Community Wide Event

Hosted by Temple Shir Shalom

Monday, August 18, 2014
Starting at 7:00p

Temple hir Shalom's 10th Annual

h an evening loaded with family
begins
fun, food tastings and games, and ends
with a spectacular fireworks displa I

The Shema: What
Does It Mean To You?

Parshat Vaetchanan: Deuteronomy
3:23-7:11; Isaiah 40:1-40:26.

H

ow would you translate
Shema Yisrael Adonai
Eloheinu Adonai Echad
(Deuteronomy 6:4)? Four prayer books
from different denominations yield
four different translations.
The variations may seem
trivial, but they can have
deep implications. As you
look at these translations I
invite you to consider how
the use of the word "is" the
use of punctuation and the
translations of Shema and
Echad affect the meaning:
Mishkan T'filah
(Reform): Hear, 0 Israel,
Adonai is our God, Adonai
is One!
Siddur Sim Shalom
(Conservative): Hear, 0 Israel: The
Lord our God, the Lord is One.
Kol Haneshamah
(Reconstructionist): Listen, Israel: THE
ETERNAL is our God, THE ETERNAL
ONE alone!
Siddur Ahavas Shalom/The Complete
Artscroll Siddur (Orthodox): Hear
0 Israel: HASHEM is our God,
HASHEM, the One and Only.
The inclusion or omission of "is" in
Adonai Eloheinu suggests whether in
this statement Eloheinu (our God) is
part of how we refer to God or identi-
fies the God of Israel. In Adonai Echad,
the inclusion or omission of "is" and
the translation of Echad can emphasize
our exclusive worship of the Eternal or
that God is "One:' The translation of
Shema and the use of punctuation can
help us understand how this statement
is to be recited.
Some of these choices may reflect a
historical lens. For example, during the
Crusades, when the Shema was recited
before martyrdom, God being "One"
was particularly important as a coun-
ter to the Trinity.
Some may reflect a liturgical tradi-
tion, as some Reform congregations

rise for the Shema as an indication of
its central importance (whether to sit
or stand was a source of debate per-
haps as early as the first century C.E.)
and therefore an exclamation point is
fitting.
As always, every transla-
tion is an interpretation,
making it incumbent on
each of us to wrestle with
the meaning of these
ancient words.
As I recite them today, I
am particularly cognizant
of the last and first words.
What might it mean that
God is "One"?
I believe it is not just
that we have an exclusive
relationship with God but
God has an inclusive relationship
with the world. There is no part of
our world that is isolated from the
rest, no way to pretend that what we
do only affects ourselves or even our
immediate circle. Each of the words
we speak and each of our actions can
have far-reaching consequences, and
it is when we live with that aware-
ness that we move toward holiness.
And to recognize that Oneness
requires that we listen. A colloquial
translation of the biblical word Shema is
"listen up" We need to pause enough to
truly hear the effects of our words, to lis-
ten to the implications of the statements
of others. We need to hear the voices of
those who are suffering and recognize
that we are not separate from them.
And therefore, to understand these
words, we must translate them, not
just into the vernacular, but into the
way we live our lives. May we do so
with wisdom, echoing a meaning that
transcends the words themselves.

❑

Ariana Silverman is the rabbi of the
Grosse Pointe Jewish Council and the
interim manager of lifelong learning for the
Central Conference of American Rabbis.

To tempt your palate, some
of the area's most popular
restaurants will be on hand
to help us celebrate.

Bangkok Cuisine • Bonefish Grill
Market Basket of Franklin • Prime29
The Lodge • Achatz Catering and Soup
Coin' Postal • Bellacinos Sylvan Lake
Beau's • C.A.Y.A. Smoke House Grill
Bacco Ristorante • Pine Lake Market
Cutting Edge Cuisine • Happy You
Gunton Foods/Catering • Mex
Social • Babylon Ethnic Foods
Tim Horton's • Outback Steakhouse
Kroger • The Grand Stand Bistro
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
Brooklyn Bagel • Tony's Embers Deli
Harvard Row Kosher Meats
Leo's Coney Island • Uptown Parthenon
The Village Palace • Dairy Fresh Foods
La Marsa Mediterranean Cuisine
Loya Organic • George's Honey Tree
Armando's Catering • Le Monde Bakery
Zoe's Pancake House
Renee's Gourmet Pizzeria
H erto Restaurant & Tequila Bar

Looking To Join Temple Shir
Shalom? Bring The Whole
Family

Call Temple Shir Shalom's office to
arrange for your complimentary
tickets. Come get to know us!

ABU

4

248-737-8700

Music and entertainment provided by
Sunset Boulevard and Star Trax.
Live auction with Les Gold of Hard Core Pawn!

EVERYONE IS WELCOME!

$25 per adult in advance / $30 at the door • $12 per child in advance / $18 at the door

Tickets can be purchased online at www.shirshalom.org or by calling
Temple Shir Shalom's office at 248-737-8700

Corporate Sponsorship Opportunities are available.

August 7 • 2014

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