UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE: English translations and lost nuances of Shema

Shema: Lost nuances and lost complexities

Many passages from the Tanach and especially the Torah are used as siddur prayers, and too often those praying and reading these passages: both in the Hebrew and modern English translations -- miss out on the texts’ nuances and complexities.

This is particularly true of the 3 paragraphs of the twice daily Shema prayer.

Why?

1.     Lack of clear punctuation.

The Torah comes from the earliest period of written alphabet languages and was originally intended to be read aloud to assembled masses.

It predates the Greek introduction of vowel letters – which in English became A-E-I-O-U and sometimes Y, and the dot and stroke vowel symbols used in printed Hebrew texts were only invented by the Masoretes of the 6^th-10^th centuries C.E.

Also, Torah scrolls do not have indicators for sentence ending periods (.), short pauses, i.e., the coma, exclamation points (!), question marks (?) and most importantly, quotation marks (“   “) for direct speech.

The Masoretes only added the diamond colon (    ) as the equivalent of the modern period, and relied on their other invention: musical cantillation notation, to act as ‘semi-punctuation’ guides.

Today, Chumash and siddur texts still restrict punctuation in the Hebrew to the Masoretes’ double diamond period and sometimes a comma. They leave the rest for the reader to fill in by ‘self-analysis’ – unless he or she is very familiar with the cantillation markings.

So, the Hebrew texts continue to be challenging as punctuation improvements have not been added; the texts are exactly as the Masoretes left them over 1000 years ago.

By comparison, it is far easier to follow English translations as all English versions since the great King James Bible (1611) have standard markings for periods, commas, and question marks.

And since the early 20th century, limited use of quotation marks (often as single quote marks) has become common as in the landmark Jewish Publication Society (JPS) version of1917 down to the Art Scroll. 

Modern English ‘YOU”

Modern English, unlike Hebrew, French and even Medieval English, uses the pronoun 'you' for both singular and plural.

And this ‘collapse’ to just “YOU” has major implications in understanding text.

The Medieval English of Shakespeare and the great King James Bible (1611) had distinct forms for “YOU”: singular Thee and Thou” and plural “Ye and You”, making clear whether one person or a group was involved.

And until recent times, this clarity was perpetuated in subsequent Christian translations and the often repeated, JPS translation of 1917.

However, more recent translations: both Christian and Jewish, including the Art Scroll, have abandoned the diverse forms for ‘YOU’ to be more colloquial.

In doing so, their English texts lose key nuances and often key meanings of the Biblical text, as plural and singular situations become confused as they appear as one and the same.

This is true of the 3 passages of Shema as will be illustrated below.

BLOCK format

Both the classic Hebrew masoretic text and English translations are normally presented in blocks which often obscure important ‘shifts’ and cause the text’s different ‘voices’ to be overlooked and ignored -- especially when read quickly.

Put simply, the Torah/Chumash constantly shifts between narration, indirect speech and direct speech, and ideally these distinct ‘threads’ should be separated as is done in standard, play scripts.

Again, the 3 paragraphs of Shema illustrate these complex shifts and the importance of their separation.

Vav Hahefuch

This unique time shifting verb form - using past tense prefixed by Vav (וְ) to mean future tense, and vice versa -- is the Torah's hallmark and verb parallel to the 4 letter, proper name of the Divine, the tetragrammaton. It is a conflation of the verb TO BE in its past-present-future forms; and consequently should be translated as The ETERNAL. 

This special verb form is used for God as narrator and when God's communication to humans is presented as INDIRECT SPEECH.  E.g., God told Moses that ... -- as in the opening of the 3rd paragraph of Shema. 

Any time Vav Hahefuch appears in direct speech, attention must be paid, and an explanation sought -- as this is NOT the normal style of the Torah.  

Finally, translations do not adequately warn the reader whenever the Divine Vav Hahefuch appears, as they simple give the intended verb tense 'meaning'.

Shema – section 1  (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

The first section of Shema begins with an exhortation to believe in the one and only God,  the ETERNAL,  in  collective language:    ... "He is OUR God".

