“Shema Israel – Hear O Israel prayer”
There have been stories of the Israeli survivors of October 7th that they called on the name of God when they were being hunted down by the Hamas Terrorists. The call that was made in quiet desperation would have been:
שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָד׃
: בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד:
וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁךָ וּבְכָל־מְאֹדֶךָ׃
“Shmah yee-sׂrah-ayl ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo ah-doh-noi eh-khahd.
Bah-rookh shem ki-vohd mahl-khoo-toh li-oh-lahm vah-ehd.
Vah-hahv-tah ayt ah-doh-noi eh-loh-heh-khah bi-khohl li-vahv-khah, oov-khohl nahf-shkhah, oov-khohl moh-deh-khah”
Hear, O Israel, the L-rd is our. G‑d, the L-rd is One.
Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever.
You shall love the L-rd your G‑d with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5
Here a young boy sings the verses with great power to young soldiers in Israel not long after October 7th.
Could it be that these young Israelis were desperate for God to hear their voice and draw him into action to save them from the hands of murdering terrorists? Most certainly yes! And the Lord saved many Israelis miraculously that dreadful day. I believe the prayer goes beyond and it opened a door for these young people to dedicate their lives to God and take action to serve him. It shook the unbelievers in Israel to seek and believe in ha Shem – the Lord.
The opening line, “Hear, O Israel,” does not simply mean to let sound enter your ears. Here, the word Shema means to allow the words to sink in, provide understanding, and generate a response, it’s about action. In Hebrew, hearing and doing are the same thing.
The next instruction in the prayer is to love the Lord your God. What we translate into English as “love” here, the Hebrew word Ahavah is not about the warm, emotional feel when we like someone. Much like listening, love in this context is about action. You Ahavah someone when you act in loyalty and faithfulness. For the Israeli that said the words it means the love of faithful obedience to the terms of their covenant relationship with Yahweh. Those terms are the laws and commands that will make up the body of the book Deuteronomy.
Now we are seeing a new commitment from Israelis to their God which is awesome! The country is united and people from all backgrounds are calling in the name of the Lord.
This video is a survivor’s testimony from October 7th.
The dominos continue to fall
Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a message to the people of Iran. The Iranian regime has spent 30$ billion dollars on propping up the Assad regime in Syria. Another 20$ billion dollars on Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon and billions of dollars on supporting Hamas in Gaza. The Shiite “Axes of Resistance has crumbled before our very eyes in the last year with the war agains Israel. This is a miracle of epic proportions.
Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) have their sights on Jerusalem.
The terrorist rebel group HTS lead by Abu Mohammed al-Julani who managed to seize Syria from the Assad regime in 10 days are doing every effort to sound like they are moderates. But do not be fooled they are another Islamic terror group that seek to implement Sharia Law and rule Syria with absolute power and have no regard for the minority communities. Christians are in grave danger now.
al-Julani was arrested by US forces in Iraq in 2006 and held for five years, he was later tasked with establishing al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria, al-Nusra Front, which grew its influence in opposition-held areas, especially Idlib.
Al-Julani coordinated in those early years with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, head of al-Qaeda’s “Islamic State in Iraq”, which later became ISIL (ISIS).
In April 2013, al-Baghdadi suddenly announced that his group was cutting ties with al-Qaeda and would expand into Syria, effectively swallowing al-Nusra Front into a new group called ISIL.
Pray for Israel the hostages and Jerusalem.
In conclusion, dear friends, we need to pray for wisdom and guidance for the leaders of Israel and how to deal with the security issues in and around Israel. We also pray for the safe return of all the Israeli hostages still stuck in Gaza. Especially for the distraught families waiting every minute for their loved ones to come home. Lastly we pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.” For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your prosperity.
Psalms 122:6-9
God Bless,
Chris
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References and links:
Shema Israel prayer:
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/706163/jewish/Text-of-the-Shema-Prayer-in-Hebrew-and-English.htm#Transliteration
HTS
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/4/who-is-abu-mohamad-al-julani-the-leader-of-hayat-tahrir-al-sham-in-syria
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahrir_al-Sham