Introduction
The next section of the Shacharit service—the blessings of the Shema—begins with the special blessing known as Barchu. This brief blessing is recited only with a quorum of ten adult men and is part of the morning and evening prayer services. It is recited while standing. The chazzan leads the congregation by calling out, “Bless G-d, the blessed One,” and the congregation responds, “Blessed is G-d the blessed One, for all eternity.”
What is the purpose of reciting this formula at the beginning of the blessings of the Shema? Before we enter the second section of the morning prayers, we must pause for a moment and take a short break from the flow of our prayers in order to remind ourselves once again that we are engaged in communication with the Creator of the world. The brief Barchu blessing is a suitable reminder of this, as it calls on us to give praise to G-d.
- One should bow slightly forward when the chazzan recites the first line of the blessing.
- When the congregation recites the response, one should bow forward and straighten up when saying G-d’s Name.
An overview
Our recitation of the Shema is preceded by two blessings and followed by a third. The first of the blessings associated with the Shema begins with a description of G-d as “the Maker of the luminaries.” The second concludes by describing Him as “Who chose His nation Israel with love.”
The Shema itself consists of three paragraphs: “Shema Yisrael–Hear O Israel,” “V’Hayah Im Shamoa–If You Listen,” and “Vayomer Hashem el Moshe–G-d Spoke to Moses,” the passage that contains the commandment of tzitzit. These passages deal with the fundamentals of Jewish faith and with a Jew’s acceptance of G-d’s sovereignty and of his obligation to observe G-d’s commandments.
The Shema is followed by a third blessing, which concludes with the praise of G-d “Who has redeemed Israel.”
We will now study the nature of each individual blessing and of the three paragraphs of the Shema.
“Yotzer Ohr—The Maker of Light”
This blessing begins the second section of the morning prayers. Its purpose is to convey a proper understanding of our description of G-d as One in the verse “Hear O Israel, G-d our Lord, G-d is One.”
In ancient times, certain nations believed in two distinct beings: “the god of good,” who created all good things in the world, represented by light, and the “god of evil,” who was responsible for all negative phenomena in the world, symbolized by darkness.
In this blessing we declare that there is only one Creator. He is responsible for the existence of both good and evil, light and darkness. Our G-d is the very essence of good, and even the things that we perceive as bad are actually hidden blessings. This recognition encapsulates the very essence of the faith that the Jewish people introduced to the world.
- During this blessing, one should touch the arm tefillin at the words “Maker of light” and the head tefillin at the words “Creator of darkness.” One should then kiss the fingertips that touched the tefillin.
“Hameir Laaretz—Who Illuminates the Land”
This paragraph continues the blessing that began by describing G-d as the Maker of light. In this paragraph, we praise G-d for having created the sun and placed it in the heavens in His great mercy.
Nowadays, we are aware that the position of the sun relative to the earth is exactly suited to the conditions under which we live. If we were closer to the sun, the surface of the earth would be unbearably hot, but if we were further away from it, the world would freeze and become covered with ice. The Jewish people give thanks to G-d for creating such perfect conditions to support our life, even though other nations may take this phenomenon for granted.
This paragraph concludes with a list of praises of G-d consisting of twenty-two words, beginning with each of the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. We have a good reason for utilizing these twenty-two letters to form this acrostic. These are the letters that G-d used to write the Torah and to create the world. Each letter contains a hidden reference to a particular Name or power of G-d. By reciting a prayer based on the Hebrew alphabet, we indicate our great joy at the fact that G-d treats us with mercy and illuminates the earth for us.
“Titbareich Lanetzach—May You Be Blessed Forever”
After using the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, we move on to a passage based on a vision of the prophet Isaiah that describes how the angels in Heaven give praise to G-d. It is only natural to move on to a discussion of the angelic realm once we have mentioned the celestial bodies that make up “the legions of the heavens.” We look up at the heavens and are amazed at the wonders of G-d’s creation. Then we turn our gaze beyond the sky, into the supernal realm, where the angels stand and serve their King in awe, fear, and complete admiration.
In keeping with the theme of this blessing, we emphasize the fact that even the angels, as sacred and lofty as they may be, are not independent creatures with their own power of free choice. They are all completely subject to the authority of their Creator, and their entire existence is based on serving purely as His emissaries.
These blessings paint a picture, based on the words of the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel, that should instill in us a sense of awe and fear of G-d. This is a most fitting introduction to the Shema itself.
“La’E-l Baruch—To the Blessed G-d”
In this paragraph, we speak about the amazing fact that G-d creates the entire world at every moment, ex nihilo. Every second represents a new act of creation, in which G-d causes the entire universe to come into being from a state of absolute nothingness.
The process of creation did not end at the beginning of history. G-d continues to create the world at every moment, a fact that is manifested in the individualized Providence that G-d brings to bear on each of His creations at every moment.
We conclude this paragraph—and the entire first blessing of the Shema—with the words, “Blessed are You, G-d, Maker of the luminaries.” These words refer not only to the physical luminaries in the sky such as the sun and the moon, but also to those things that truly illuminate our world—the Torah and its commandments.
“Ahavat Olam—Eternal Love”
The second blessing before the Shema describes the unique bond that exists between G-d and the Jewish people. This blessing is the perfect introduction to the Shema. It begins and ends with the word “love.” At the beginning of the blessing, we express our great appreciation for the eternal love that G-d has showered upon us from the times of our patriarch Abraham, throughout the generations of history. We then go on to ask G-d to have mercy on us and “open” our hearts and minds so that we will be able to study, understand, and delve into His holy Torah. We ask Him to bring peace upon us quickly and to allow us to witness the arrival of the Redeemer and the ingathering of the Jewish people from exile when the Messiah arrives.
- While reciting the phrase, “Gather us in peacefully from the four corners of the land,” one should take hold of all four corners of the tallit and clutch them in his left hand until the middle of the blessing that follows the Shema.
The Procedure for Taking Hold of the Tzitzit
One should take hold of the two front tzitzit first, followed by the left rear corner and then the right rear corner, in that order. The four tzitzit fringes should be held in the palm, with the threads passing through the space between the pinky finger and ring finger, then again between the middle finger and index finger, and once more between the index finger and the thumb. The majority of the length of the fringes should danger past the edge of the hand.
The tzitzit should be held in one’s hand throughout the recitation of the Shema. One should keep the hand holding the tzitzit near the heart.
- When praying in the synagogue, one should wait to recite the conclusion of this blessing together with the chazzan in order to follow it immediately with the beginning of the Shema.
