SAYING SHEMA IN THE DARKNESS OF NIGHT
Vaeschanan
The first passage of Shema comes from Parshas Vaeschanan. The Mitzvah requires us to recite the Shema twice each day; בשכבך ובקומך, in the evening and in the morning.
The Avodah of Krias Shema is to crown Hashem as King over the world and reveal His oneness within all existence. This Avodah is reflected in the word אחד; We have to reveal Hashem’s oneness (א) in the 7 Heavens and the earth (ח) and the four directions that define our world (ד).
In Shema we surrender ourselves with Kabbolas Ol to His Kingship and to live our lives in His service.
Because this Avodah is the essence of Yiddishkeit, it is the first Mitzvah discussed in Shas (the Oral Law).
The first Mishna begins מאימתי קורין את שמע בערבין - from when do we begin reciting the Shema at night? The Mishna discusses the timeframe when one can fulfil the Mitzvah of reciting the evening Shema, presenting the opinion of three sages.
Like each day comprises night and day, throughout our lives we experience phases of night and phases of day. In each of them, we must say Shema.
Daylight represents those times when we have spiritual clarity and illumination. We feel connected and inspired. The light of Hashem shines openly in our lives.
Night is when this light is not present. We face spiritual darkness and confusion, lacking inspiration and struggling to feel connected.
And so the Mishna asks, how can one read Shema in the evening? When we are in a state of daylight it seems so much easier to surrender ourselves to Hashem and live with the purpose of revealing His oneness. But what about those times when we experience spiritual darkness in our lives? How then can we “recite Shema”?
Hashem does not give us a challenge that we cannot overcome. The fact that the Torah gives us this Mitzvah is because our Neshama possesses a powerful inner strength. With this strength we can overcome the spiritual challenges that we may be facing and surrender ourselves to serving Hashem.
But how far can this strength carry us?
Rabbi Eliezer teaches that one may only say Shema during the first third of the night. He defines בשכבך as the time when most people are still wake but are preparing to go to sleep. We may be experiencing “night”, but as long as we have not yet “fallen asleep”, there is hope for “Shema”. Once a person falls asleep spiritually, Rabbi Eliezer says that they are incapable of reciting “Shema”.
Rabbi Eliezer was a disciple of the school of Shammai who was known for his strictness. Shammai represents a standard for the spiritual elite.
The Chachamim rule that one may only recite the evening Shema until midnight. Even after one has “fallen asleep”, as long as the darkness is not so strong, one can still say “Shema”. But once the first half of the night has passed and the darkness becomes more intense, one can no longer recite Shema.
The Chachamim represent the majority. For most people, once the darkness grows too strong, the Avodah becomes too difficult to achieve.
The final opinion is the most lenient. Rabban Gamliel allows one to fulfil the Mitzvah of the evening Shema all the way until dawn. He defines בשכבך as the entire time when most people are asleep.
The darkest part of the night is just before dawn. Even if a person has “fallen asleep” and even when the spiritual darkness that they face is at its greatest intensity, Rabban Gamliel teaches us that we can still overcome it and say “Shema”.
Rabban Gamliel was the Nosi Hador, the leader of all of Klal Yisroel. A Nosi cannot cater only to the elite. Nor can a Nosi focus on what is good for the majority. A Nosi bares responsibility for every single Jew irrespective of their spiritual standing; to give them hope and to reveal within them the spiritual strength to connect to Hashem and live “Shema”.
The Avodah of Krias Shema is to crown Hashem as King over the world and reveal His oneness within all existence. This Avodah is reflected in the word אחד; We have to reveal Hashem’s oneness (א) in the 7 Heavens and the earth (ח) and the four directions that define our world (ד).
In Shema we surrender ourselves with Kabbolas Ol to His Kingship and to live our lives in His service.
Because this Avodah is the essence of Yiddishkeit, it is the first Mitzvah discussed in Shas (the Oral Law).
The first Mishna begins מאימתי קורין את שמע בערבין - from when do we begin reciting the Shema at night? The Mishna discusses the timeframe when one can fulfil the Mitzvah of reciting the evening Shema, presenting the opinion of three sages.
Like each day comprises night and day, throughout our lives we experience phases of night and phases of day. In each of them, we must say Shema.
Daylight represents those times when we have spiritual clarity and illumination. We feel connected and inspired. The light of Hashem shines openly in our lives.
Night is when this light is not present. We face spiritual darkness and confusion, lacking inspiration and struggling to feel connected.
And so the Mishna asks, how can one read Shema in the evening? When we are in a state of daylight it seems so much easier to surrender ourselves to Hashem and live with the purpose of revealing His oneness. But what about those times when we experience spiritual darkness in our lives? How then can we “recite Shema”?
Hashem does not give us a challenge that we cannot overcome. The fact that the Torah gives us this Mitzvah is because our Neshama possesses a powerful inner strength. With this strength we can overcome the spiritual challenges that we may be facing and surrender ourselves to serving Hashem.
But how far can this strength carry us?
Rabbi Eliezer teaches that one may only say Shema during the first third of the night. He defines בשכבך as the time when most people are still wake but are preparing to go to sleep. We may be experiencing “night”, but as long as we have not yet “fallen asleep”, there is hope for “Shema”. Once a person falls asleep spiritually, Rabbi Eliezer says that they are incapable of reciting “Shema”.
Rabbi Eliezer was a disciple of the school of Shammai who was known for his strictness. Shammai represents a standard for the spiritual elite.
The Chachamim rule that one may only recite the evening Shema until midnight. Even after one has “fallen asleep”, as long as the darkness is not so strong, one can still say “Shema”. But once the first half of the night has passed and the darkness becomes more intense, one can no longer recite Shema.
The Chachamim represent the majority. For most people, once the darkness grows too strong, the Avodah becomes too difficult to achieve.
The final opinion is the most lenient. Rabban Gamliel allows one to fulfil the Mitzvah of the evening Shema all the way until dawn. He defines בשכבך as the entire time when most people are asleep.
The darkest part of the night is just before dawn. Even if a person has “fallen asleep” and even when the spiritual darkness that they face is at its greatest intensity, Rabban Gamliel teaches us that we can still overcome it and say “Shema”.
Rabban Gamliel was the Nosi Hador, the leader of all of Klal Yisroel. A Nosi cannot cater only to the elite. Nor can a Nosi focus on what is good for the majority. A Nosi bares responsibility for every single Jew irrespective of their spiritual standing; to give them hope and to reveal within them the spiritual strength to connect to Hashem and live “Shema”.