Weekly Project 4 - the Shema
Deuteronomy 6 contains one of the most sacred texts to people of faith. Jews call it the Shema and Christians call it the Greatest Command. For this project, I would like you to slow down and seriously consider the implications of this text for a life of faith. I have separated the verses into 4 texts. For EACH one, write a paragraph that describes what it might have meant to the original reader/hearer of the text (a Hebrew wandering in the wilderness, but heading toward the promised land who had heard stories of Yahweh who freed their parents from slavery in Egypt) and another paragraph reflecting on what these commands might look like for a modern Christian. So please write a minimum of 8 paragraphs—4 describing the original context and 4 describing a modern application.
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.
5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart.
7 Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.
8 Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, 9 and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.