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Prayer and Meditation
We also find in ancient Judaism that Moses emphasized the significance of hearing God. He gave the Israelites a mantra which is called the Shema from the Hebrew word 'to listen'. This is the primary creedal statement in Biblical Judaism (and in
Rabbinic Judaism even today):
Hear, O Israel! The LORD our God is One.
Moses also taught the people to meditate as a way of life in every action and intention, and to love God with a focused inner being (heart, mind, strength).
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words... shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)
Historical Changes in Judaism
As happens over the course of history in all places, these ideals and expectations had to be modified and re-interpreted in response to life. The needs of the common people shape their
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