The rest of the passage is in the singular and calls upon each individual person to dedicate himself (and herself) to the true God.  The commandments of tephillin and mezzuzot are highlighted at the end as well as the injunction of constant Torah study and the education of each person’s children.

Shema – section 2  (Deuteronomy 11:13-21)

The second passage is all in the plural and directed at the people as a whole. It switches only once between Moses as speaker to a Divine quotation. (See chart below.)

It focuses on Eretz Ysrael as God's gift, and how life there will be sweet -- with  abundant crops and numerous flocks.  But if the people abandon God and worship pagan deities, there will be no rain, which will escalate to prolonged drought.  And if that does not lead the people to return to God, they will be punished by military invasion, defeat and exile.

Finally, the commandments and constant visible reminders of tephilin and mezzuzot are repeated – this time in the plural.

Shema – section 3  (Numbers 15:37-41)

The 3rd section of Shema is the commandment of tzizit.

Males are to wear a sky blue thread at each of the 4 corners of their cloak or garment as a perpetual reminder to follow God and not stray as they interact with the pagan world.

Unlike the first two Shema passages which are segments of long sermons that repeat the ideas again and again, the tzizit passage is found in the Torah all by itself: sandwiched between two major violations.

It is immediately preceded by the story of the individual Israelite who collected wood on Shabbat and was communally stoned to death at God's order (Numbers 15:32-36) and is immediately followed by the great group rebellion of Korach (Numbers, ch 16).

The passage is also the most complex as it combines narration, indirect speech and Divine direct speech.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

The charts below highlight these various issues.

GUIDE:

 Vav Hahefuch verbs are in BOLD RED.    

“YOU” singular is in BOLD BLUE.

The 4 letter proper name of God is translated here as the ETERNAL.

The word “ELOHEM” -- which is best understood as ALMIGHTY, I translate as God when accompanied by a possessive pronoun to avoid sounding awkward: i.e., “Our Almighty”, “worship other Almighties”.   

