Carrie and I attended a teaching a couple of weeks ago and the Rabbi shared that there are some groups who have removed the v’hayah im shamoa portion from the Kriat Sh’ma on the grounds that it is redundant. He actually mentioned that the Tzitzit portion had also been removed by some, but it was coming back.
If you are not familiar with the Kriat Sh’ma, it is the recitation of the Shema in the daily prayers of Judaism and others who follow in the expression of Judaism. It contains three scriptural passages from Deuteronomy 6:5-9; Deuteronomy 11:13-21; Numbers 15:37 –41. The passage I am speaking of is Deuteronomy 11:13-21.
The first passage (Deut 6) contains a lot of “you” type commandments. The second passage (Deut 11) also contains a lot of “you” type commandments. If you give the two passages a reading in the English you might have to agree that they pretty much say the same thing. So why repeat it? The problem is the English. The “yous” of the first passage in the Hebrew reveal that they are written in the second person singular. The “yous” of the second passage go back and forth between the second person singular and the second person plural with the majority and the “redundant” parts being mainly the second person plural. If you are not familiar with grammar, the first person singular is “you guy” while the second person plural is “yous guys”.
What, might you ask, is the difference of what got said? The basic context of Deut 6 is, do these things and you (singular) will live well in the Land. The context of Deut 11 is, you shall do as a people, and then gives several blessings and curses for either obedience or disobedience. While there are some things that an individual is responsible to carry out, there are also sometimes the same things that people as a group are responsible to carry out. This brings up an interesting point then of the obligation of one another to do be obedient to the commandments of G-d without succumbing to the pier pressure around us and to correct and instruct those who may be wandering off the track. The nation as a whole will suffer the consequences of disobedience even if the nation as a whole is not being disobedient. The same holds true on the other hand. There will be times when the disobedient will be partakers of the national blessing.
These passages teach us that we have an obligation to our brethren to walk in obedience to the commandments of G-d. Not just for our sake, but for the sake of those around us. We also have an obligation to teach, encourage and correct those around us who are walking in disobedience to the commandments of G-d. I personally have always hoped that if I were walking in disobedience to the word of G-d someone would help point that out to me. I have found out that this is actually not a common practice. There seems to be some twisted belief that mentioning error is judging your brother and we all know what Yeshua said. The problem is that pointing out error is not judging. Making an accusation to the motivation of the error though, is judging.
We have an obligation to one another so that we can walk as close to our Maker as possible and to let someone wander in darkness is wrong and we will be held accountable for doing that. There is an enormous population of Jews who are peaceably being ‘exterminated’ through assimilation as well as those of the body of Messiah. Our Master has called us to walk a narrow path. His call to discipleship is not a casual and passive relationship.
Redundant and irrelevant? What in the world is going on? May I never find the Words of G-d so and may they remain a call to radical change in my life to His ways and not as a feel good way to make my life comfortable.
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