Tikkun America RESTORE Magazine Tishrei | September 2023 | Page 15

The Shema , Twice Daily
Jews since ancient times have prayed the Shema as the first prayer when they would wake , and the last prayer before they slept . ( Deut . 6:5-9 ) It is the first prayer Jewish children learn , and the last prayer uttered by Jewish martyrs , or as a Jewish person is passing away . It can be called a prayer of confessed allegiance or loyalty .
Is This Old Tradition Irrelevant to Our Needs in the Contemporary World ?
While Yeshua did correct some human traditions among His people that were being taught as if they were doctrines of God with the effect of making void the commandments of God , He did not correct all the practices among His people . ( Matt . 23:2 ) Saying the Shema when He arose and when He retired , was considered by Him to be a Sacred Tradition that He fully embodied and likewise desired to be passed on as wisdom from generation to generation among His Messianic Jewish followers .
When You Arise , When You Lie Down — For Who ? You ? Me ?
Starting and ending your day by saying or singing the Shema keeps first thing first in your life , Love Relationship . While there is a Jewish-specific and traditional expression of the practice of saying the Shema that I respect and especially
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