Shema

Chabad: ' is a reduced vowel — every vocal shva, always pronounced. - separates syllables that would otherwise run together.

How to read the transliterations

At the close of the paragraph below, say again the words אֲנִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם and conclude with the word אֱמֶת.

Pronounce the ז of the words וּזְכַרְתֶּם and תִּזְכְּרוּ distinctly, lest it resemble a ס.

Tzitzit

Hebrew

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר:
דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם וְעָשׂוּ לָהֶם
צִיצִת עַל כַּנְפֵי בִגְדֵיהֶם לְדֹרֹתָם,
וְנָתְנוּ עַל צִיצִת הַכָּנָף | פְּתִיל
תְּכֵלֶת: וְהָיָה לָכֶם לְצִיצִת,
וּרְאִיתֶם | אֹתוֹ, וּזְכַרְתֶּם | אֶת
כָּל מִצְוֹת יְהֹוָה, וַעֲשִׂיתֶם | אֹתָם,
וְלֹא תָתֻרוּ אַחֲרֵי לְבַבְכֶם וְאַחֲרֵי
עֵינֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם זֹנִים
אַחֲרֵיהֶם: לְמַעַן תִּזְכְּרוּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם |
אֶת כָּל מִצְוֹתַי, וִהְיִיתֶם קְדֹשִׁים
לֵאלֹהֵיכֶם:

Chabad

vayoymer Adonoy El Moysheh leimoyr:
dabeir El b'nei Yisro-eil
v'omarto aleihem v'osu lohem
tzitzis al kanfei vigdeihem l'doyroysom,
v'nos'nu al tzitzis hakonof p'sil
t'cheiles: v'hoyoh lochem l'tzitzis,
ur'-isem oysoy, uz'chartem es
kol mitzvoys Adonoy, va-asisem oysom,
v'loy sosuru acharei l'vavchem v'acharei
eineichem asher atem zoynim
achareihem: l'ma-an tizk'ru va-asisem
es kol mitzvoysai, vihyisem k'doyshim
leiloyheichem:

Exodus from Egypt

Hebrew

אֲנִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר
הוֹצֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם | מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם
לִהְיוֹת לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִים, אֲנִי יְהֹוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם: אֲנִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם. אֱמֶת:

Chabad

ani Adonoy Eloyheichem asher
hoytzeisi eschem mei-eretz Mitzrayim
lihyoys lochem leiloyhim, ani Adonoy
Eloyheichem: ani Adonoy Eloyheichem. emes:

Hebrew

יַעְלְזוּ חֲסִידִים בְּכָבוֹד, יְרַנְּנוּ
עַל מִשְׁכְּבוֹתָם: רוֹמְמוֹת
אֵל בִּגְרוֹנָם, וְחֶרֶב פִּיפִיּוֹת¹ בְּיָדָם:

Chabad

yal'zu chasidim b'chovoyd, y'ran'nu
al mishk'voysom: roym'moys
Eil bigroynom, v'cherev pifiyoys b'yodom:

Recite the paragraph below three times:

Hebrew

הִנֵּה מִטָּתוֹ שֶׁלִּשְׁלֹמֹה, שִׁשִּׁים
גִּבֹּרִים סָבִיב לָהּ מִגִּבֹּרֵי
יִשְׂרָאֵל: כֻּלָּם אֲחֻזֵי חֶרֶב מְלֻמְּדֵי

Chabad

hineih mitosoy shelishloymoyh, shishim
giboyrim soviv loh migiboyrei
Yisro-eil: kulom achuzei cherev m'lum'dei

Hebrew

מִלְחָמָה, אִישׁ חַרְבּוֹ עַל יְרֵכוֹ
מִפַּחַד בַּלֵּילוֹת:

Chabad

milchomoh, ish charboy al y'reichoy
mipachad baleiloys:

Utter the next paragraph three times:

Hebrew

יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהֹוָה וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ: יָאֵר יְהֹוָה
פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִיחֻנֶּךָּ:
יִשָּׂא יְהֹוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם
לְךָ שָׁלוֹם:

Chabad

y'vorechcho Adonoy v'yishm'recho: yo-eir Adonoy
ponov eilecho vichuneko:
yiso Adonoy ponov eilecho v'yoseim
l'cho sholoym:

God shields those who serve Him

Hebrew

יֹשֵׁב בְּסֵתֶר עֶלְיוֹן, בְּצֵל
שַׁדַּי יִתְלוֹנָן: אֹמַר לַיהוָה
מַחְסִי וּמְצוּדָתִי, אֱלֹהַי אֶבְטַח
בּוֹ: כִּי הוּא יַצִּילְךָ מִפַּח
יָקוּשׁ, מִדֶּבֶר הַוּוֹת: בְּאֶבְרָתוֹ
יָסֶךְ לָךְ, וְתַחַת כְּנָפָיו תֶּחְסֶה,
צִנָּה וְסֹחֵרָה אֲמִתּוֹ: לֹא תִירָא
מִפַּחַד לָיְלָה, מֵחֵץ יָעוּף
יוֹמָם: מִדֶּבֶר בָּאֹפֶל יַהֲלֹךְ,^2,3

Chabad

yoysheiv b'seiser Elyoyn, b'tzeil
Shaddoy yisloynon: oymar ladonoy
machsi um'tzudosi, Eloyhai evtach
boy: ki hu yatzil'cho mipach
yokush, midever havoys: b'evrosoy
yosech loch, v'sachas k'nofov techseh,
tzinoh v'soycheiroh amitoy: loy siro
mipachad loy'loh, meicheitz youf
yoymom: midever bo-oyfel yahaloych,

Commentary

1 Praising God and thinking deeply about His greatness is like a "double-edged sword": it removes a person's negative behavior (thoughts, speech, and actions), and it also eliminates negative character traits.

Alternatively, the lower edge of this spiritual "double-edged sword" serves to cut ourselves off from lowly, unholy matters, while the upper edge helps eliminate arrogance.

2 The first step of falling down in the service of God is when a person lacks the light of Torah study. This causes one to live in "darkness," which leads a person to be "cold" toward the performance of commandments ("Dever" can refer to a sickness where one's limbs become cold). It is then that one becomes "heated" up and excited about worldly pleasures instead of holy things ("ketev" can refer to a high fever).

3 "Plague that goes around in the darkness" refers to a disease that makes a person as cold as night; "plague that goes around in the afternoon" refers to a disease that causes a fever as hot as the afternoon sun. The evil inclination is associated with both forms of disease: It tries to "cool us off" in an attempt to prevent us from studying the Torah and fulfilling its commandments with warmth and enthusiasm, and it also tries to "heat us up" and arouse excitement for worldly matters. We trust that God will assist us and protect us from the evil inclination so that we will not succumb to these spiritual maladies.