David Koberstein
Active member
Do you ever wake up in a fog of stress and anxiety, unable to focus because you're being pulled
in multiple directions? The stress of work, unresolved issues at home, unanswered emails, sickness,
tiredness, financial pressure, and so many other things in the modern world can leave many of us
feeling flat and unable to focus in the morning. But while stress may seem like a modern issue,
perhaps there's an ancient solution.
For thousands of years, Jewish believers have spoken a prayer the moment they wake up that focuses
their attention on God rather than the things of this world. The prayer is called the Shema, which is a
Hebrew word that means "hear or listen." The prayer comes directly from Deuteronomy 6, which reads,
Hear, o Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all 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 doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)
The word shema implies action. Similarly, we understand this idea when Jesus said, "he who has ears, let him hear,"
which was His way of telling His followers to listen to His words and obey. As Rabbi Evan Moffe says,
"When God say's shema, it is an invitation for us to listen, to respond, to appreciate, to understand, to act."
As a Jew, Jesus would have prayed the shema every morning as a way of committing Himself to loving God and
listening to His Word that day. I wonder how our attitude would change if the first thing we did when we woke up
every morning was to commit ourselves to loving God and listening to His Word.
Shalom
in multiple directions? The stress of work, unresolved issues at home, unanswered emails, sickness,
tiredness, financial pressure, and so many other things in the modern world can leave many of us
feeling flat and unable to focus in the morning. But while stress may seem like a modern issue,
perhaps there's an ancient solution.
For thousands of years, Jewish believers have spoken a prayer the moment they wake up that focuses
their attention on God rather than the things of this world. The prayer is called the Shema, which is a
Hebrew word that means "hear or listen." The prayer comes directly from Deuteronomy 6, which reads,
Hear, o Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all 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 doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)
The word shema implies action. Similarly, we understand this idea when Jesus said, "he who has ears, let him hear,"
which was His way of telling His followers to listen to His words and obey. As Rabbi Evan Moffe says,
"When God say's shema, it is an invitation for us to listen, to respond, to appreciate, to understand, to act."
As a Jew, Jesus would have prayed the shema every morning as a way of committing Himself to loving God and
listening to His Word that day. I wonder how our attitude would change if the first thing we did when we woke up
every morning was to commit ourselves to loving God and listening to His Word.
Shalom
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