שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָד

“Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One” in Hebrew is Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad (שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָד), pronounced “she-MA yis-ra-EL a-do-NAI e-lo-HEI-nu a-do-NAI e-KHAD.” The literal translation is “Hear Israel, the-LORD our-God, the-LORD [is] one.” The complete Shema — Deuteronomy 6:4 — Judaism's central declaration of monotheistic faith.

Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad is pronounced “she-MA yis-ra-EL a-do-NAI e-lo-HEI-nu a-do-NAI e-KHAD.” The literal meaning is “Hear Israel, the-LORD our-God, the-LORD [is] one.”

Echad (אֶחָד) means 'one' — declaring God's absolute oneness and unity. It's not merely the number one; it's a statement about God's nature: there is no other, and God is indivisible. The word is emphasized in recitation, with worshippers lingering on it to contemplate divine unity.

The ayin (ע) in shema and dalet (ד) in echad are written larger than normal. Together they spell 'ed' (עד), meaning 'witness.' This teaches that reciting the Shema is an act of bearing witness to God's oneness. It also prevents misreading: without the enlarged ayin, shema could be misread as a different word.

The Talmud (Berakhot 61b) records that when Rabbi Akiva was executed by the Romans (circa 135 CE), he recited the Shema as his flesh was being torn with iron combs. His students asked how he could pray in such agony. He replied that he had always wondered when he'd be able to fulfill 'with all your soul' (loving God even to the point of death). He died with 'echad' on his lips.