The most important prayer and declaration in the Jewish life is the “Shema Prayer”.
This declaration of faithfulness is a type of marriage vow if you will, as well as a hymn of praise to God. It originated in the book of Deuteronomy as a part of a speech from Moses to the Israelites:
“Hear (shema), O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” (Deut. 6:4)
People often say that ‘seeing is believing’, but did you know the Bible teaches the opposite—that listening is more important than seeing? We can see it presented perfectly in the words of the Shema prayer. The prayer itself is named after the first word of this passage. Shema, in the simplest terms, means ‘to hear’. The Hebrew word pronunciation sounds more like “sh’-mah”. But it also means to obey and take action. So, to hear God is to obey God—and to obey God is to hear God.
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