Ramifications of Shema IV – Isaiah 41:10

In the Shema we declare that the Lord is our God. What do we mean when we say that God is “ours”? Is the Lord not God over all of creation? How is it appropriate to use such possessive language in relation to God?

In previous articles we have explored one connotation that is inherent in our declaration that the Lord is our God. We presented the concept that as Jews we trust in no other power aside from the one Creator of heaven and earth. We acknowledge that no being or force has the ability to harm us or to bring us benefit aside from the One Creator. In this sense we would translate the words “our God” as “the Power that we trust in”.

There is yet another connotation to the possessive terminology that connects us to God. This connotation is…