Krias Shema

The Words That Hold Everything Together

The words of Shema Yisroel stand at the heart of Jewish life. Twice a day — once in the morning and once in the evening — a Yid covers his eyes and proclaims the unity of the Creator. Krias Shema is an acceptance of ol malchus Shamayim, a renewed declaration that Hashem is One, and a daily reaffirmation of the bond between Klal Yisroel and its Creator.

The Shema prayer — known formally as Krias Shema — takes its name from its opening word: Shema, meaning “Hear.” It is a declaration of Hashem’s absolute oneness, drawn directly from three passages in the Torah: Devarim 6:4-9, Devarim 11:13-21, and Bamidbar 15:37-41. These three parshiyos together form the complete Krias Shema as it appears in the siddur.

Krias Shema is recited twice daily — during Shacharis and during Maariv. The Torah itself provides the basis with the words b’shochb’cha uv’kumecha — “when you lie down and when you rise up” (Devarim 6:7). Chazal interpret this as referring to the time of lying down and the time of rising. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 58:1) codifies the morning recitation as beginning from the time one can recognize a familiar acquaintance at a distance of four amos and extending until the end of the third halachic hour of the day.

The opening words of Krias Shema reach back to Moshe Rabbeinu himself. The first paragraph begins with Shema Yisroel, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad, which appears in Sefer Devarim as part of Moshe’s final address to Klal Yisroel before they entered Eretz Yisroel. The Gemara in Brachos 13a emphasizes the centrality of this declaration and the need for focused kavanah in its recitation. Through these words, Moshe conveyed the foundational principle of Jewish emunah: the absolute unity of the Creator.

The Gemara in Pesachim 56a records a remarkable tradition about the response line Baruch Sheim Kevod Malchuso L’olam Va’ed. When Yaakov Avinu gathered his sons before his passing, he wished to reveal the end of days. The Shechinah departed from him, and he feared that one of his children was unworthy. His sons responded in unison: Shema Yisroel — reassuring their father that their emunah was complete. Yaakov answered: Baruch Sheim Kevod Malchuso L’olam Va’ed. Because this line was not written as part of the Torah’s text of Shema, we recite it in a whisper. In later halachic practice, however, it is said aloud on Yom Kippur, when we are likened to malachim.

Krias Shema itself is a Torah-level mitzvah, as the Rambam writes: “מצות עשה לקרות קריאת שמע בערב ובבוקר” (Hilchos Krias Shema 1:1). Its three core paragraphs are taken directly from the Torah — Shema, Vehayah im Shamoa, and Vayomer — as Rambam codifies (Hilchos Krias Shema 1:2); accordingly, the core text remains fundamentally shared across Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Edot HaMizrach communities.

Before You Say This Tefillah

The first pasuk of Shema is not a bakashah. Chazal frame it as kabbalat ol malchut shamayim, accepting the yoke of Heaven upon oneself. Before you cover your eyes, pause. Let yourself feel, for one breath, the weight of declaring Hashem’s oneness and accepting His malchus. Then speak.

Ribono Shel Olam, I am about to accept Your sovereignty over every part of my life. Help me say these words with my whole heart. Not as a routine. Not on autopilot. Let Shema reach every corner of me — the part that believes easily, the part that struggles, the part that has been distracted all day. You are One, and I am Yours. Elokah d’Meir aneni.

If giving tzedakah, add:

In the zechus of the tzedakah I am giving for Rabbi Meir Baal Haness, let my Shema today carry the weight of both my words and my actions. Let me live as someone who truly believes what I am about to say.

Krias Shema: All Four Sections

The Shema is more than the first pasuk. It includes the opening declaration, Ve’ahavta, Vehayah Im Shamoa, and Vayomer/Tzitzis, with a short summary of the main idea of each section.

The Line To Hold On To

Shema Yisroel, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ ה׳ אֶחָד “Hear, O Yisroel, Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One.”

The first verse of Krias Shema is the foundation of everything. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 60:5) rules that if one recited it without concentrating on its meaning, one has not fulfilled the obligation and must repeat it. But that concentration is not only a bare translation of the words. As he says Shema, he should gather his thoughts and truly listen — to stop the drift of the mind and accept what he is about to declare. Yisroel means that he is speaking as part of Klal Yisroel, joining the faith and testimony of the entire Jewish people.

Hashem Elokeinu means that Hashem is not distant or abstract; He is our G-d, the One who created us, guides us, sustains us, and to Whom we are answerable. When saying the Sheim Hashem (the Sheim Havayah), one should have in mind that He is Adon ha-kol, Master of all, and that He was, is, and will be — beyond time and containing all existence. When saying Elokeinu, one should have in mind that He is all-powerful, the Master of all forces and abilities. In the language of Chazal, these names also reflect His modes of conduct: Hashem is associated with middas ha-rachamim, and Elokim with middas ha-din. Here, in the very first pasuk of Shema, one accepts that both are one — that the G-d of mercy and the G-d of judgment are not two powers, chas v’shalom, but one absolute, indivisible Ribbono Shel Olam.