SHEMA – section 1   Deuteronomy 6:4-9		HEBREW TEXT		ENGLISH TEXT
Speaker	Audience			Direct speech “   “	Indirect speech	narrator	COMMENTARY
Moses	Entire people -- including Moses himself	שְׁמַע, יִשְׂרָאֵל:  יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ, יְהוָה אֶחָד		Hear, O Israel: the ETERNAL is our God, the Eternal is the only one.			Spoken collectively: = PLURAL “our” NORMAL use of Imperative verb.
Moses	Each, individual person	וְאָהַבְתָּ, אֵת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, בְּכָל-לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל-נַפְשְׁךָ, וּבְכָל-מְאֹדֶךָ.		And you shall love the ETERNAL your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your diverse might			Text switches to the singular and each INDIVIDUAL. Also switches to using the DIVINE Vav Hahefuch As this is direct speech, I suggest the Vav Hahefuch is used by Moses to mean ‘eternally’.  NB: Torah scrolls do not have vowel markings and their addition is based on oral tradition.  This is not a real issue except for the last item: מְאֹדֶךָ     is plural, so I translate it as ‘various might’. בְּבֵיתֶךָ  / בֵּיתֶךָ  is also plural for houses וּבְקוּמֶךָ. is also plural וּבִשְׁעָרֶיךָ also plural  is יָדֶךָ is also plural for some reason
Moses	Each, individual person	וְהָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה, אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם--עַל-לְבָבֶךָ.  וְשִׁנַּנְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ, וְדִבַּרְתָּ בָּם, בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ בַדֶּרֶךְ, וּבְשָׁכְבְּךָ וּבְקוּמֶךָ.		May these words, which I command you this day be upon your hearts; You shall teach them to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your houses, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and whenever you rise up.
Moses	Each, individual person	וּקְשַׁרְתָּם לְאוֹת, עַל-יָדֶךָ; וְהָיוּ לְטֹטָפֹת, בֵּין עֵינֶיךָ.		You shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes.
Moses	Each, individual person	וּכְתַבְתָּם עַל-מְזֻזוֹת בֵּיתֶךָ, וּבִשְׁעָרֶיךָ		You shall write them upon the door-posts of your houses, and upon your gates.
SHEMA – section 2   Deuteronomy 11:13-21			HEBREW TEXT	ENGLISH TEXT
Speaker	Audience			Direct speech “   “	Indirect speech	narrator	COMMENTARY
Moses	Entire people		וְהָיָה, אִם-שָׁמֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל-מִצְו‍ֹתַי, אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם, הַיּוֹם--לְאַהֲבָה אֶת-יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, וּלְעָבְדוֹ, בְּכָל-לְבַבְכֶם, וּבְכָל-נַפְשְׁכֶם.	It shall come to pass if you shall listen diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the ETERNAL your God, and to serve Him with all your hearts and with all your souls,			Except for the opening word, וְהָיָה ,         all else is in normal verb form This indicates the passage and warning are of Divine origin.
GOD	Each, individual person		וְנָתַתִּי מְטַר-אַרְצְכֶם בְּעִתּוֹ, יוֹרֶה וּמַלְקוֹשׁ; וְאָסַפְתָּ דְגָנֶךָ, וְתִירֹשְׁךָ וְיִצְהָרֶךָ.	I will give rain for your land in its season: the early rain and the latter rain. You shall gather in your corn, and your wine, and your oil.			Switches to a DIRECT QUOTE from GOD to each, individual person. Uses Vav hahefuch in this direct speech as an eternal promise.
GOD	Each, individual person		וְנָתַתִּי עֵשֶׂב בְּשָׂדְךָ, לִבְהֶמְתֶּךָ;	I will give grass in your field for your animals
GOD	Each, individual person		וְאָכַלְתָּ, וְשָׂבָעְתּ	You will eat and be full.
Moses	Entire people		הִשָּׁמְרוּ לָכֶם, פֶּן יִפְתֶּה לְבַבְכֶם; וְסַרְתֶּם, וַעֲבַדְתֶּם אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים, וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶם, לָהֶם.	Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart will become deceived, and you will turn aside, and you will serve other gods, and you will bow down to them;			Switches back to the people as a whole. First 2 verbs are normal verb form but thereafter the next 3 verbs are vav hahefuch as a Divine vision into the future.
Moses	Entire people		וְחָרָה אַף-יְהוָה בָּכֶם, וְעָצַר אֶת-הַשָּׁמַיִם וְלֹא-יִהְיֶה מָטָר, וְהָאֲדָמָה, לֹא תִתֵּן אֶת-יְבוּלָהּ; וַאֲבַדְתֶּם מְהֵרָה, מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ הַטֹּבָה, אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה, נֹתֵן לָכֶם.	The anger of the ETERNAL will be kindled against you, and He will shut up the sky. so that there shall be no rain, and the ground shall not yield her fruit; and you will quickly perish from off the good land which the ETERNAL gives to you.			This section alternates between vav hahefuch and normal verb forms. -- The ‘land’ is in normal verbs in the mid section and again at the end.   It is only for the people and their future, Divine punishments that Vav Hahefuch is applied.
