What is reciting shema prayer?

Reciting the Shema (שְׁמַע) is one of the most fundamental acts of Jewish worship — a declaration of God's absolute unity and sovereignty, drawn from three biblical passages, recited twice daily (morning and evening). It is simultaneously a statement of faith, an acceptance of divine kingship, and a commitment to love God with one's entire being. The Shema is arguably the central creed of Judaism.

Key Takeaways

The Shema is recited twice daily — in the morning (Shacharit) and evening (Arvit/Ma'ariv) — based on the Torah's phrase "when you lie down and when you rise up."
Its opening verse, "Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One," is the foundational declaration of Jewish monotheism.
It consists of three biblical paragraphs from Deuteronomy 6, Deuteronomy 11, and Numbers 15.
Reciting the Shema is a Torah-level (d'oraita) commandment, among the most binding in halacha.
Rabbi Akiva gave his life while reciting the Shema, making it a supreme symbol of mesirut nefesh (self-sacrifice) for God.

The Biblical Source

The Shema takes its name from its first word — שְׁמַע (Shema), meaning "Hear" or "Listen." The opening verse comes from [Deuteronomy 6:4]:

שְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ יְהֹוָ֥ה אֶחָֽד׃ "Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is One."

The obligation to recite it twice daily is derived from the very next passage [Deuteronomy 6:7]:

וּֽבְשׇׁכְבְּךָ֖ וּבְקוּמֶֽךָ "...when you lie down and when you rise up."

The Talmud interprets "lying down" as the evening recitation and "rising up" as the morning recitation [Berakhot 2a].

The Three Paragraphs

The full Shema consists of three Torah passages:

1. Shema — Deuteronomy 6:4–9

The declaration of God's unity and the commandment to love God "with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might" (be-khol levavkha, u-ve-khol nafshekha, u-ve-khol me'odekha). It also commands teaching Torah to one's children, wearing tefillin, and affixing mezuzot.

2. Ve-Haya Im Shamo'a — Deuteronomy 11:13–21

This paragraph speaks of reward and punishment — rain and blessing for obedience, drought and exile for turning away. It reinforces tefillin and mezuza and reminds Israel of the covenant.

3. Va-Yomer — Numbers 15:37–41

The commandment of tzitzit (fringes), which serve as a visual reminder of all the commandments:

וּרְאִיתֶ֣ם אֹת֗וֹ וּזְכַרְתֶּם֙ אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺ֣ת יְהֹוָ֔ה "And you shall see it and remember all the commandments of the Lord."

Crucially, this paragraph also ends with a reference to the Exodus from Egypt — אֲנִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם — "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt," connecting the declaration of faith to the founding historical event of the Jewish people.

Accepting the Yoke of Heaven

Reciting the Shema is described in rabbinic literature as kabbalat ol malkhut shamayim — קַבָּלַת עֹל מַלְכוּת שָׁמַיִם — "accepting the yoke of Heaven." It is not merely a prayer but an act of conscious submission to God's sovereignty.

The silent verse added after the first line — בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד ("Blessed is the name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever") — is said quietly on ordinary days, as it is not in the Torah text itself, but aloud on Yom Kippur.

The Story of Rabbi Akiva

One of the most profound accounts in the Talmud illustrates the ultimate significance of the Shema. When Rabbi Akiva was being executed by the Romans, with iron combs tearing his flesh, it was the time of the morning Shema. He recited it joyfully. His students cried out: "Rabbeinu, until here?!" He replied [Berakhot 61b]:

כׇּל יָמַי הָיִיתִי מִצְטַעֵר עַל פָּסוּק זֶה ״בְּכָל נַפְשְׁךָ״ אֲפִילּוּ נוֹטֵל אֶת נִשְׁמָתְךָ "All my days I was troubled by this verse — 'with all your soul' — even if He takes your soul. I said: when will I have the opportunity to fulfill it? Now that I have the opportunity, shall I not fulfill it?"

He prolonged the word אֶחָד ("One") until his soul departed. This story establishes the Shema as the ultimate expression of total devotion to God.

The Shema at the Seder

The Haggadah records that five great Sages — Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah, Rabbi Akiva, and Rabbi Tarfon — reclined at Bnei Brak and discussed the Exodus the entire night, until their students came and told them [Pesach Haggadah, Magid]:

רַבּוֹתֵינוּ הִגִּיעַ זְמַן קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע שֶׁל שַׁחֲרִית "Our teachers, the time for the morning Shema has arrived!"

This passage shows how deeply intertwined the Shema and the memory of the Exodus are — the tzitzit paragraph of the Shema itself mentions the Exodus, and the obligation to remember the Exodus at night is linked to the Shema recitation.

Times of Recitation (Zmanim)

Morning Shema (Shema shel Shacharit): Must be recited by the end of the third halachic hour of the day (sof zman Shema).
Evening Shema (Shema shel Arvit): Recited after nightfall, ideally before midnight, though technically valid until dawn.
Bedtime Shema (Shema al ha-Mita): A short version recited before sleep, for protection and to end the day with faith.

For personal guidance on the correct times and proper recitation of the Shema in your community, consult your local rabbi or posek.