This is why the poskim teach that when saying Echad, one should linger slightly and use that moment to affirm Hashem’s sovereignty over heaven and earth and in all four directions. It is also a moment to accept ol malchus Shamayim with clarity: there is no place where He is absent, no force outside His will, and no part of life that stands apart from Him. Rashi adds that the Hashem who is recognized now by Yisroel will one day be acknowledged by all mankind as One. This is not a line you rush through. This is the line you hold on to.

בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד׃“Blessed is the name of His glorious kingship forever and ever.”Baruch shem kevod malchuto l’olam va’ed means that the glory of Hashem’s kingdom continues forever and ever. After saying Shema, this line expresses that His rule is eternal and His sovereignty never ends. When saying it, a person can have in mind that Hashem’s kingship is everlasting and that they accept His rule over their own life.

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B’chol l’vav’cha uv’chol nafsh’cha uv’chol me’odecha בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁךָ וּבְכָל מְאֹדֶךָ “With all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.”

The Mishnah in Brachos (9:5) famously interprets b’chol l’vav’cha — noting the double letter beis in the word l’vav’cha — as meaning “with both your inclinations.” This means a person is called upon to serve Hashem not only with the yetzer hatov but also with the yetzer hara. The Maharal explains that the yetzer hara is not merely an obstacle to be suppressed; it is raw energy that, when redirected, becomes the most powerful engine of avodas Hashem. Every drive, every ambition, every restless desire — all of it can be channeled toward kedushah. Hashem is not asking you to be free of struggle; He is asking you to bring the struggle itself into His service.

B’chol nafsh’cha teaches, in Rashi’s words, “even if He takes your soul.” Love of Hashem is not conditioned on comfort or even on survival. It reaches the point of total mesirus nefesh — a loyalty so deep that even life itself is not held back from Him.

Uv’chol me’odecha, Rashi first explains, means “with all your money,” because there are people for whom their possessions are dearer than their own bodies. Loving Hashem therefore includes surrendering not only emotion and self, but also what one owns and clings to. Rashi then adds a second explanation: with every measure Hashem measures out to you — whether a person experiences goodness or hardship, abundance or pain, he is called to remain steadfast in love and trust.

V’shinantam l’vanecha וְשִׁנַּנְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ “And you shall teach them diligently to your children.”

Rashi (Devarim 6:7) explains that v’shinantam implies sharpness — the words of Torah should be sharp and clear in your mouth, so that when someone asks you something, you do not stumble but can answer immediately. Seen this way, the mitzvah is not only about formal instruction, but about Torah being present and ready in the life of the home. The kitchen table, the car ride, the walk home from shul — these too can become places where Torah is spoken naturally and clearly. If you are a parent who worries about whether enough Torah is reaching your children, this phrase offers both comfort and direction. The Torah places the responsibility close to home: “you shall teach them” — in your sitting in your house and your going on the way. Rambam writes that “your children” includes students as well, so the mitzvah reaches beyond the narrowest sense of the household.

Ani Hashem Elokeichem asher hotzeisi eschem mei’eretz Mitzrayim

אֲנִי ה׳ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לִהְיוֹת לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִים, אֲנִי ה׳ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם

“I am Hashem your G-d, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your G-d; I am Hashem your G-d.”

This is also where we fulfill the daily mitzvah of mentioning Yetzias Mitzrayim in Krias Shema, morning and night. The final words, “לִהְיוֹת לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִים”, point to the purpose of Yetzias Mitzrayim: not only to leave Egypt, but to become Hashem’s special nation, accept His Torah, and serve Him at Har Sinai.

The Ramban (Shemos 13:16) explains that Yetzias Mitzrayim is foundational to emunah because the open miracles taught that Hashem governs the world, knows what happens within it, and intervenes in history.

Chassidic seforim, including the Sfas Emes, deepen this idea by teaching that Yetzias Mitzrayim is not only a past national redemption, but an ongoing avodah. In the language attributed there, “מצרים” can be read as “מיצר” — a place of constriction — and each generation, and each person, must experience a kind of personal exodus from spiritual limitation into avodas Hashem. In that sense, the declaration “I am Hashem Who brought you out of the land of Egypt” does not remain only a memory of the past; it becomes a living statement of Divine redemption in every age.

How to Say Krias Shema

The halachic framework for reciting the Shema prayer is detailed and precise, reflecting the gravity that the Torah places on this declaration. In the morning, Krias Shema should ideally be recited after netz hachamah and must be completed by sof zman Krias Shema — the end of the third halachic hour of the day. There is a well-known machlokes between the Magen Avraham and the Vilna Gaon regarding how to calculate these halachic hours, and in practice many communities follow the Gra’s calculation while being careful to recite Shema before the Magen Avraham’s earlier zman when possible. In the evening, Krias Shema is recited during Maariv, beginning from tzeis hakochavim. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 235:3) rules that the obligation extends until chatzos, though b’dieved (235:4) it may be recited until alos hashachar.

