes after the call to collective prayer, the Barchu, and before the Amida, the standing prayer. It is also said at home before sleep. Its first line is traditionally the first verse a Jewish child learns. Over the centuries, it has been the last word on the lips of Jews who died for their faith. The Talmud (Berakhot 61b) remembers Rabbi Akiva, executed by the Romans in the second century, dying as he drew out the final word, echad.

Shema Prayer in Hebrew

שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ יְהֹוָה אֶחָד
בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד

Transliteration of Shema

Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad
Baruch shem k'vod malchuto le’olam va’ed

Translation of Shema

Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.
Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever.

A note on pronunciation: the Hebrew text contains God's personal Name, the four letters yod-heh-vav-heh. Jewish readers do not pronounce it out of reverence. They say Adonai, "my Lord," in its place. This is why the transliteration reads Adonai and English Bibles print "the LORD" in small capitals.

The three passages that follow

The two lines above are just the opening. In full, the Shema continues with three readings from the Torah, and Jewish tradition gives each one a specific theme.

Deuteronomy 6:5-9. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might." This section is called accepting the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven. Before you do anything else, you declare who your King is, and you do it out of love, not fear. The passage goes on to say these words should be on your heart, taught to your children, spoken at home and on the road, bound on your hand, and written on your doorposts. You can read the full context in Parashat Va'etchanan.

Deuteronomy 11:13-21. This section is called accepting the commandments. The first passage speaks to "you" in the singular, one person standing before God. This second passage shifts to the plural. It speaks to Israel as a people, bound together in covenant, with blessing and consequence tied to faithfulness. It falls in Parashat Eikev.

Numbers 15:37-41. The final section is the command to wear tzitzit, fringes on the corners of a garment, so that "you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord." The passage ends by recalling the Exodus: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt." The Shema closes exactly where Israel's story with God begins, with redemption.

What the words are saying

Shema, Hear. Faith starts with listening. Israel is not told to see God, but to hear Him. The prophets return to this word again and again, because hearing in the Bible is never passive. If you have truly heard, you will do something about it.

Yisrael, O Israel. The Shema is addressed to a people. Every person who says it places himself inside that covenant family and its story.

Adonai Eloheinu, the Lord is our God. He is not a generic god or a distant force. He is our God, the One who made a covenant and kept it. The word is personal and possessive in the best sense.

Adonai Echad, the Lord is One. Echad means one, and it also carries the sense of alone and unique. In an ancient world full of gods, each with its own territory, Israel confessed that there is one God over everything. He has no rival, no partner, and no other claim on your heart.

Baruch shem k'vod malchuto le’olam va’ed. This second line is not found in Deuteronomy. According to the Mishnah (Yoma 6:2), it was the response of the people in the Temple when the High Priest spoke God's holy Name on the Day of Atonement. In Jewish custom, it is said quietly, in an undertone, every day of the year except Yom Kippur, when it is said aloud.

The Shema in the world of Yeshua

Here we can stand on solid historical ground. The Shema is older than the synagogue service built around it. The blessings that surround it in today's prayer book took their settled form later, and the Mishnah, our earliest written source on how to recite it, was compiled around 200 AD. However, the Mishnah opens (Berakhot 1:1) with a debate about the right time for the evening Shema. This tells you the practice was already old and well established by the first century.

The Mishnah also describes the priests in the Temple reciting the Ten Commandments and the Shema each morning (Tamid 5:1). We know this is accurate because tefillin (phylacteries) found among the Dead Sea Scrolls contain passages from Deuteronomy, including the Shema. The practice of binding these words to the hand and head was a literal reality in the days of the Second Temple.

When a scribe asked Yeshua which commandment was the first of all, His answer would have been familiar to every Jew listening. "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength'" (Mark 12:29-30). He added a second from Leviticus 19:18, to love your neighbor as yourself. The scribe agreed with Him warmly (Mark 12:32-33). This was not a new teaching. It was a Jewish rabbi pointing straight to the foundation of the Torah.

Yeshua also wore the fringes the third passage commands. The woman who was healed touched the "hem" of His garment (Matthew 9:20), which was very likely the tzitzit.

The apostles kept the Shema close to their hearts. James writes, "You believe that there is one God. You do well" (James 2:19), and then presses on to say that hearing must become doing. Paul argues in Romans 3:30 that because God is one, He is the God of Gentiles as well as Jews. In 1 Corinthians 8:6, Paul echoes the words of the Shema directly: "for us there is one God, the Father... and one Lord, Yeshua the Messiah." Paul did not set the Shema aside. He confessed Yeshua from inside it.

Praying the Shema at home

You do not need a synagogue to say the Shema. Deuteronomy itself puts it in the home, at bedtime and at the start of the day. Believers in Yeshua can easily make this a part of their daily lives.

Morning and evening. Say the opening two lines when you wake and before you sleep. Many Jews cover their eyes with the right hand while saying the first line. This helps shut out distraction and focus on the One being confessed.

With children. Teach the first line at bedtime, as Jewish parents have for generations. It is short enough for a small child to memorize and deep enough to carry them for a lifetime.

Slowly. Pause on the word echad. Let it be a question to your own heart. Is He really the only One I serve, or have I made room for rivals?

Keep reading. Once the two lines are familiar, read all three passages aloud in your Bible (Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37-41) and listen for what God asks of you.

Tonight, before you sleep, try saying it the way Yeshua answered the scribe. Recite the Shema, then the command to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and finally the command to love your neighbor. See whose face comes to mind with that last line, and ask God how you can love them better tomorrow.

Questions people ask

What is the Shema prayer in English?

The opening of the Shema in English is: "Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is One. Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever." The first line is Deuteronomy 6:4. The full recitation continues with Deuteronomy 6:5-9, Deuteronomy 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37-41.

How do you say the Shema in Hebrew phonetically?

Read it this way: "Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad. Baruch shem k'vod malchuto le’olam va’ed." The "ch" in Echad and Baruch is a throaty sound, like the end of the Scottish word "loch." Adonai is said in place of God's personal Name, which Jewish readers do not pronounce.

What is the full Shema prayer in Hebrew?

The full Shema is made of three Torah passages read in order: Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Deuteronomy 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37-41, with the line "Baruch shem k'vod malchuto le’olam va’ed" said quietly after the first verse. In a Hebrew Bible or Jewish prayer book, you can read all three passages in their original Hebrew. The opening lines on this page are the part most people learn first.

When is the Shema said?

The Shema is said twice a day, in the evening and in the morning, based on Deuteronomy 6:7, "when you lie down and when you rise up." It is part of the evening and morning synagogue services. Many people also say it at home before going to sleep.

Did Jesus pray the Shema?

Yeshua quoted the Shema when a scribe asked Him which commandment was the first of all (Mark 12:29-30). His answer shows that the Shema was already central to Jewish faith in the first century. The Mishnah, compiled around 200 AD, treats twice-daily recitation as a long-established practice.