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While the theme of the Shema is dedicating oneself to the Divine and their Teaching, this paraliturgical Shema is dedicated to internalizing Jewish identity mindful of the experience of past generations and one’s responsibility to future ones.
| Source (German) | Translation (English) |
|---|---|
Höre du Jüdin, höre du Jude auf die Stimme deines Gewissens |
Listen Jewish women, listen Jewish men, to the voice of your conscience |
Und liebe, was heilig ist, mit all deinem Mut, mit all deiner Geduld und mit all deiner Kraft. |
And love what is holy, with all your courage, with all your patience and with all your strength. |
Und lass dich leiten von den Erfahrungen, die Jüdinnen und Juden in anderer Zeit, an anderen Orten gemacht haben. |
And let yourself be guided by the experiences of Jewish women and Jewish men in other times, in other places. |
Und wenn du sprichst und Entscheidungen triffst, vergiss nicht, dass du ein Teil eines Ganzen bist, dessen Größe du nicht zu erfassen vermagst. |
And when you speak and make decisions, do not forget that you are part of a whole, whose greatness you are not able to grasp. |
Und es sei dir eine heilige Pflicht, dich dafür einzusetzen, dass auch kommende Generationen nicht vergessen und weiter fragen werden. |
And it is your sacred duty, to stand up for it, so that future generations will not forget and will continue to ask. |
So verinnerliche dir dein Jüdischsein, wo immer du bist und was immer du tust; und mache deine Türen und Tore zu einem Zeichen dafür nach außen hin. |
So internalize your Jewishness, wherever you are and whatever you do; and make your doors and gates a sign of this to the outside world. |
This paraliturgical Shema was written in German by Rivka Jaussi. In a Dutch translation, it was first published in Sidur Ha’Chidush (Amsterdam, 2007). English translation by Aharon Varady.
“Schma — a paraliturgical Shema on internalizing Jewish identity by Rivka Jaussi (2007)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.
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Ner Tamid – Dohány Street Synagogue, Budapest, Hungary (Adam Fagen, CC BY-NC-SA)
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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." –Psalms 90:17
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