Shema

שְׁמַע

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Rewards for keeping God's commandments

Hebrew

וְהָיָה אִם שָׁמֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל
מִצְוֹתַי אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי
מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם הַיּוֹם, לְאַהֲבָה
אֶת יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וּלְעָבְדוֹ,
בְּכָל | לְבַבְכֶם וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁכֶם:
וְנָתַתִּי מְטַר אַרְצְכֶם | בְּעִתּוֹ
יוֹרֶה וּמַלְקוֹשׁ, וְאָסַפְתָּ דְגָנֶךָ
וְתִירֹשְׁךָ וְיִצְהָרֶךָ: וְנָתַתִּי
עֵשֶׂב | בְּשָׂדְךָ לִבְהֶמְתֶּךָ,
וְאָכַלְתָּ וְשָׂבָעְתָּ:

Sephardi

Vehayah im shamoa tishme'u el
mitzvotai asher anochi
metzaveh etchem hayom, le'ahavah
et Adonai Eloheichem ule'ovdo,
bechol | levavchem uvechol nafshechem:
V'natati metar artz'chem | be'ito
yoreh umalkosh, ve'asafta deganecha
v'tiroshecha v'yitzharecha: V'natati
esev | besadcha livhemtecha,
v'achalta vesavata:

English

God tells the Jewish Nation in the Torah: It will be that if you listen to Me and keep all of My commandments that I am commanding you today, to love the Lord, your God,1 and to serve Him by praying properly with all of your heart and all of your soul; then I will bless you with the following blessings: I will give rain for your land at the right times—when people are not outside, such as on Friday night. I will bring you the early rain, which falls right after the seeds have been planted, and also the late rain, which falls after the plants have sprouted, to help them grow well. You will collect all of your grain, wine, and oil, and none will be taken by your enemies. I will put plenty of grass in your fields, so you will not have to move your animals to another place to feed them. Not only will you be blessed with food, but you will eat it and you will be satisfied by it.

Punishments for idolatry

Hebrew

הִשָּׁמְרוּ לָכֶם פֶּן יִפְתֶּה
לְבַבְכֶם, וְסַרְתֶּם וַעֲבַדְתֶּם
אֱלֹהִים2 אֲחֵרִים וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶם
לָהֶם: וְחָרָה | אַף יְיָ בָּכֶם
וְעָצַר אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְלֹא יִהְיֶה
מָטָר וְהָאֲדָמָה לֹא תִתֵּן אֶת
יְבוּלָהּ, וַאֲבַדְתֶּם | מְהֵרָה
מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ הַטֹּבָה אֲשֶׁר יְיָ
נֹתֵן לָכֶם:

Sephardi

Hishameru lachem pen yifteh
levavchem, vesartem va'avadtem
elohim2 acherim vehishtachavitem
lahem: Vecharah | af Adonai bachem
ve-atzar et hashamayim v'lo yihyeh
matar v'ha'adamah lo titen et
yevulah, va'avadtem | meherah
mei'al ha'aretz hatovah asher Adonai
noten lachem:

English

However, you should be very careful and guard yourselves, in case your hearts become tempted to rebel against God, and you turn away from His ways.2 If this happens, you will become involved in idolatry and start to serve false gods that are foreign to their makers because they do not help them, and you will foolishly bow down to these false gods.3 The Lord's anger will then rage against you. God will close up the heavens, and there will be no rain; the ground will not give its produce because nothing will grow. You will quickly be destroyed, and you will be sent out from the good land—the Land of Israel—which the Lord gives to you.

Wear tefillin

Hebrew

וְשַׂמְתֶּם | אֶת דְּבָרַי אֵלֶּה
עַל | לְבַבְכֶם וְעַל נַפְשְׁכֶם,
וּקְשַׁרְתֶּם | אֹתָם לְאוֹת עַל
יֶדְכֶם וְהָיוּ לְטוֹטָפֹת בֵּין
עֵינֵיכֶם:

Sephardi

Vesamtem | et devarai eleh
al | levavchem ve'al nafshechem,
uk'shartem | otam le'ot al
yedchem vehayu letotafot bein
eineichem:

English

Even when you are in exile, you should put these words of Mine, written in the Torah, in your hearts and souls; pay attention to them. You should do this by putting on tefillin, which contain the words of the Shema. You should tie the hand-tefillin on your arm as a sign to remember God, and the head-tefillin should be put on your head, above the area between your eyes.

Learn and teach Torah

Hebrew

וְלִמַּדְתֶּם | אֹתָם |
אֶת בְּנֵיכֶם לְדַבֵּר בָּם,
בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ
בַּדֶּרֶךְ וּבְשָׁכְבְּךָ וּבְקוּמֶךָ:

Sephardi

Velimadtem | otam |
et beneichem ledaber bam,
beshivtecha beveitecha uvelechtecha
baderech uveshochebecha uvekumecha:

English

You should teach the words of Torah to your children, so that they speak about them and continually discuss them: when you sit in your house, when you go on the way, when you lie down at night, and when you get up in the morning.

Place a mezuzah on your doorposts

Hebrew

וּכְתַבְתָּם עַל מְזוּזוֹת בֵּיתֶךָ
וּבִשְׁעָרֶיךָ: לְמַעַן יִרְבּוּ
יְמֵיכֶם וִימֵי בְנֵיכֶם4 עַל
הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע יְיָ
לַאֲבֹתֵיכֶם לָתֵת לָהֶם, כִּימֵי
הַשָּׁמַיִם עַל הָאָרֶץ:

Sephardi

Uchetavtam al mezuzot beitecha
uvisha'arecha: Lema'an yirbu
yemeichem vimei veneichem4 al
ha'adamah asher nishba Adonai
la'avoteichem latet lahem, kimei
hashamayim al ha'aretz:

English

You should write these words of the Shema on mezuzot, which you should put up on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. You should keep all of these commandments in order to increase the number of days that you and your children4 will live on the land—the Land of Israel—which the Lord promised to give to your fathers for as long as the days that the heavens are above the earth, which is forever.

At this point, hold the tzitzit in both hands. See illustration, page 955. At the words marked °, pass the tzitzit over your eyes and kiss them. Look at the tzitzit while saying the words וּרְאִיתֶם אֹתוֹ. When saying the word וּזְכַרְתֶּם, remember the mitzvah of Shabbat, which is equal to all other commandments. Say the ז of the words תִּזְכְּרוּ and וּזְכַרְתֶּם clearly, so it should not sound like a ס.

The commandment of 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

Sephardi

Vayomer Adonai el Moshe leimor:
Daber el b'nei Yisrael
v'amarta aleihem v'asu lahem
tzitzit al kanfei vigdeihem
l'dorotam, v'natnu al tzitzit
hakanaf | petil techelet: Vehayah

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

Commentary

1 In the original Hebrew, the word "love" is in the form of a noun, not a verb. This implies that when we "love" (verb) God and keep His commandments, we merit receiving his "love" (noun) in return.

2 Distraction is the first step to rebellion. As soon as one begins losing focus on God and letting his heart wander, He is at risk of turning away from Him and ultimately committing sins.

3 Serving "other gods" can also refer to considering physical things as the source of livelihood, or even just being too involved with physical matters. God tells us that if we do so, the holiness of the heavens will not "rain" down upon us.

4 This blessing for long life is given to both "you" and "your children." When a father fulfills the commandment of learning Torah with his son, both he and his son have a share in the reward.