Shema Yisrael

Hello everyone.

In my study of Deuteronomy, I have reached chapter 6.  There we find a section of scripture that often comes up in our parenting classes, Deut. 6:4-9:

"Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates."

Referred to as The Shema, this passage has become an important affirmation of faith in Judaism.  It is to be recited daily and on other numerous occasions.  A particular emphasis is placed on the first line, "Shema Yisrael Adonai eloheinu Adonai ehad."  "Hear O Israel: The Lord Our God, the Lord is one." This reaffirms their faith in a singular God. 

Sometimes we look at verse 4 and 5 together, when we are discussing our love for God.  In fact, Jesus quotes these particular verses in Mark 12:28-30 when asked what was the greatest command.   Also, often, when talking about parenting, we start with verse 7, "Impress them on your children." What can we learn if we tie this greatest commandment and these instructions for raising our children together?  Verse 6 ties the two thoughts together.  "These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts."  

Moses tells the Israelites that the commandments he had given them were to be on their hearts.  Of course, chief among those commandments is how we are to love God so completely.  But then after his statement about having God's commands on their hearts, he commands them to impress these commands on their children. I realized that this is the natural order of things.  I am not going to impress the commandments of God on my children if they are not on my own heart first.  That is the key.  I must have it on my heart first, then impress it upon my children.  So then, this begs the question, "Is God's word on my heart?"  If it isn't, I could talk a lot about the Bible, and do a lot of religious stuff, but I would not necessarily be impressing anything godly into the heart of my children. If it's truly in my heart, my life will be more than just going through "religious motions". Out of the overflow of my heart, my actions will be more likely to lead my children to Jesus. So, if God's words are truly on our hearts, the likelihood that our children will follow Jesus goes way up.   

Tom