Moses	The Entire people		וְשַׂמְתֶּם אֶת-דְּבָרַי אֵלֶּה, עַל-לְבַבְכֶם וְעַל-נַפְשְׁכֶם; וּקְשַׁרְתֶּם אֹתָם לְאוֹת עַל-יֶדְכֶם, וְהָיוּ לְטוֹטָפֹת בֵּין עֵינֵיכֶם.	You shall place these, My words in your heart and in your soul; and you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes.			A repeat of the commandment of tephillin from Section 1, but now presented in the PLURAL – i.e. to all the male members of Israel.          --- Vav hahefuch is used to stress this is an ‘eternal’ commandment.
Moses	The entire people		וְלִמַּדְתֶּם אֹתָם אֶת- בְּנֵיכֶם, לְדַבֵּר בָּם	You shall teach them to your children, to talk of them,			This is a rephrasing of the final message from Shema section 1 but this time it begins in the PLURAL and soon switches to the SINGULAR -- to stress that every person is obliged to study Torah/pray  whenever and wherever possible; and to affix mezzuzot.          ---- Uses Vav Hahefech to stress Torah study and  memuzah commandments are eternal. Again, the words “houses” and “gates” are in the plural.
Moses	Each individual person		בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ בַדֶּרֶךְ, וּבְשָׁכְבְּךָ וּבְקוּמֶךָ.	when you will sit in your houses, and when you will walk by the way, and when you will lie down, and when you will rise up.
Moses	Each individual person		וּכְתַבְתָּם עַל-מְזוּזוֹת בֵּיתֶךָ, וּבִשְׁעָרֶיךָ.	You shall write them upon the door-posts of your houses, and upon your gates;
Moses	Entire people		לְמַעַן יִרְבּוּ יְמֵיכֶם, וִימֵי בְנֵיכֶם, עַל הָאֲדָמָה, אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע יְהוָה לַאֲבֹתֵיכֶם לָתֵת לָהֶם--כִּימֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם, עַל-הָאָרֶץ.	So that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children upon the land which the ETERNAL swore unto your fathers to give them, as the days of the sky above the earth.			This closing reverts to the PLURAL as the Divine promise to the Patriarchs was for the entire nation. All is in normal verb tense.
SHEMA – section 3                       Numbers 15: 37 - 41			HEBREW   TEXT	ENGLISH TEXT
Speaker	Audience			Direct speech         “   “	Indirect speech	narrator	COMMENTARY
Narrator	Listener/reader		וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר.			The ETERNAL said  to Moses saying;	Normal use of Vav Hahefuch in narration.
God	Moses		דַּבֵּר אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל,  וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם	Speak to the children of Israel,	and you will say to  them		Starts with normal verb for direct speech then switches to Divine Vav Hahefuch for indirect speech.
God	Moses		וְעָשׂוּ לָהֶם צִיצִת עַל-כַּנְפֵי בִגְדֵיהֶם, לְדֹרֹתָם; וְנָתְנוּ עַל-צִיצִת הַכָּנָף, פְּתִיל תְּכֵלֶת.		that they should make for themselves fringes in the corners of their garments, throughout their generations and that they should put on the fringe of each corner a thread of blue.		Continues in indirect speech. The Israelites are in third person. _______________________ Switches to direct speech. Returns to speaking to the people as “YOU”. Uses vav hahefuch  to emphasize these commandments are Divine and eternal.
Moses	Entire People		וְהָיָה לָכֶם, לְצִיצִת, וּרְאִיתֶם אֹתוֹ וּזְכַרְתֶּם אֶת-כָּל-מִצְו‍ֹת יְהוָה, וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֹתָם;	It shall be for you for a fringe that you will look upon it, and will  remember all the commandments of the ETERNAL, and will do them,
Moses	Entire People		וְלֹא-תָתוּרוּ אַחֲרֵי לְבַבְכֶם,	[So] you will not follow after your own hearts
			וְאַחֲרֵי עֵינֵיכֶם,	and after your own eyes,
			אֲשֶׁר-אַתֶּם זֹנִים, אַחֲרֵיהֶם.	after which you lustfully follow.			The Hebrew verb זֹנִים means prostitution.  I therefore added ‘lustfully’ for clarity
			לְמַעַן תִּזְכְּרוּ, וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֶת-כָּל-מִצְו‍ֹתָי; וִהְיִיתֶם קְדֹשִׁים, לֵאלֹהֵיכֶם.	So that you may remember and will do all My commandments, and will be holy unto your God.
God	Entire People		אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, לִהְיוֹת לָכֶם, לֵאלֹהִים:  אֲנִי, יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם.	I am the ETERNAL your God who took you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the ETERNAL, your God.			Closes with a direct quote from God to the people; done in normal, direct speech verb form.