The Greatest Commandment

“Now this is (A)the commandment—the statutes and the rules[a]—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that (B)you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and (C)that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, (D)as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.

“Hear, O Israel: (E)The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[b] You (F)shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And (G)these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. (H)You shall teach them diligently to your children, 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. (I)You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. (J)You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

10 “And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities (K)that you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, 12 (L)then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 13 It is (M)the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and (N)by his name you shall swear. 14 You shall not (O)go after other gods, (P)the gods of the peoples who are around you— 15 for (Q)the Lord your God in your midst (R)is a jealous God—(S)lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.

16 (T)“You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, (U)as you tested him at Massah. 17 You shall (V)diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies and his statutes, which he has commanded you. 18 (W)And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may go well with you, and that you may go in and take possession of the good land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers 19 (X)by thrusting out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has promised.

20 (Y)“When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son, (Z)‘We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 And (AA)the Lord showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. 23 And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers. 24 And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, (AB)to fear the Lord our God, (AC)for our good always, that (AD)he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. 25 And (AE)it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us.’

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 6:1 Or just decrees; also verse 20
  2. Deuteronomy 6:4 Or The Lord our God is one Lord; or The Lord is our God, the Lord is one; or The Lord is our God, the Lord alone

Now these are the mitzvot, the chukkim, and the mishpatim, which Hashem Eloheichem commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in ha’aretz whither ye go to possess it:

That thou mightest fear Hashem Eloheicha, to be shomer over all His chukkim and His mitzvot, which I command thee, thou, and thy ben, and thy ben’s ben, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.

Shema therefore, Yisroel, and be shomer to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as Hashem Elohei Avoteicha hath promised thee, in Eretz Zavat Cholov uDevash.

Shema Yisroel Adonoi Eloheinu Adonoi Echad.

And thou shalt love Hashem Eloheicha b’chol l’vavcha u’vchol nafshcha uvechol modecha.

And these devarim, which I command thee today, shall be in thine lev;

And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy banim, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine bais, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

And thou shalt bind them for an ot upon thine hand, and they shall be as totafos (ornaments [Shemot 13:16, Shabbos 57a]) between thine eyes.

And thou shalt write them upon the mezuzot of thy bais, and on thy she’arim.

10 And it shall be, when Hashem Eloheicha shall have brought thee into ha’aretz He swore unto Avoteicha, to Avraham, to Yitzchak, and to Ya’akov, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,

11 And batim full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, kramim (vineyards) and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;

12 Then beware lest thou forget Hashem, which brought thee forth out of Eretz Mitzrayim, from the bais avadim.

13 Thou shalt fear Hashem Eloheicha, and serve Him, and shalt swear by Shmo.

14 Ye shall not go after elohim acherim, of elohei ha’amim (the g-ds of the peoples) which are round about you;

15 (For Hashem Eloheicha is an El Kannah among you) lest the anger of Hashem Eloheicha be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of ha’adamah.

16 Ye shall not test Hashem Eloheichem, as ye tested Him in Massah.

17 Ye diligently shall be shomer mitzvot over the mitzvot Hashem Eloheichem and His edut, and His chukkim, which He hath commanded thee.

18 And thou shalt do that which is yashar (right, straight) and hatov in the eyes of Hashem; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess ha’aretz hatovah which Hashem swore unto Avotecha.

19 To cast out all thine enemies from before thee, as Hashem hath spoken.

20 And when thy ben asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the edut, and the chukkim, and the mishpatim which Hashem Eloheinu hath commanded you?

21 Then thou shalt say unto thy ben, We were Pharaoh’s avadim in Mitzrayim; and Hashem brought us out of Mitzrayim with a yad chazakah;

22 And Hashem showed otot and mofetim, great and terrible, upon Mitzrayim, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes:

23 And He brought us out from thence, that He might bring us in, to give us ha’aretz which He promised on oath unto Avoteinu.

24 And Hashem commanded us to do all these chukkim, to fear Hashem Eloheinu, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is at yom hazeh.

25 And tzedakah it shall be for us, if we are shomer to do all these mitzvot before Hashem Eloheinu, as He hath commanded us.