Category: Prayers

The Shema: Daily Declaration of Faith

Judaism, Prayers, Religion

Shema Yisrael (שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל) (“Hear, O Israel”) are the first two words of a section of the Torah that is the centerpiece of the morning and evening prayer services, encapsulating the monotheistic essence of Judaism:

“Hear, O Israel: G‑d is our L‑rd, G‑d is one.”

In its entirety, the Shema consists of three paragraphs: Deuteronomy 6:4–9, Deuteronomy 11:13–21 and Numbers 15:37–41.

Its recitation twice daily (morning and evening) is a biblical commandment:

שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְיָ אֶחָד.

Shema Israel, Adonay Eloheynu, Adonay Echad.

Hear, O Israel: The L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is One.

בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ

Baruch Shem Kevod malchuto

Blessed is the Name of His glorious kingdom

לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד.

le’olam va’ed.

for all eternity.

וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ, בְּכָל-לְבָבְךָ

Ve’ahavta et Adonay Eloheycha, bechol-levav’cha

You shall love the L-rd, your G-d, with all your heart,

וּבְכָל-נַפְשְׁךָ וּבְכָל-מְאֹדֶךָ.

uvechol-nafshecha uvechol-me’odecha.

with all your soul and all your resources.

וְהָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה

Vehayu hadvarim ha’ele

Let these matters

אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם עַל-לְבָבֶךָ.

asher Anochi metzavecha hayom al-levavecha.

that I command you today be upon your heart.

וְשִׁנַּנְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ וְדִבַּרְתָּ בָּם, בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ

Veshinantam levaneycha vedibarta bam, beshivtecha

Teach them thoroughly to your children, speak of them while you sit

בְּבֵיתֶךָ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ בַדֶּרֶךְ וּבְשָׁכְבְּךָ

beveytecha uvelechtecha vaderech uveshochbecha

in your home, while you walk on the way, when you lie down

וּבְקוּמֶךָ. וּקְשַׁרְתָּם לְאוֹת עַל-יָדֶךָ,

uvkumecha uk’shartam le’ot al yadecha,

and when you arise. Bind them as a sign upon your arm

וְהָיוּ לְטֹטָפֹת בֵּין עֵינֶיךָ. וּכְתַבְתָּם 

vehayu letotafot beyn eyneycha. Uchtavtam

and let them be signs between your eyes. And write them

עַל-מְזֻזוֹת בֵּיתֶךָ וּבִשְׁעָרֶיךָ.

al-mezuzot beytecha uvishe’areycha.

on the doorposts of your house and upon your gates. 

וְהָיָה אִם-שָׁמֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל-מִצְוֹתַי

Vehaya im-shamo’a tishme’u el-mitzvotay

It will be if you truly listen to the commandments

אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם הַיּוֹם,

asher Anochi metzavey etchem hayom,

that I have commanded you today,

לְאַהֲבָה אֶת יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וּלְעָבְדוֹ

le’ahavah et Adonay Eloheychem ule’avdo

to love the L-rd, your G-d and to serve him

בְּכָל-לְבַבְכֶם וּבְכָל-נַפְשְׁכֶם: וְנָתַתִּי

bechol-levavchem uvechol-nafshechem: Venatati

with all your heart and all your soul: then I will give

מְטַר-אַרְצְכֶם בְּעִתּוֹ יוֹרֶה וּמַלְקוֹשׁ,

metar-artzechem be’ito yoreh umalkosh,

rain to your land at the right time, early rain and late rain,

וְאָסַפְתָּ דְגָנֶךָ וְתִירֹשְׁךָ וְיִצְהָרֶךָ: וְנָתַתִּי

ve’asafta deganeycha vetiroshecha veyitz’harecha: Venatati

and you will collect your grains, your must and your oil: And I will give 

עֵשֶׂב בְּשָׂדְךָ לִבְהֶמְתֶּךָ וְאָכַלְתָּ וְשָׂבָעְתָּ:

esev besadecha liv’hemteycha ve’achalta vesavata:

grass in your fields to your cattle and you will eat and be satiated:

