Close your eyes. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Breathe in Breathe out Breathe in Breathe out Relax Imagine you are surrounded by many clouds. Clouds surround you. Somehow there is a warm light in these clouds and a presence. The clouds take you back in time. To a place far away in a far off distant country. You wake up with your head on the school desk. You are 8 years old. “Jesusâ€â€¦.â€Jesus†the teacher declares. “Can you recite the Shema prayer?†Jesus responds “Hear, O Israel, The Lord our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Keep these commandments today in your hearts. Recite them to your children. Talk about them when you are away, when you lie down and when rise. Bind them as sign on your hands and fix them as an emblem on your foreheads. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gatesâ€. “Good Jesusâ€. The teacher responds. The teacher then points at you and says “Now it is your turn. Go†You respond “But I do not know the shema prayer†The teacher says “how can you not know the shema prayer? You have been taught this prayer says you were 3 years old. I want you to go home today and learn this prayer by tomorrow†“Yes teacher†you respond with a shallow voice. Fear grips you as you do not know whether this is possible. A young child runs passed the door of the class singing “ding. Ding. Ding. Lunch time†in Hebrew says “Zeman Aruchat Zohorayimâ€â€¦ The Teacher says “Class dismissed†All the children race out. You join them but slowly. The young 8 year old Jesus is just in front of you. As you both go through the door Jesus turns to you and says “Would you like to come to my house for lunch ? I will teach you the Shema. My mum is making Manousheh†You respond “Yes. I would love that. What is Manousheh?†“Manousheh is a popular flat cooked bread. It's made with dough topped with lots of ingredients like herbs and spices. Often served warmâ€. “Yum. I am starvingâ€. Their house is only about 4 streets away. So you walk with the 8 year old Jesus as you talk. He recites the Shema prayer to you. One line at a time. Then asks you to repeat the words. “Hear, O Israel, The Lord our God, the Lord alone. Your turnâ€. You respond “Hear, O Israel, The Lord our God, the Lord alone. Your turnâ€. You both laugh. Jesus says “But as you do each line you must always do an actionâ€. He places his hands over the outside of his ears. Try it again. You respond “Hear, O Israel, The Lord our God, the Lord aloneâ€. “Great now. Tap you hand with your heart and say ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul’†While tapping your heart you respond ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul’ . “Now. Make strong muscles like superman and say ‘and with all your strength’â€. You respond ‘and with all your strength’ while making strong muscles like superman. Jesus says “place your hand over your heart and say ‘Keep these commandments today in your hearts’â€. With your hand over your heart you respond ‘Keep these commandments today in your hearts’. “Now place with your hands like some chatting with your fingers and say ‘Recite them to your children’â€. You respond ‘Recite them to your children’ while chatting with your fingers. “Now point with your hand away and say ‘Talk about them when you are away’†While pointing away you respond ‘Talk about them when you are away’. “Then next part has two movements. Your one palm of one hand goes down and then comes up with the words and say ‘when you lie down and when rise’â€. You respond ‘‘when you lie down and when rise’â€. “Now make a circle as if you are tiring a rope around your other hand and say ‘Bind them as symbols on your hands’†You respond by imagining tiring a rope and saying ‘Bind them as sign on your hands’. “Now with one hand tap your forehead and say ‘and fix them as an emblem on your foreheads’ You begin tapping your forehead and say ‘and fix them as an emblem on your foreheads’. Jesus says “the last part has two movements. Writing with one hand and then drawing a door frame with your hand and say ‘Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates’â€. You start writing and say ‘Write them on the doorposts of your house’ and then you make a door frame and say ‘and on your gates’. Jesus says “well done. Clap Clap. The trick is not in the words. But in your body movement. Your body has a memory. You remember so much more through your body than you do trying to say the words off by heart. Do you want to do this with me?†“Yes†you respond. You both begin and you follow Jesus both in words and actions…. Jesus responds “Hear, O Israel, The Lord our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Keep these commandments today in your hearts. Recite them to your children. Talk about them when you are away, when you lie down and when rise. Bind them as sign on your hands and fix them as an emblem on your foreheads. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gatesâ€. Laughing at the end but as you finish the last part you arrive at Jesus’ home. Jesus says “welcome to my homeâ€. “Thank you†you respond. But as you go through the door the cloud surrounds you. Somehow there is a warm light in these clouds and a presence. The clouds take you forward in time. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Breathe in Breathe out Breathe in Breathe out Relax Open your eyes.
