Kri’at Shema – Chapter 1
Halachah 1 — Obligation to Recite the Shema Twice Daily
There is a positive commandment to recite the Shema twice each day—once at night and once in the morning.
This obligation is derived from the verse: “when you lie down and when you rise”, referring to the times people customarily sleep and wake.
Halachah 2 — The Three Paragraphs of the Shema
The Shema consists of three Torah passages:
- “Hear O Israel”
- “And if you will listen”
- “And God said” (the passage of tzitzit)
They are read in this order because:
- the first establishes God’s unity, love of God, and Torah study;
- the second commands observance of mitzvot;
- the third reinforces remembrance of all the mitzvot.
Halachah 3 — Reciting the Passage of Tzitzit at Night
Although the mitzvah of tzitzit does not apply at night, its passage is still recited because it includes mention of the Exodus from Egypt, which must be recalled both by day and by night.
Halachah 4 — “Blessed Be the Name of His Glorious Kingdom”
After the first verse of the Shema, one quietly says:
“Blessed be the name of the glory of His Kingdom forever.”
This practice is based on tradition from Jacob and his sons, affirming God’s unity.
After this phrase, one continues the Shema in its usual order.
Halachah 5 — Blessings Before and After the Shema
Blessings are recited before and after Kri’at Shema:
- Daytime: two before, one after
- Nighttime: two before, two after
Halachah 6 — Texts of the Blessings
The Rambam specifies the opening phrases of each blessing:
- Day: “Who forms light”, “With everlasting love”, followed by “True and certain”
- Night: “Who brings on evenings”, “With everlasting love for His people Israel”, followed by “True and faithful” and “Lay us down in peace”
Halachah 7 — Fixed Structure of the Blessings
The first blessing before the Shema begins and ends with “Blessed are You”.
The remaining blessings end with “Blessed are You” but do not begin with it.
All these blessings were instituted by Ezra and his court.
One may neither add to nor subtract from them.
Anyone who alters their structure must repeat the blessing properly.
Failing to say “True and certain” (morning) or “True and faithful” (night) invalidates fulfillment of the mitzvah.
Halachah 8 — Order of the Blessings
If one recited the blessings out of order, he still fulfills his obligation, since the blessings do not require a strict sequence.
However, the conclusion of each blessing is decisive:
- If the conclusion matches the proper time (day or night), the obligation is fulfilled.
- If the conclusion is inappropriate for the time, it is not fulfilled.
Halachah 9 — Time for Night Shema
The nighttime Shema begins when the stars appear and ideally should be recited before midnight.
If one delays and recites it before dawn, he still fulfills the mitzvah.
The midnight limit was instituted to prevent negligence.
Halachah 10 — Night Shema After Dawn
If one recites the night Shema after dawn but before sunrise, he does not fulfill the obligation unless he was unavoidably prevented (e.g., illness or intoxication).
In such a case, the blessing “Lay us down” is omitted.
Halachah 11 — Time for Morning Shema
Ideally, the Shema should be recited just before sunrise, concluding with sunrise.
If one delays, he fulfills the obligation until the end of the third hour of the day.
Halachah 12 — Early Morning Shema
One who recites the morning Shema after dawn but before sunrise fulfills the mitzvah.
In pressing circumstances (e.g., travel), this is even permitted as an initial practice.
Halachah 13 — Shema After the Third Hour
One who recites the Shema after the third hour does not fulfill the mitzvah, even if unavoidably delayed.
Such recitation is considered Torah study only.
Kri’at Shema – Chapter 2
Halachah 1 — Intention in Kri’at Shema
Without intention (kavanah) for the first verse of Shema (Shema Yisrael), one does not fulfill his obligation.
Lack of intention for the remaining verses does not invalidate fulfillment.
Even one engaged in Torah study or proofreading fulfills the mitzvah if he has intention for the first verse.
Halachah 2 — Physical Position During Shema
One may recite the Shema while standing, walking, sitting, lying on one’s side, or riding.