הִשָּׁמְרוּ לָכֶם פֶּן-יִפְתֶּה לְבַבְכֶם, וְסַרְתֶּם

Hishamru lachem pen-yifteh levavchem, vesartem

Guard yourselves, lest your hearts shall be seduced, and you shall go astray

וַעֲבַדְתֶּם אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶם

va’avadetem elohim acherim vehishtachavitem

and serve the Gods of others and bow 

לָהֶם:

lahem:

to them

וְחָרָה

vechara

The fury

אַף-יְיָ בָּכֶם וְעָצַר אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְלֹא-יִהְיֶה

af-Adonay bachem ve’atzar et hashamayim velo-yih’yeh

of the L-rd will be on you and will close the heavens, so that there will not be

מָטָר וְהָאֲדָמָה לֹא תִתֵּן אֶת יְבוּלָהּ,

matar veha’adama lo titen et yevulah,

rain and the earth will not render its produce,

וַאֲבַדְתֶּם מְהֵרָה מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ הַטֹּבָה

va’avadetem mehera me’al ha’aretz hatova

and you will quickly disappear from the good land

אֲשֶׁר יְיָ נֹתֵן לָכֶם:

asher Adonay noten lachem:

that the L-rd gives to you:

וְשַׂמְתֶּם אֶת-דְִבָרַי אֵלֶּה עַל-לְבַבְכֶם

Vesamtem et-dvaray ele al-levavchem

Lay these My words in your heart

וְעַל-נַפְשְׁכֶם, וּקְשַׁרְתֶּם אֹתָם לְאוֹת

ve’al-nafshechem, ukshartem otam le’ot

and in your soul, and bind them as a sign

עַל-יֶדְכֶם וְהָיוּ לְטוֹטָפֹת בֵּין עֵינֵיכֶם:

al-yedchem vehayu letotafot beyn eyneychem:

on your hands and they will be like Tfillin between your eyes:

וְלִמַּדְתֶּם אֹתָם אֶת-בְּנֵיכֶם לְדַבֵּר בָּם,

Velimadetem otam et-bneychem ledaber bam,

And teach them to your sons to speak of them,

בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ בַדֶּרֶךְ וּבְשָׁכְבְּךָ

beshivtecha beveytecha uvelechtecha vaderech uveshochbecha

while sitting in your house and while walking on your way, when lying down

וּבְקוּמֶךָ: וּכְתַבְתָּם עַל-מְזוּזוֹת בֵּיתֶךָ

uvkumecha: Uchtavtam al-mezuzot beytecha 

and when getting up: And write them on the posts of your house

וּבִשְׁעָרֶיךָ:

uvishe’areycha:

and of your gates:

לְמַעַן יִרְבּוּ יְמֵיכֶם וִימֵי בְנֵיכֶם

Lema’an yirbu yemeychem vimey vneychem

So that your days will multiply and the days of your children

עַל הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע יְיָ לַאֲבֹתֵיכֶם

al ha’adama asher nishba Adonay la’avoteychem

on this earth that the L-rd promised to your fathers

לָתֵת לָהֶם, כִּימֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם עַל-הָאָרֶץ:

latet lahem, kimey hashamayim al ha’aretz.

to give to them, will be like the days of Heaven on earth.

וַיֹּאמֶר יְיָ אֶל משֶׁה לֵּאמֹר:

Vayomer Adonay el Moshe lemor:

And the L-rd spoke to Moses to say:

דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ

Daber el bney Isra’el ve’amarta

Speak to the children of Israel and say

אֲלֵהֶם וְעָשׂוּ לָהֶם צִיצִת עַל כַּנְפֵי

aleyhem ve’asu lahem tzitzit al kanfey

to them and they shall make Tzitzit on the corners

בִגְדֵיהֶם לְדֹרֹתָם, וְנָתְנוּ עַל צִיצִת הַכָּנָף

vigdeyhem ledorotam, venatnu al tzitzit hakanaf

of their garments for all their generations, and on the Tzitzit of the corner they shall put

פְּתִיל תְּכֵלֶת: וְהָיָה לָכֶם לְצִיצִת

petil t’chelet: Vehaya lachem letzitzit

a thread of Techelet. And it shall be to you as Tzitzit

וּרְאִיתֶם אֹתוֹ וּזְכַרְתֶּם אֶת-כָּל-מִצְוֹת יְיָ

ure’item oto uz’chartem et-kol-mitzvot Adonay

and you shall see them and remember all the commandments of the L-rd

וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֹתָם, וְלֹא תָתוּרוּ אַחֲרֵי

va’asitem otam, velo taturu acharey

and fulfill them, and not seek after 

לְבַבְכֶם וְאַחֲרֵי עֵינֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר-אַתֶּם

levavchem ve’acharey eyneychem asher- atem

your heart and after your eyes, following after them

זֹנִים אַחֲרֵיהֶם: לְמַעַן תִּזְכְּרוּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם

zonim achareyhem: lema’an tizkeru va’asitem

you would betray me: So that you will remember and fulfill

אֶת-כָּל-מִצְוֹתָי, וִהְיִיתֶם קְדֹשִׁים לֵאלֹהֵיכֶם:

et-kol-mitzvotay, viheyitem kedoshim Leloheychem:

all My commandments, and you will be holy to your G-d:

אֲנִי יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם

Ani Adonay Eloheychem, asher hotzeyti etchem

I am the L-rd, your G-d, who led you out

מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לִהְיוֹת לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִים,

me’eretz Mitzrayim lihiyot lachem Lelohim,

from Egypt in order to be your G-d,

אֲנִי יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם: אֱמֶת.