Before reciting the first verse, one should cover the eyes with the right hand. This minhag, recorded in the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 61:5), is meant to aid concentration and remove visual distractions during the most critical moment of kabbalas ol malchus Shamayim. When saying the word Echad, the Mishnah Berurah (61:18) instructs that one should extend the dalet slightly, using that moment to mentally affirm Hashem’s sovereignty over all directions. One should not rush through this word.

Krias Shema must be recited audibly — one should hear the words coming from one’s own mouth. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 62:3) records that b’dieved, if one recited it silently, one has fulfilled the obligation, but l’chatchilah the words should be vocalized clearly. Krias Shema should be said while stationary if possible, particularly the first verse. If one is traveling, one should stop walking or driving to recite at least the first passuk with proper kavanah.

Women are technically exempt from Krias Shema as a time-bound positive mitzvah (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 70:1), but the Mishnah Berurah (70:2) writes that women should endeavor to recite at least the first verse to accept ol malchus Shamayim. Many women follow this practice daily, and children are taught Shema from the earliest age — it is traditionally the last tefillah a parent says with a child at bedtime and one of the first tefillos a child ever learns.

Give Tzedakah in the Zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness

The Gemara in Bava Basra 10a teaches that tzedakah has the power to avert harsh decrees. When a person combines the declaration of Shema — affirming Hashem’s absolute sovereignty — with an act of giving to those in need, that combination creates a spiritual reality that transcends either act alone. Tefillah opens the gates of Shamayim; tzedakah creates the zechus that enables those tefillos to be received. The Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 34:8) compares tefillah and tzedakah to a bird’s two wings — neither can lift the bird alone; together they carry it upward.

The Shema itself teaches this connection. B’chol me’odecha — with all your resources — is understood by the Gemara (Brachos 54a) as referring to one’s money and material possessions. Serving Hashem with all your resources means directing your wealth toward holy purposes. There is no more direct expression of b’chol me’odecha than giving tzedakah, especially to the poor of Eretz Yisroel — the land that the second paragraph of Shema itself describes as the place where Hashem’s brachos flow most directly.

Rabbi Meir Baal Haness, whose legacy of care for the poor of Eretz Yisroel has endured for centuries, embodied this union of emunah and action. The ancient promise associated with his name — Eloka D’Meir Aneini — is a declaration of emunah paired with the tangible act of giving. Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities, founded in 1799, continues distributing funds to Torah scholars, widows, orphans, and needy families throughout Eretz Yisroel. Those who give tzedakah in his zechus and call upon him are drawing on a tradition that connects the spiritual power of tefillah directly to the physical act of sustaining the needy.

Give Tzedakah in the Zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness

Living With the Shema Every Day

Shema is not only something you say in the morning and at night. It is meant to train your awareness so that Hashem stays in front of you all day. The mezuzos on your doorposts, the tefillin on your arm and head, and the tzitzis on your arba kanfos all keep drawing you back to the same truth: Hashem is One, He is the source, and nothing that unfolds in your day is outside His malchus. What looks random is not random. What feels like interruption may be hashgachah. The point is not only to remember a pasuk, but to live with the One to Whom the pasuk points.

The challenge of Shema is not only saying the words. It is recognizing Hashem in real time — in the conversation that shifts your mood, in the delay that changes your plans, in the frustration, relief, opportunity, or fear that suddenly enters the day. Those moments ask whether you will see only the event, or whether you will recognize the One guiding it. When a person lives with Hashem Echad, life stops feeling ownerless. There is a Source behind what is happening, even when you do not yet understand why.

Try this: once a day, away from davening, pause for a moment and bring the first line of Shema to the front of your mind: Shema Yisroel, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad. Let it remind you that Hashem is here, right now, and that the events of your day are not detached from Him. The avodah is to keep returning to that awareness — to see His presence, to recognize His sovereignty, and to remember that He remains the ultimate source of everything that comes your way.

A Blessing for Your Avodas Hashem

Every morning and every evening, the Shema prayer calls you back to the simplest and most radical truth in the universe: Hashem is One, and your life belongs to Him. Let these ancient words settle into your heart, and let the zechus of giving tzedakah to the poor of Eretz Yisroel carry those words upward.

In the zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness, may you be blessed with clarity of emunah, strength of purpose, and the deep peace that comes from knowing that the One Who hears your Shema hears every tefillah you utter. May your Shema each morning give shape to your whole day, and your Shema each night quiet your heart and guard your sleep. And may every Yid, everywhere, be granted the clarity and the courage to say these words with their whole heart.

You can submit a prayer request to the scholars at the kever of Rebbe Meir Baal Haness in Tiberias at no cost — they will daven for you by name through Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities. And if you would like to give tzedakah in Rabbi Meir’s zechus as well, your kindness will rise together with your tefillah.

Give Tzedakah in the Zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness