The Rev. Canon Bobbe Fitzhugh, St. James’ Episcopal Church, Encampment
In Matthew 22:34-35, Jesus is being tested by the Pharisees, asking him which commandment is the greatest. Not which of the Ten Commandments, but which of all the commandments in Torah – those first five books of the Old Testament. Torah has 613 commands according to Jewish tradition.
Jesus answers them by quoting Scripture. Specifically, part of the Shema, the prayer that all devout Jews are to recite daily. The part that Jesus quotes to the Pharisees is part 3 of the Shema from Deuteronomy 6:5 - “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your...
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