“If you listen closely to what Adonai your God says, observing and obeying all his mitzvot which I am giving you today, Adonai your God will raise you high above all the nations on earth…”-Deuteronomy 28:1
Right off the bat from verse 1 of Deuteronomy 28, that super significant Hebrew word SHEMA is used to wake up and gather the people’s attention.
I’m sorry but I have to say to render SHEMA as “listen” in English here is not entirely accurate.
Why?
Because “to SHEMA” does not mean to just listen.
It means to get off your butt and and take massive and vigorous action on what you just heard.
In our modern English, the words “listen” and “hear” are passive in nature.
In other words, we can “listen” or “hear” something and feel no obligation whatsoever to have to act on the information we just absorbed through our ears.
When the Lord says SHEMA, what He really means is to HEAR, UNDERSTAND and then GO DO IT!
I cannot emphasize this strongly enough.
What I’m telling you is not allegory nor a cultural thing restricted to a certain time period and people group.
That is precisely what SHEMA in the most objective sense of the word means.
Now what does the Lord say will be the result of Israel “listening and obeying“ Him?
HASHEM declares that IF Israel will faithfully keep His Torah (meaning His “instructions”), then they will be elevated above every other nation on earth.
This is not to say, God doesn’t care about the other nations of the earth.
He most certainly does care for and love them.
But Israel will be a special treasure to Him upon whom He will bestow special blessings…
…IF they do their part and and obey Him.
On the other hand, let me remind you that even if Israel disobeys God’s Torah, while they will come under the curses (penalties) of the covenant, the covenant itself will NOT be revoked or “done away with”.
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