What am I affirming when, if, I say the Sh'ma?

My religious practice and my theological conceptions are not in complete harmony, no doubt. When I say the Sh’ma my conception is probably quite different than the author intended. The extent of the transposition is so great that it would make perfect sense for me to abandon the Sh’ma in favor of a more personal affirmation that I could hold to without reservation, transposition, or explanation. And sometimes I do resort to such a personal affirmation rather than the Sh’ma on a given day. However, day after day, I choose to recite the time-honored words of the Sh’ma while giving them a meaning that resonates for me. Saying the Sh’ma unites me with Jews of all places and ages who reached toward the Ultimate. People were reciting it thousands of years before I was born and those words will still be recited long after my brief moment in history is through.

The author of Deuteronomy probably intended that people interpret the Sh’ma something like:

Sh’ma – Listen!

Yisrael – the intended audience of his book, the ethnic entity we now call the Jewish People.

A-donai – the Protagonist of the book: the divine Being who gave the laws of the book, performed the acts of redemption and judgment described in the book, and issued the promises and threats contained in the book.

E-loheynu – This is the only divine being we should worship. The One who claims our ultimate allegiance and Whose commandments we pledge to obey.

A-donai – The aforementioned only true Claimant to be the divine Being, as distinguished from all others claimants such as the Canaanite gods.

Echad – Only. We are to acknowledge and obey the Figure “A-donai” as G-d and reject all other candidates.

The Sh’ma as written is an affirmation about A-donai. Its message is that Jewish people must acknowledge only G-d as identified in Deuteronomy as a divine being and must obey his laws as given in the same revelation. That is precisely the part that troubles me. I am not prepared to say that an entity as portrayed by Deuteronomy really exists, and if it did exist, I am not prepared to say that it would be worthy of our worship and ultimate allegiance. (Another entry in this blog can discuss what specific elements of Deuteronomy’s portrayal of G-d I find troubling.)

I recognize that the author of Deuteronomy was attempting to offer the highest, most perfect, most spiritual, most just conception of G-d of which he was capable. He performed his task magnificently for his time, but not perfectly. If I had to affirm the existence and worthiness of A-donai exactly as portrayed by Deuteronomy, I don’t think I could do it. But I can affirm that, like my people throughout the centuries including the author of Deuteronomy, I am reaching toward the Ultimate. I can affirm what the author of Deuteronomy was reaching for, although I cannot freeze the quest at the level that he attained. He and Israel throughout the ages were reaching toward something ineffable, something greater than the ultimately limited literary character on whom the Torah centers. Therefore, when saying the Sh’ma, I perform something of a mental transposition. I say the words as if they meant:

Sh’ma – Become aware!

Yisrael – The Jewish people, and me in particular.

A-donai – Life Itself, the Ultimate.

E-loheynu – I commit myself to being a channel and vessel for that which is greater than myself – for Life Itself. I am a member of a servant-people that shares that commitment. We are the midwives of the world – we are here to help the world become what it is reaching to be.

A-donai – Life Itself – that Ocean in which I am a mere  drop.

Echad – Life Itself, the Universe Itself, is the most fundamental reality. I locate myself in the greater scheme of things, and recognize that my ego is not the center and measure of reality. Our true Self is something greater.

I bend the ancient words to accommodate my beliefs because only the ancient words unite me with everyone who has recited them across the ages. Words of my own making would not be the same. My beliefs will evolve as my life progresses, and I may or may not pass any of my present beliefs on to the next generation, but the Sh’ma abides forever. I feel that its adaptability is part of what makes it such a great religious symbol. I am proud to be among those who find their lives in its words.