It is forbidden to recite it lying flat on one’s back or face‑down.
A very obese or ill person may lean slightly to the side.
Halachah 3 — Interrupting Activity for the First Verse
A person who is walking must stop for the first verse but may continue walking afterward.
A sleeping person should be awakened until he recites the first verse; after that, he need not be disturbed.
Halachah 4 — Workers and Artisans
A laborer must stop working for the entire first section (Ve’ahavta).
Artisans also interrupt for this section so the recitation is not careless.
They may resume work afterward.
Even one standing in a tree or on a wall may recite the Shema and its blessings where he is.
Halachah 5 — Torah Study and Communal Engagement
One studying Torah must interrupt to recite the Shema with its blessings.
One involved in communal needs should finish his task first and recite Shema if time remains.
Halachah 6 — Other Activities
One who is eating, bathing, getting a haircut, processing hides, or in court should finish and then recite Shema.
If he fears missing the time, stopping immediately to recite Shema is praiseworthy.
Halachah 7 — Reciting Shema in a Mikveh
One who immerses and can dress before sunrise should do so and then recite Shema.
If not, he may recite Shema while covered by the water—provided it has no odor, is not putrid, and does not reveal nakedness.
Halachah 8 — Proper Manner of Recitation
While reciting Shema, one should not gesture or signal.
The words should be audible to oneself, though inaudibility does not invalidate fulfillment.
Clear pronunciation is required, though imperfect articulation does not invalidate the mitzvah.
Halachah 9 — Precision in Enunciation
One must pronounce letters accurately:
- distinguish letters with and without dagesh,
- properly articulate sheva,
- pause between words with identical adjacent letters,
- elongate the dalet of echad to affirm God’s sovereignty,
- avoid shortening the chet.
Halachah 10 — Language of Recitation
Shema may be recited in any language one understands.
Recitation in another language requires the same precision as Hebrew.
Halachah 11 — Order of Recitation
If verses are recited out of order, one does not fulfill the obligation.
Reversing the order of the sections is improper but still fulfills the obligation.
Repeating words or verses (e.g., Shema, Shema) is improper and one should be silenced.
Halachah 12 — Interruptions and Drowsiness
Intermittent recitation is valid even with long pauses, provided the order is preserved.
One who recites Shema while drowsy fulfills the obligation if fully awake for the first verse.
Halachah 13 — Doubt and Error
If one is unsure whether he recited Shema, he should recite it again with blessings.
If unsure only about the blessings, he need not repeat them.
If he errs, he returns to the point of error; if confused, he returns to Ve’ahavta.
Halachah 14 — Uncertainty Within Sections
If unsure where he paused within a section, he returns to the beginning of that section.
If unsure which uch’tavtam he recited, he returns to the first (Shema).
After Lema’an yirbu yemeichem, we assume the order was correct.
Halachah 15 — Greetings Between Sections
Between sections, one may:
- initiate greeting to those he must honor (father, teacher, superior),
- respond to greetings of anyone.
Halachah 16 — Greetings Within a Section
Within a section, one may:
- initiate greeting only to someone he fears (e.g., a king),
- respond to greetings of those he must honor.
Halachah 17 — Defining the Intervals
The following are considered between sections:
- between the first and second blessings,
- between the second blessing and Shema,
- between the first and second Shema sections,
- between the second and third Shema sections.
However, the interval between the end of the third section and Emet v’Yatziv is treated as within a section, with stricter rules for interruption.
Kri’at Shema – Chapter 3
Halachah 1 — Washing or Cleaning the Hands
Before reciting the Shema, one should wash his hands with water.
If water is unavailable and the time has arrived, he should not delay the Shema. Instead, he should clean his hands with earth, a stone, wood, or the like, and then recite it.
Halachah 2 — Prohibited Locations
The Shema may not be recited in a bathhouse, latrine, graveyard, or near a corpse, even if no filth is present.
If one distances himself four cubits from a grave or corpse, recitation is permitted.
