229. Reciting the Shema

Kriyas Shema 1:1

Shema is recited twice a day, in the evening and in the morning, as per Deuteronomy 6:7, “when you lie down and when you rise up,” meaning the times at which people typically go to sleep – i.e., at night - and when people typically get up, i.e., the day.

Kriyas Shema 1:2

Three sections are recited: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (“Listen, Israel…”), Deuteronomy 11:13-21 (“If you will listen…”) and Numbers 15:37-41 (“And God said…”). We start with the section of Shema (“Listen, Israel…”) because it expresses the unity of God, loving Him, and studying Torah, which is a basic principle upon which all else is based. This is followed by the section of “If you will listen...” because it contains the obligation to fulfill the rest of the mitzvos. We conclude with the section of tzitzis because it also discusses the obligation to remember all the mitzvos.