What prayer is the cornerstone of Judaism?

I was recently asked, "What prayer is considered the cornerstone of Judaism?"

Judaism 101, on the website www.jewfaq.org, states, “In the 5th century BCE, the men of the Great Assembly composed a basic prayer, covering just about everything you could want to pray about. This is the Shemoneh Esrei, which means “18” and refers to the 18 blessings originally contained within the prayer. It is also referred to as the Amidah (standing, because we stand while we recite it), or Tefilah (prayer, as in “The” prayer, because it is the summary of all Jewish prayers in the liturgy). This prayer is the cornerstone of every Jewish service.”

The question, however, is not, “What prayer is considered the cornerstone of every Jewish service?” but rather,  “What prayer is considered the cornerstone of Judaism?”. Without a doubt, the cornerstone of Judaism is the Sh’ma, which can be found in the Torah in Deut. 6:4-9, Deut. 11:13-21, and Num. 15:37-41. The Sh’ma is often the first verse of scripture that a Jewish child learns, and the last prayer whispered from the lips of the dying.  It is customary to recite the Sh’ma at least twice daily: once in the morning and once in the evening. It is also part of the bedtime Sh’ma.

The Deuteronomy 6:4-9 passage stresses the commandment to love G!d with all one’s heart, soul, and might, while the second passage in Deuteronomy, found in chapter 11, verses 13-21, emphasizes the blessings of following the mitzvot. The Numbers passage, in chapter 15, verses 37-41, concerns the talit and its tzitzit attached to the four corners, as a visual reminder to observe the mitzvot.

When the Sh’ma is written in Torah scrolls, and sometimes reproduced in siddurim, two of the letters appear larger: the ayin of Sh’ma and the daled of echad. The explanation for this is that when these two letters are put together in the order of their appearance, they make up the word ed ­(witness), namely, the Israelites’ testimony to G!d’s Primacy (as it says in Isaiah 43:10: “You are my witnesses”); and when read in the opposite direction, they make up the word da (know), as it says in Chronicles I 28:9, “Know G!d… and serve G!d with a perfect heart.”

When recited in the synagogue, many Jews, including the more traditional and Orthodox, pronounce each word very carefully and cover their eyes with their right hand. Again, this has made a comeback in many Reform congregations. After reciting the first verse of Sh’ma, it is an ancient custom to follow it with “Baruch shem kevod malchuto le’olam va’ed,” May the Name of the glory of G!d’s kingship be blessed for ever and ever.” Since this sentence is not written in the Torah, we say it in a whisper.

One explanation for doing this is that after the grand recitation of “Sh’ma Yisrael”, we add words of praise and thanks for being permitted, and able, to recite the Sh’ma. Another explanation is that this sentence is the inner completion of “Sh’ma Yisrael”, because the first verse of Sh’ma speaks of G!d’s Oneness in a way that negates the world’s existence, as in “there is none else besides G!d.” In order to complement this, we add “Baruch shem kevod malchuto le’olam va’ed” to indicate that G!d’s glory fills all of reality, in place and time, expressing a feeling of awe. Only on Yom Kippur do we say this sentence aloud rather than in a whisper.

There is much I could write about the Sh’ma, but to do so would require many, many pages of material. For now, it suffices to say, the Sh’ma is the cornerstone of Judaism, and to plumb its depths is a delight and never-ending source of discovery and reconnection with the Holy.