First Thought

וְעַתָּ֣ה יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל שְׁמַ֤ע אֶל־הַֽחֻקִּים֙ וְאֶל־הַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָֽנֹכִ֛י מְלַמֵּ֥ד אֶתְכֶ֖ם לַעֲשׂ֑וֹת

Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I am teaching you to perform (Deuteronomy 4:1)

The Hebrew Quest Study Passage for this lesson is the Shema, from Deuteronomy 6. Yeshua quoted it as the “greatest commandment.” The Shema reminds us that we study Hebrew to draw closer to Him and love Him with all that we are.

Figure 18.1: Mezuzah near Western Wall. Inside a Mezuzah is a small section of scripture, frequently Deuteronomy 6. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands