שְׁמַע | Shema, an interpretive translation by Rabbi Arthur Waskow (2003) • the Open Siddur Project

Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Deuteronomy 11:13-21, Deuteronomy 6:4, eco-conscious, interpretation as prayer, Numbers 15:37-41, paraliturgical shema, Philadelphia, Pnai Ohr, Prayers as poems, והיה אם שמע v'haya im shemo'a

Excerpt: Sh'sh'sh'ma Yisra'el — Listen, You Godwrestlers! Pause from your wrestling and hush'sh'sh To hear — YHWH/ Yahh Hear in the stillness the still silent voice, The silent breathing that intertwines life; YHWH/ Yahh elohenu Breath of life is our God, What unites all the varied forces creating all worlds into one-ness, Each breath unique, And all unified; YHWH / Yahh echad! Yahh is One. Listen, You Godwrestlers! No one people alone owns this Unify-force; YHWH / Yahh is One. . . .

Content:

Hebrew	English
שְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל	Sh’sh’sh’ma Yisra’el — Listen, You Godwrestlers! Pause from your wrestling and hush’sh’sh To hear — YHWH/ Yahh
	Hear in the stillness the still silent voice, The silent breathing that intertwines life;
יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ	YHWH/ Yahh elohenu Breath of life is our God, What unites all the varied forces creating all worlds into one-ness, Each breath unique, And all unified;
יְהוָ֥ה ׀ אֶחָֽד׃	YHWH / Yahh echad! Yahh is One. Listen, You Godwrestlers! No one people alone owns this Unify-force; YHWH / Yahh is One.
וּכְתַבְתָּ֛ם עַל־מְזוּזֹ֥ת בֵּיתֶ֖ךָ	So at the gates of your cities, where your own culture ends, and another begins, And you halt there in fear: “Here we speak the same language “But out there is barbaric, “They may kill without speaking.”
וּבִשְׁעָרֶֽיךָ׃	Then pause in the gateway to write on its wall And to chant in its passage: “Each gate is unique “In the world that is One.”
וְהָיָה אִם שָׁמֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל מִצְוֺתַי אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם הַיּוֹם, לְאַהֲבָה אֶת יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וּלְעָבְדוֹ בְּכָל לְבַבְכֶם וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁכֶם׃ וְנָתַתִּי מְטַר אַרְצְכֶם בְּעִתּוֹ יוֹרֶה וּמַלְקוֹשׁ, וְאָסַפְתָּ דְגָנֶךָ, וְתִירֹשְׁךָ וְיִצְהָרֶךָ: וְנָתַתִּי עֵשֶׂב בְּשָׂדְךָ לִבְהֶמְתֶּךָ, וְאָכַלְתָּ וְשָׂבָעְתָּ׃	If you listen, yes listen to the teachings of YHWH/ Yahh, the One Breath of Life, that the world is One, all its parts intertwined, then the rains will fall Time by time, Time by time; The rivers will run, the heavens will smile, the good earth will fruitfully feed you.
הִשָּׁמְרוּ לָכֶם פֶּן יִפְתֶּה לְבַבְכֶם, וְסַרְתֶּם וַעֲבַדְתֶּם אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶם לָהֶם׃	But — chop the world into parts and choose parts to worship — gods of race or of nation, gods of wealth and of power, gods of greed and addiction;
	If you Do and you Make, and Produce without pausing; If you Do without Being —
וְחָרָה אַף יְיָ בָּכֶם וְעָצַר אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְלֹא יִהְיֶה מָטָר וְהָאֲדָמָה לֹא תִתֵּן אֶת יְבוּלָהּ, וַאֲבַדְתֶּם מְהֵרָה מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ הַטֹּבָה אֲשֶׁר יְיָ נֹתֵן לָכֶם׃	Then the rain will not fall — or will turn to sharp acid — The rivers won’t run — or flood homes and cities; The heavens themselves will take arms against you: the ozone will fail you, the oil that you burn will scorch your whole planet and from the good earth that the Breath of Life gives you, you will vanish; yes, perish.
וְהָיָ֣ה לָכֶם֮ לְצִיצִת֒ וּרְאִיתֶ֣ם אֹת֗וֹ	So on edge with your Self take care to weave fringes, threads of connection. So you end not with sharpness, A fence or a wall, But with sacred mixing of cloth and of air — A fringe that is fuzzy, part yours and part God’s: They bind us together, Make One from our one-ness.
וּזְכַרְתֶּם֙ אֶת־כָּל־מִצְוֺ֣ת יְהוָ֔ה וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָ֑ם וְלֹֽא־תָתֻ֜רוּ אַחֲרֵ֤י לְבַבְכֶם֙ וְאַחֲרֵ֣י עֵֽינֵיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּ֥ם זֹנִ֖ים אַחֲרֵיהֶֽם׃
	Good fringes/ good neighbors. Deep mirrors/ true seeing. Time loving/ right action. The Infinite/ One.

Rabbi Arthur Waskow’s “Sh’ma: An Interpretation for the 21st Century” was originally composed on the 6th of Tishrei, 5764 (October 2nd, 2003).

Featured Image:

Title: Aharon Varady – Shhhmmma (CC BY-SA)
Caption: