Keri’at Shema

What is the mitzva of Keri’at Shema?

The first portion of Shema itself gives us some indication:

The Torah commands us to keep “these matters” upon our hearts and to speak of them “u-veshochbecha uv-kumecha,” when we lie down and upon arising, meaning both at night and in the morning.

Halachically, the final verse of this portion teaches us the timeframe for Keri’at Shema. We should ideally recite the morning Shema by the latest time for arising, which is considered to be the end of the third halachic hour. If need be, we are permitted to recite the verses even later.¹ The evening Shema should ideally be recited by halachic midnight, and, if necessary, can be said until dawn.

What are “these matters”? Halachic authorities are divided about how to understand this phrase. One opinion in the Talmud suggests that it refers to the general mitzva of learning Torah, and that the mitzva of reciting Shema is rabbinic.² Ultimately, however, halachic authorities agree that Keri’at Shema is a Torah-level obligation. They disagree whether “these matters” means just the first verse, all three sections of Shema,³ or something in between, with the other sections rabbinically obligatory.

The Talmud and Shulchan Aruch⁴ seem to support the view that only the first verse is a Torah-level obligation:

If only the first verse requires full intentionality, we can deduce that the rest of Keri’at Shema is not obligatory on the same level.

A Sequence

All agree on the order of the paragraphs of Keri’at Shema: We begin with Shema Yisrael and Ve-ahavta (Devarim 6:4-9); continue with Ve-haya im shamo’a (Devarim 11:13-21); and conclude with the paragraph of Va-yomer (Bemidbar 15:37-41).

The line “Baruch shem kevod malchuto le-olam va-ed,” “Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever,”is an interpolation—inserted before Ve-ahavta because of a tradition that Ya’akov Avinu said it on his deathbed, after hearing his sons recite Shema.⁵

Why is this sequence so important? A mishna explains that it reflects a conceptual progression:

This mishna calls the first portion of Shema (Shema Yisrael and Ve-ahavta) an acceptance of “ol malchut shamayim,” the yoke of the kingdom of heaven, which must precede acceptance of “the yoke of mitzvot.”

To understand the sequence, let’s first clarify what acceptance of (kabbalat) “ol malchut shamayim” means:

According to Rambam, reciting the first verse of Shema accomplishes kabbalat ol malchut shamayim. Saying “the Lord is our God” establishes God’s sovereignty over us; adding that “the Lord is One” tells us that God is the singular prime mover who initiates all existence, and thus has a unique claim to rule.

Importantly, Rambam lists the mitzva of kabbalat ol malchut shamayim separately from the positive mitzva of Keri’at Shema itself.⁶ We can act to fulfill it through Keri’at Shema, but kabbalat ol malchut shamayim is a constant belief, obligatory for women and men, not limited to morning and evening.

Once we recite Shema to accept God as Ruler, we can progress to expressing acceptance of His rules, “the yoke of mitzvot.” Ve-haya im shamo’a focuses on mitzvot and their rewards and punishment.

Va-yomer

Finally, we move on to Va-yomer, also known as the portion of tzitzit. Since the mitzva of tzitzit applies only during the day, this portion is less all-encompassing than Ve-haya, and should come after it. The Talmud explains that Va-yomer also makes four broader points: ⁷

Although Va-yomer discusses tzitzit, someone not wearing themcan still relate to its other themes.

We begin Keri’at Shema with a focus on love of God, and end with caution about how important it is not to stray from our Beloved God’s path.

The mishna teaches us directly that women are exempt from Keri’at Shema:⁸

Keri’at Shema, recited morning and evening, is a positive time-bound mitzva, and women are typically exempt from those. But if that is the mishna’s rationale, it should be obvious that women are exempt. Why does the mishna need to state the exemption explicitly? The Talmud takes up this question:

Without the mishna’s teaching that women are exempt, we might have thought the opposite, because kabbalat ol malchut shamayim, achieved through Shema, is essential.⁹

If accepting the yoke of heaven is a fundamental part of being Jewish, though, how can women be exempt from Keri’at Shema?

Talmud Yerushalmi raises a similar question, without resolving it:

In the case of prayer, we have seen that the importance of seeking mercy does override exemption. Why doesn’t the importance of each woman reciting Shema, and thus personally taking action to accept ol malchut shamayim, work the same way?

Perhaps, in a limited sense, it does. Rav Shemuel Bar Meshullam (Catalonia, 14th century) argues that women are indeed obligated to recite the first pasuk of Shema as an act of kabbalat ol malchut shmayim:

Unfortunately, Rav Shemuel does not explain how his ruling aligns with the Talmud.Perhaps for this reason, although Rav Yosef Karo cites this position in his Beit Yosef, he softens it in Shulchan Aruch:

On this view, “it is correct” for women to accept ol malchut shamayim. “Correct” falls short of obligatory, and its precise meaning is unclear.¹¹ It’s also not clear how much of Keri’at Shema Shulchan Aruch expects women to recite. While Rema specifies that it should be “at least the first pasuk,” Shulchan Aruch might have more in mind.¹²

A generation later, Bach concludes, like Rav Shemuel, that reciting the first verse of Shema daily is obligatory for women, and not just correct practice. He also explains how to reconcile this view with the Talmud’s presentation of the exemption:

On Bach’s reading, the Talmud assumes that women are obligated to recite the first pasuk of Shema in acceptance of ol malchut shamayim. The mishna needs to teach us that women are exempt from the rest of Shema (because it is time-bound). However, women remain obligated to recite Shema Yisrael, in order to accept God’s unity and Kingship.

In practice

A woman should act in accordance with Shulchan Aruch and Rema, and make an effort to recite the first verse of Shema and Baruch shem kevod malchuto every day, to be sure that she formally accepts ol malchut shamayim.¹³ Many women recite all three portions of Shema and accept the yoke of mitzvot as well.

In addition to Keri’at Shema morning and evening, the sages enacted recitation of the first portion of Shema and the Ha-mapil blessing at bedtime:¹⁴

This Shema is usually not recited in fulfillment of the mitzva of Keri’at Shema, ideally fulfilled at Ma’ariv, but to invoke Divine protection from the dangers of the night.

If that is the case, then both women and men should recite it. Rav Eliya Shapira, known as Eliya Rabba, makes this case, rejecting along the way the position that it might be considered time-bound, so that women would be exempt:

Going beyond invoking protection, a woman who does not recite ma’ariv can also use her recitation of Keri’at Shema al ha-mita as an additional opportunity for a formal act of kabbalat ol malchut shamayim (which some consider obligatory). If she chooses, she can add the third portion of Va-yomer, for zecher yetzi’at Mitzrayim (which we discuss in our next shi’ur).

What of the beracha? Ha-mapil praises God for a good sleep. It is the companion to the last of birchot ha-shachar, “Ha-ma’avir sheina me-einay” “who moves away sleep from my eyes.” Indeed, many authorities maintain that Ha-mapil is considered a blessing of praise like birchot ha-shachar:

If it is a beracha of praise, then, just as a woman recites birchot ha-shachar in the morning, she should recite Ha-mapil at night.

Reciting the rest of the service of Keri’at Shema al ha-mita is praiseworthy, not obligatory, for both men and women.

In a blogpost, educator (and Deracheha editor-at-large) Sarah Rudolph writes about how meaningful it is for her to recite Keri’at Shema Al-hamita with her children:

What are the berachot of Keri’at Shema? When and how do women say them? We address these questions here.