242. Making a Mistake in Shema

Kriyas Shema 2:14

If a person makes a mistake in the middle of a section and he’s not sure where, he goes back to the beginning of that section. If one recited “uchsavtam” but he doesn’t know whether it was the “uchsavtam” of the first paragraph or the second, he goes back to the “uchsavtam” in the first paragraph. However, if he only questions this after reciting “l’maan yirbu y’meichem,” he need not go back because we assume that he kept on reciting according to the usual flow of his speech.

Kriyas Shema 2:15

If a person reciting Shema meets or is approached by other people, then if he is between sections, he should pause and greet those whom he is required to honor, such as his father, teacher or anyone more learned than he is. He may return the greeting of anyone who addresses him.