Reconstructing a sacred prayer

Like many Jewish children, I first learned the Shema in my early years of Hebrew school. For seven decades, I have spoken its words in Hebrew—at services, in private prayer and silently in my heart: Shema, Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad. (Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One.)

The Shema is at the center of Jewish life, recited morning and evening, often upon rising and before sleep, and at morning and evening services. It is handwritten by a sofer, a specially trained scribe, on the parchment scroll inside the decorative mezuzah affixed to our doorposts, a reminder that God is always with us.

The Shema may also be the final prayer a Jew recites on his deathbed. Since my father honored this tradition, the words have taken on a deeper emotional meaning – a connection to my father’s memory. I often recite the Shema when I reach the top of the mountain while walking my dogs. Yet it has become so routine that sometimes it is rote. So, when Rich, our Mussar facilitator last month, invited us to write our own version of the Shema, I took the opportunity to create a prayer to resonate with my beliefs.

My reconstructed version:

Hear, dear wonderer,

Be here, oh wanderer.

Silence the mind

To listen with the heart.

Let the sun warm your face,

The wind tousle your hair.

Behold the majestic mountains and stately pines towering above you.

Delight in the carpet of daisies and intricate columbine at your feet.

My handiwork surrounds you,

My love permeates you.

We are one.