Blessings of the Shema

Keriat Shema Uvirchotehah

קריאת שמע וברכותיה

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Hebrew

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם
אֲשֶׁר בִּדְבָרוֹ מַעֲרִיב עֲרָבִים
בְּחָכְמָה פּוֹתֵחַ שְׁעָרִים
וּבִתְבוּנָה מְשַׁנֶּה עִתִּים וּמַחֲלִיף אֶת הַזְּמַנִּים
וּמְסַדֵּר אֶת הַכּוֹכָבִים בְּמִשְׁמְרוֹתֵיהֶם בָּרָקִיעַ כִּרְצוֹנוֹ.
בּוֹרֵא יוֹם וָלָיְלָה, גּוֹלֵל אוֹר מִפְּנֵי חֹשֶׁךְ וְחֹשֶׁךְ מִפְּנֵי אוֹר
וּמַעֲבִיר יוֹם וּמֵבִיא לָיְלָה
וּמַבְדִּיל בֵּין יוֹם וּבֵין לָיְלָה
יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ.
אֵל חַי וְקַיָּם תָּמִיד, יִמְלֹךְ עָלֵינוּ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָה, הַמַּעֲרִיב עֲרָבִים.

Sephardi

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha'olam
asher bidvaro ma'ariv aravim
bechochmah pote'ach she'arim
uvitvunah meshane itim umachalif et hazemanim
umesader et hakochavim bemishmeroteihem barakia kirtzono.
Borei yom valaylah, golel or mipnei choshech vechoshech mipnei or
uma'avir yom umeivi laylah
umavdil bein yom uvein laylah
Adonai Tzeva'ot shemo.
Eil chai vekayam tamid, yimloch aleinu le'olam va'ed.
Baruch Atah Adonai, hama'ariv aravim.

English

Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who by His word brings on evenings, by His wisdom opens the gates of heaven, with understanding makes time change and the seasons rotate, and by His will orders the stars in their constellations in the sky. He creates day and night, rolling away the light before the darkness, and darkness before the light. He makes the day pass and brings on night, distinguishing day from night: the LORD of hosts is His name. May the living and forever enduring God rule over us for all time. Blessed are You, LORD, who brings on evenings.

Hebrew

אַהֲבַת עוֹלָם בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל עַמְּךָ אָהָבְתָּ
תּוֹרָה וּמִצְוֹת, חֻקִּים וּמִשְׁפָּטִים, אוֹתָנוּ לִמַּדְתָּ
עַל כֵּן יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ בְּשָׁכְבֵנוּ וּבְקוּמֵנוּ נָשִׂיחַ בְּחֻקֶּיךָ
וְנִשְׂמַח בְּדִבְרֵי תַלְמוּד תּוֹרָתֶךָ וּבְמִצְוֹתֶיךָ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד
כִּי הֵם חַיֵּינוּ וְאֹרֶךְ יָמֵינוּ, וּבָהֶם נֶהְגֶּה יוֹמָם וָלָיְלָה.
וְאַהֲבָתְךָ אַל תָּסִיר מִמֶּנּוּ לְעוֹלָמִים.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָה, אוֹהֵב עַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל.

Sephardi

Ahavat olam beit Yisrael amecha ahavta
Torah umitzvot, chukim umishpatim, otanu limadta
al kein Adonai Eloheinu beshochvenu uvkumeinu nasi'ach bechukecha
venismach bedivrei talmud Toratecha uvmitzvotecha le'olam va'ed
ki heim chayeinu ve'orech yameinu, uvahem nehege yomam valaylah.
ve'ahavatcha al tasir mimenu le'olamim.
Baruch Atah Adonai, ohev amo Yisrael.

English

With everlasting love have You loved Your people, the house of Israel. You have taught us Torah and commandments, decrees and laws of justice. Therefore, LORD our God, when we lie down and when we rise up we will speak of Your decrees, rejoicing in studying the words of Your Torah and Your commandments for ever. For they are our life and the length of our days; on them will we meditate day and night. May You never take away Your love from us. Blessed are You, LORD, who loves His people Israel.

Commentary

הַמַּעֲרִיב עֲרָבִים Who brings on evenings: Praise of God as Creator of the universe, and hence of time itself. As with the morning service, the two blessings before the Shema, and the one immediately following, speak in turn of the three key elements of Jewish faith: creation, revelation and redemption.

אַהֲבַת עוֹלָם With everlasting love: This blessing speaks of divine love in terms of revelation: God's gift to Israel of the Torah and its commandments. In the same way that God binds Himself to His people through word and deed, so do we bind ourselves to Him by the words of Torah and the deeds of the commandments. No simpler or more profound statement exists of the love of Jews for the life of the commandments than the phrase, "For they are our life and the length of our days."