If recited in an improper place, the Shema must be repeated.
Halachah 3 — New Structures
The Shema may be recited facing (but not inside) a newly built latrine that has not yet been used.
It may be recited inside a new bathhouse.
In cases of doubt regarding designation for use as a latrine, one should not intentionally recite there, though after the fact the obligation is fulfilled.
The courtyard of a bathhouse, where people are clothed, is permitted.
Halachah 4 — Sanctity in Unclean Places
Not only the Shema, but any sacred speech is forbidden in a bathhouse or latrine—even in another language.
Even thinking about Torah is forbidden in places containing feces or urine.
Halachah 5 — Permitted Speech
Secular matters may be discussed in a latrine, even in Hebrew.
Descriptive attributes of God (e.g., merciful, faithful) may be spoken.
However, God’s explicit Names that may not be erased are forbidden.
To prevent wrongdoing, one may speak even sacred matters if necessary.
Halachah 6 — Presence of Feces or Urine
The Shema may not be recited in the presence of:
- human feces,
- foul‑smelling animal excrement,
- human urine.
Animal urine without odor does not prohibit recitation.
Feces or urine of very young children below eating age does not prohibit recitation.
Halachah 7 — Dryness of Waste
Even dry feces prohibit recitation unless they are crumbly when thrown.
Urine absorbed in the ground prohibits recitation as long as it can still moisten the hand.
Halachah 8 — Required Distance
One must distance four cubits from feces or urine when they are to his side or behind him.
If they are in front of him, he must move until they are out of sight.
Halachah 9 — Separation by Height or Covering
If feces or urine are ten handbreadths higher or lower, recitation is permitted provided there is no odor.
Covering them with a vessel is considered burial and permits recitation.
Halachah 10 — Partitions and Dilution
A glass partition allows recitation even if feces are visible.
Urine diluted with a quarter‑log of water permits recitation within four cubits.
Halachah 11 — Special Cases
If feces are in a hole, one may stand over it without contact.
Very small feces may be covered with saliva.
If feces are on the body or hands but have no odor, recitation is permitted.
Many Geonim ruled that dirty hands prohibit recitation, and it is proper to follow this view.
Halachah 12 — Foul Odors
If an odor comes from a substance, one may recite Shema only after distancing enough for the odor to cease.
If the odor has no substance (e.g., gas), one waits until it dissipates.
A chamber pot or urinal always prohibits recitation, even if clean.
Halachah 13 — Moving Excrement
The Shema may not be recited facing moving excrement, including floating waste or a pig’s mouth, until it is four cubits away.
Halachah 14 — Encountering Filth While Reciting
If one encounters filth while reciting Shema, he must stop, not cover his mouth and continue.
If gas is passed, he must stop until the odor passes.
Torah study need not be interrupted for another person’s gas.
Halachah 15 — Doubtful Presence
If there is doubt about the presence of feces or urine in a house, recitation is permitted.
In a garbage heap, one must check for feces first, though doubt about urine alone does not prohibit recitation.
Halachah 16 — Presence of Nakedness
The Shema may not be recited in the presence of nakedness, whether of a Jew, non‑Jew, or child, unless one turns his face away.
Any uncovered part of a woman’s body is considered nakedness for this purpose.
Halachah 17 — One’s Own Nakedness
One may not recite the Shema while naked.
If the loins are covered, recitation is permitted, provided there is no contact with the genitalia.
Under a sheet, one must separate below the heart.
Halachah 18 — Two People Under One Cover
Two people under one cover may not recite Shema unless there is a physical separation between them from the loins downward.
With one’s wife or young children, their bodies are considered like his own, and separation is not required beyond covering and turning away.
Halachah 19 — Definition of a Child
For this matter:
- a boy is considered a child until 12 years and one day,
- a girl until 11 years and one day.
Once physical maturity appears, separation is required.
If no signs appear, separation is required only at 13 for a boy and 12 for a girl.
