Shema

Visible layers

At the end of the following paragraph, repeat the words אֲנִי יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם and finish with the word אֱמֶת. Say the ת of the words וּזְכַרְתֶּם and וְתָתוּרוּ clearly, so it should not sound like a ד.

Tzitzit

Hebrew

וַיֹּאמֶר יְיָ 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 יְיָ, וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֹתָם,
וְלֹא תָתוּרוּ אַחֲרֵי לְבַבְכֶם וְאַחֲרֵי
עֵינֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם זֹנִים
אַחֲרֵיהֶם: לְמַעַן תִּזְכְּרוּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם
אֶת כָּל מִצְוֹתָי, וִהְיִיתֶם קְדֹשִׁים
לֵאלֹהֵיכֶם:

Sephardi

Vayomer Adonai el Moshe leimor:
Daber el b'nei Yisrael
v'amarta aleihem v'asu lahem
tzitzit al kanfei vigdeihem l'dorotam,
venatenu al tzitzit hakanaf petil
techelet: vehayah lachem letzitzit,
ur'item oto, uzchartem et
kol mitzvot Adonai, va'asitem otam,
v'lo taturu acharei levavchem v'acharei
eineichem asher atem zonim
achareihem: lema'an tizkeru va'asitem
et kol mitzvotai, vihyitem k'doshim
leiloheichem:

English

The Lord spoke to Moses and gave him instructions to tell the Jewish Nation. God said: Speak to the Children of Israel and tell them that they should make tzitzit for themselves, which they should hang on the four corners of their garments. This is something that should be done at all times; it is a commandment for all their generations. They should attach a blue string to the tzitzit on each corner. All the threads hanging together will be tzitzit for you. Tzitzit are worn as a reminder, and when you will look at these tzitzit, you will remember all the commandments of the Lord. This is because the numerical value of the Hebrew word tzitzit is 600. Adding the 8 threads and 5 knots, found on each corner, totals 613—the number of commandments in the Torah. Remembering the commandments will cause you to fulfill them. Then you will not wander after the desires of your hearts and the temptations your eyes see. Wandering after your desires causes you to stray from the path of Torah. Look at the tzitzit, so that you will remember and do all of My commandments. Through this, you will be holy to your God.

Exodus from Egypt

Hebrew

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

Sephardi

Ani Adonai Eloheichem asher
hotzeti etchem mei'eretz Mitzrayim
lihyot lachem leilohim, Ani Adonai
Eloheichem: Ani Adonai Eloheichem. Emet:

English

I am the Lord, your God, Who took you out of the land of Egypt in order to be a God for you, and in order that you should accept Me as your God by keeping My commandments. I am the Lord, your God. This is the truth.

Hebrew

יַעְלְזוּ חֲסִידִים בְּכָבוֹד, יְרַנְּנוּ
עַל מִשְׁכְּבוֹתָם: רוֹמְמוֹת
אֵל בִּגְרוֹנָם, וְחֶרֶב פִּיפִיּוֹת בְּיָדָם1:

Sephardi

Ya’alzu chasidim bechavod, yerannenu
al mishkevotam: romemot
El bigronam, vecherev fifiyyot beyadam1:

English

The Jewish Nation, the devoted people, will rejoice because of the glory that will come to them. They will sing to God, thanking Him for the peace and rest He gave them. With their throats, they will tell exalting praises of God. Their praises will be like a double-edged sword in their hand,1 to be used against evil things.

Say the following paragraph three times:

Hebrew

הִנֵּה מִטָּתוֹ שֶׁלִּשְׁלֹמֹה, שִׁשִּׁים
גִּבֹּרִים סָבִיב לָהּ מִגִּבֹּרֵי
יִשְׂרָאֵל: כֻּלָּם אֲחֻזֵי חֶרֶב מְלֻמְּדֵי
מִלְחָמָה, אִישׁ חַרְבּוֹ עַל יְרֵכוֹ
מִפַּחַד בַּלֵּילוֹת:

Sephardi

Hineh mitato sheliShlomoh, shishim
gibborim saviv lah migibborei
Yisrael: kulam achuzei cherev melumedei
milchamah, ish charbo al yerecho
mipachad baleilot:

English

Around the tribes of God, stand sixty strong letters of the priestly blessing, which strengthen the Children of Israel. Each of the three blessings contains and holds God’s Name, which is as powerful as a sword. The blessings defend the Jewish Nation as soldiers trained for war, and they protect from frightening dreams at night, even dreams of danger, such as a sharp sword on one’s thigh.

Say the following paragraph three times:

Hebrew

יְבָרֶכְךָ יְיָ וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ: יָאֵר יְיָ
פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִיחֻנֶּךָ:
יִשָּׂא יְיָ פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם
לְךָ שָׁלוֹם:

Sephardi

Yevarechecha Adonai veyishmerecha: ya'er Adonai
panav eilecha vichunneka:
Yisa Adonai panav eilecha veyasem
lecha shalom:

English

May the Lord bless you with livelihood and guard your possessions from thieves. May the Lord shine His joyful face upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord, holding back His anger, turn His merciful face toward you, and give you peace.

God protects those who serve Him

Hebrew

יֹשֵׁב בְּסֵתֶר עֶלְיוֹן, בְּצֵל
שַׁדַּי יִתְלוֹנָן: אֹמַר לַייָ
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 יַהֲלֹךְ2,3,

Sephardi

Yoshev beseter Elyon, b'tzel
Shaddai yitlonan: omar la-adonai
machsi umetzudati, Elohai evtach
bo: ki hu yatzilecha mipach
yakush, midever havot: be’evrato
yasech lach, vetachat kenafav techseh,
tzinnah vesocherah amito: lo tira
mipachad lailah, mechetz ya’uf
yomam: midever ba’ofel yahaloc2,3,

English

To any person who lives in the shelter of God above—who learns the secrets of the Torah and is protected in the shadow of the Almighty—I say the following about the Lord, Who protects me and strengthens me, about my God, in Whom I trust: He will save you from being caught in traps and from destructive plagues. He will cover you and protect You with His wings, and you will take shelter under His wings. The truth of God’s promise—that He will take care of you—will protect you like a shield and armor. If you trust in Him, you will not be afraid of the terror of the night. You will not be afraid of an arrow flying during the day. You will not be afraid of a plague that goes around in the darkness of night,2,3

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.