239. Enunciation During Shema

Kriyas Shema 2:8

One may not gesture with his eyes, mouth words with his lips, or point with his fingers while reciting the Shema so that he not impair the attention he should be giving it. If one did do this, he still fulfills his obligation but he has acted improperly. When one recites Shema, he should do so loudly enough that he can hear himself. If one does not do this, he still fulfills his obligation. One must clearly enunciate the words; if one does not do this, he still fulfills his obligation.

Kriyas Shema 2:9

Examples of clearly enunciating include properly differentiating between letters with and without a dagesh (the dot in some letters), and differentiating between the two kinds of sh’va (the “silent” vowel). One must pause between words where first word ends and the next word begins with the same letter, as in “b’chol l’vavcha,” “va’avadtem m’heirah,” etc. One must also be careful to pronounce the letter zayin of “tizk’ru” distinctly. One should extend the letter daled in the word “echad” sufficiently to proclaim God’s dominion over Heaven, Earth, and all four directions. The letter ches in echad should not be shortened, which would cause the word to sound like “ichad.”