Ani Adonay Eloheychem: Emet.

I am the L-rd, your G-d: Truth.

Prayer to Marie Laveau

American South, Louisiana, Marie Laveau, New Orleans, Paganism, Prayers, Voodoo / Hoodoo

PRAYER TO MARIE LAVEAU

Holy Mother of New Orleans Voudou, hear my prayer.
I humbly request your assistance.
Through you I feel the gentle power of Divine Justice.
Give me strength to stand against my enemies and protect me from those who wish me harm,

Sweet Heart of Marie, Show me your wisdom
That I shall speak the truth and elevate the Ancestors
Madame Marie, Bless me with the protection of Johnny Conker
That he shall always have my back.

Holy Mother of New Orleans Voudou, Bless me with the powers of the Sacred Serpent Li Grand Zombi
That I may walk in balance, equally male and female.
Holy Mother of New Orleans Voudou, Bless me with the spirit of St. Maroon

That I shall never take for granted the freedoms that I have.
And with the light that emanates from your Spirit, Madame Laveaux, all darkness is Obsolete.

Holy Mother of New Orleans Voudou, pray for me.
Holy Mother of New Orleans Voudou, hear my plea.
Holy Mother of New Orleans Voudou, Madame Marie, pray for me. Ashe!

Source: The Magic of Marie Laveau

The Sh’ma

Judaism, Mitzvot, Prayers, Religion

It is the first prayer a Jewish child learns; the last thing an observant Jew says before sleep each night; the last prayer a Jew says before death; and, in a religion noticeably devoid of statements of creed, a religion that has no catechism, it is as close as you can come to a Jewish statement of essential faith.

Sh’ma yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai ekhad.

Hear, O Israel, our God Adonai is one.

This is the part of the prayer that almost every Jew knows but, in fact, there is considerably more to it than that one sentence, important though that sentence is. In fact, the Sh’ma is three paragraphs long, including not only this essential statement of God’s uniqueness but also sections of Deuteronomy (6:4–9, 11:13–21) and Numbers (15:37–41) that prescribe some of the most important elements of Jewish ritual, including instructions on when to recite the Sh’ma.

The full text of the prayer instructs us to recite these words “when we lie down and when we rise up,” and to wear them upon our heart and as a sign between our eyes, to inscribe them “upon doorposts of your house and upon your gates.” On the basis of these instructions, the rabbis devised the schedule of reciting the Sh’ma congregationally twice daily, at the morning and evening services, and in bed just before sleep, the idea of wearing tefillin at the morning service and placing a mezuzah on the doorways to Jewish homes (See sidebar “Mezuzah,” p. 53). In addition, the final paragraph prescribes the wearing of tzitzit, the ceremonial fringes on four-cornered garments, although Reform siddurim frequently omit that section.

The other element of the Sh’ma that amplifies its importance in Jewish theology is that the middle section, drawn from Deuteronomy 11:31–21, adds the concept of reward and punishment, a concept that is one of the cornerstones of ethical monotheism: there’s more to this than just believing in one Supreme Being; you also have to behave properly.

Given the prayer’s importance, it should come as no surprise that the rabbis ask for the utmost in concentration when it is said. Many Jews cover their eyes with their right hand while saying the opening two lines of the prayer, the better to concentrate on God’s oneness, as one prayer book has it. Maimonides writes, “One who reads the Sh’ma and does not concentrate his mind while reciting the verse ‘Hear, O Israel, our God Adonai is One,’ has not fulfilled his liturgical duty.”

The second line of the prayer,

Barukh shem k’vod malkhuto l’olam va’ed.

Blessed be the name of God’s glorious kingdom forever.

is said in an undertone except on Yom Kippur (although some Reform and Reconstructionist congregations say it aloud all year). There are several explanations for this in the rabbinic literature. Perhaps the most poetic is the notion that Moses heard the angels singing this line to God when he reached the peak of Mount Sinai; since he “stole” it from the angels, we can only recite it sotto voce until we atone for our sins on Yom Kippur and are, briefly, as pure as the angels.

Although it is usually thought of as a statement of monotheism, the Sh’ma is convincingly read as an affirmation of God’s uniqueness and unity, that the Creator is not only one and not many, but wholly Other, different from anything in the Creation. Some Hasidic thinkers go even further, suggesting that there is nothing but God, that the whole universe exists only within God.

Source: Essential Judaism.