The Shema: Spirituality and Law in Judaism [Paperback]

Dr. Norman Lamm (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2000

The Shema is the central prayer of the Jewish faith. Jews utter this single sentence, affirming God's unity as their final words before dying, as well as at the beginning and ending of each day. Using the Shema as his focus, Lamm, prominent Orthodox scholar and long-time president of Yeshiva University, explores the relationship between spirituality and law in Judaism.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This insightful book . . .will appeal to Jews of all backgrounds."—Jewish Week

(Jewish Week )

Product Details

• Paperback: 222 pages
• Publisher: The Jewish Publication Society (November 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082760713X
• ISBN-13: 978-0827607132
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,103,530 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a unique little book, July 25, 2004

By 

Michael Lewyn (Forest Hills, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Shema: Spirituality and Law in Judaism (Paperback)

. . . in which Lamm goes line by line through the Shema, pointing out how various commentators have addressed each line over the centuries.

Lamm devotes the most space to the first sentence of the Shema (Hear O Israel, the Lord is God, the Lord is One), and to the Shema's requirement that we love God. As to the former, Lamm points out the difference between the two names of God referenced in the Shema: one represents the impersonal, universal God as seen in Nature while the other represents God as experienced in History, that is, the God who relates to Israel specifically and who is part of everything. Other interpretations of this phrase include a eschatalogical interpretation (that today God is One to Jews, but at the end of history all humans will see God as One), kabbalistic interpretations (some suggesting that nothing really exists outside God, but that God wills humans to act as if the world was real, others asserting that the Shema is an acknowledgement that awareness of the Creator's unity makes our lives less chaotic).

As to the concept of loving God, Lamm discusses Maimonides' interpretation of this verse (asserting that we learn to love God by contemplating creation and through studying Torah), Samuel David Luzzatto's definition of love as obeying divine commandments, the views of the Maharal (who asserts that we love God by recognizing that we owe our existence to God, and by honoring Torah scholars who study divine precepts), and other commentators' complex analysis of different types of love.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This will help you pray in a better way, October 12, 2004

By 

Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Shema: Spirituality and Law in Judaism (Paperback)

Rabbi Lamm is a deep thinker. And he deepens the reader's understanding of 'The Shema' .He helped me understand why we make use of two different names of G-d,why we use the language of singular and plural in the Shema. My belief is that anyone who reads this book will learn from it not only deeper meanings of the 'Shema ' but how to pray this basic prayer of Judaism in a more meaningful way.