PRAYER
Hear, O Israel
The Shema begins with a call to listen. In the morning and evening services, we declare who our God is and give our attention to his rule before turning to the Amidah.
In this lesson
A verse we carry into prayer
Shema means “hear” or “listen.” It is the first word of a verse in Devarim, Deuteronomy, the fifth of the Torah’s five books. Moshe (Moses) speaks to Israel as our people prepare to enter the land. He teaches us to hear Hashem’s commands and live by them.
שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל
יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָדHear, O Israel:
Hashem is our God; Hashem is one.
Hashem, “the Name,” is the reverent name for God used in our explanations. The Hebrew verse writes God’s four-letter name. Use the English alongside the Hebrew; understanding these words can grow while you learn to read.
Who is called to listen in the opening words?
Israel, our people. The verse begins by addressing Israel and declaring who our God is. It does not begin by asking God to listen to a request.
Attend to three phrases
- שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל
Hear, O Israel. This is a call for our attention. In the surrounding verses, hearing leads to keeping and doing Hashem’s commands. We listen as people who are ready to respond.
- יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ
Hashem is our God. אֱלֹהֵינוּ, Eloheinu, means “our God.” Even when reading alone, we speak as part of Israel. These are words we share.
- יְהוָה אֶחָד
Hashem is one. אֶחָד, echad, means “one.” We affirm God’s oneness. Later in this chapter, Moshe calls us to serve Hashem and not follow other gods. Our worship belongs to him.
What would be lost if “our God” became only “my God”?
The verse’s shared voice. “Our God” places the speaker within our people’s relationship with Hashem. Our personal attention belongs within that shared declaration.
How does this differ from “My Lord, open my lips”?
“Open my lips” addresses God with a request. The Shema calls Israel to listen and declares God’s oneness. Both belong in our prayer life, but they do different work.
Receive the King’s rule
The Mishnah, an early collection of our sages’ teachings, asks why the first Shema passage comes before the passage beginning “If you listen.” Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcha explains the order:
כדי שיקבל עליו עול מלכות שמיים תחילה
ואחר כך יקבל עליו עול מצוותSo that one first accepts the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven,
and afterward accepts the yoke of the commandments.
English rendering by Messianic Yeshiva
A yoke is a fitting that harnesses an animal for work. Here it pictures accepting authority and service. “The kingdom of Heaven” means God’s rule; mitzvot are his commandments. We first acknowledge the One we serve, then receive his commands.
This gives the Shema a personal claim on us. We are not merely reporting a fact about God. We receive his authority over our lives. The first passage itself goes on to command love, learning and teaching; the Mishnah explains the passages’ emphasis and order, not a separation between faith and action.
What does accepting the “yoke” mean here?
Accepting Hashem’s authority and our responsibility to serve him. The image concerns willing allegiance, not a physical object used when reciting the Shema.
Does the Mishnah say the first passage contains no commands?
No. It explains why acknowledging Hashem’s kingship comes first. The first passage also commands us to love him and keep his words close.
One name, three sizes
A siddur is our prayer book. In Shacharit, the morning service, the Shema and its surrounding blessings come before the Amidah, the standing prayer. We also recite the Shema in the evening service, Maariv. “The Shema” can refer to more than the opening sentence:
The opening verse
Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel.” This is the verse we have studied here.
The first Torah passage
Deuteronomy 6:4–9. The opening declaration leads into loving Hashem, keeping his words on our hearts, teaching them, and the signs on our bodies and homes.
The full three-passage recitation
Deuteronomy 6:4–9; Deuteronomy 11:13–21; Numbers 15:37–41. The later passages develop obedience, remembrance and the Exodus. The blessings around the Shema are distinct from these Torah passages.
After the first verse, your siddur includes Barukh shem, beginning בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם, a line praising the glory of God’s kingship. This is part of our received liturgy, but it is not the next verse in Deuteronomy. The Torah continues with Ve’ahavta, “You shall love.” Rambam, the medieval sage also known as Maimonides, describes this liturgical order in Laws of the Shema, chapter 1.
Is the opening verse the whole three-passage Shema?
No. Deuteronomy 6:4 opens the first of three Torah passages. Recognizing the verse helps you find the larger recitation rather than mistake its beginning for its end.
Where would you find Barukh shem: in Deuteronomy 6:5 or in the siddur’s liturgical order?
In the siddur’s liturgical order, after Deuteronomy 6:4. Verse 5 begins “You shall love.” The siddur joins biblical words and received prayer without making them the same kind of text.
Bring your attention to the words
Kavanah means directed attention or intention. Rambam gives attention to the first verse a decisive place in Laws of the Shema 2:1. This is a declaration to mean, not simply a line to get through.
Before your next recitation, bring its meaning to mind: Israel is called to listen; Hashem is our God; Hashem is one. You need not manufacture an intense feeling. Begin by giving these words your attention and acknowledging Hashem’s rule.
Which better prepares you: chasing a special feeling or remembering what you are declaring?
Remembering what you are declaring. Feeling may accompany prayer, but the practice here is attentive understanding and allegiance to Hashem.
Explore the sources
Deuteronomy 6: the declaration in verses 4–5, with hearing and obedience in verses 1–3 and undivided worship in verses 13–14. Mishnah Berakhot 2:2: accepting the kingdom of Heaven before the commandments. Rambam, Laws of the Shema, chapter 1: the three passages, Barukh shem and surrounding blessings. Chapter 2:1: attention to the first verse.