Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A liturgical prayer consisting of three Scriptural passages (Deuteronomy 6:4–9, 11:13–21, and Numbers 15:37–41) recited twice daily by observant Jews, especially Jewish men, to affirm their faith.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In Jewish ritual, a name for the first word of the verse, Deut. vi. 4, and also for the verse itself, “Shem'a Yisrael,” etc., “Hear, O Israel, Jehovah is our God, Jehovah is one,” recited as the Jewish confession of faith.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- proper noun The central
creed ofJudaism , recited daily by some religious Jews.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a liturgical prayer (considered to be the essence of Jewish religion) that is recited at least twice daily by adult Jewish males to declare their faith
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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And with the last syllable of the "Shema" -- Hear,
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At an early age He must have learned the so called Shema (Deut. 6: 4), and the Hallel, or Psalms 113-118 (Hebr.); He must have been familiar with the other parts of the Scriptures too, especially the Psalms and the Prophetic Books, as He constantly refers to them in His public life.
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 8: Infamy-Lapparent 1840-1916 1913
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This is the Shema, which is still heard in every synagogue service to this day.
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This is the Shema, which is still heard in every synagogue service to this day.
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This is the Shema, which is still heard in every synagogue service to this day.
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This is the Shema, which is still heard in every synagogue service to this day.
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This is the Shema, which is still heard in every synagogue service to this day.
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This is the Shema, which is still heard in every synagogue service to this day.
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This is the Shema, which is still heard in every synagogue service to this day.
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This is the Shema, which is still heard in every synagogue service to this day.
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