The Targum Jonathan on (Deuteronomy 6) contains one of the most beloved stories in all of rabbinic literature—and it appears right in the middle of the most sacred prayer in Judaism. The Shema ("Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One") is the central declaration of Jewish faith. But the Targum reveals its hidden origin.
When Jacob was about to die, he grew anxious. He called his twelve sons together and asked them a terrifying question: "Is there such perversity in your hearts?" He was afraid that one of them might be an idolater. All twelve answered together, in unison: "Hear, Israel our father—the Lord our God is one Lord!" They were not reciting a prayer. They were reassuring their dying father that none of them had abandoned God. And Jacob responded with the words Jews still whisper after the Shema today: "Blessed be His Glorious Name for ever and ever."
This is not in the Hebrew Bible. The Targum imported a midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic tradition and embedded it directly into the scriptural text, transforming the Shema from a commandment into a deathbed scene. Every time a Jew recites the Shema, they are—according to this tradition—reenacting the moment Jacob's sons proved their loyalty.
The Targum also expands the commandment to love God. Moses tells Israel to love God "with each disposition of your hearts"—a phrase that acknowledges the rabbinic teaching about the two inclinations, the yetzer ha-tov (the good inclination) and the yetzer ha-ra (the evil inclination). You must love God with both your good and evil impulses.
The practical details of mezuzah (a parchment scroll affixed to doorposts) get unusually specific. The Targum says to write the words "upon the pillars, and affix them in three places—against the cupboard, upon the posts of thy house, and on the right hand of thy gate." The Hebrew says doorposts and gates. The Targum adds the cupboard, a domestic detail reflecting actual Aramaic-era practice.
The chapter warns against testing God, and the Targum adds a number the Hebrew lacks: "be warned not to tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in the ten temptations." Ten specific tests. The Targum is counting.