How loudly do you recite Shema?
The common – and recommended – practice is to recite the first verse of Shema out loud. (Shulchan Aruch 0c 61:4) While many of us are more reticent when it comes to davening loudly, we shouldn’t hold back when it comes to “Shem Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad.”
These six fundamental words accompany a Jew through every stage of life. They are whispered into the ears of newborn babies. Parents teach them to children before bedtime. They are recited every morning and every evening. They conclude Yom Kippur. They have been spoken by Jews marching to their deaths and by Israeli soldiers running toward danger.
The Shema is the closest thing Judaism has to a national anthem, a mission statement, and a declaration of faith all rolled into one.
I vividly remember the Shema recited by the Kaliver Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Taub (1923-2019), when he visited my Yeshiva in Israel more than 30 years ago. Born in Transylvania, the Rebbe was deported to Auschwitz three days before Shavuot 1944, where his entire family was murdered. He was a victim of chemical burning experiments carried out on his skin by the notorious Dr. Joseph Mengele that led to his noticeable lack of a beard. For over 70 years, the Rebbe traveled around the world addressing audiences about the power of Shema and would lead the assembled in saying it in unison out loud, often with a tune. He explained that he made this commitment in Auschwitz:
“The Nazis were literally throwing Jews into fires. I heard Shema Yisrael being sung by a young boy and I turned to God and said, ‘Let me live, and I will say Shema Yisrael with the living.’”
Recently, especially since October 7, various initiatives have started aiming to have as many Jews as possible all over the word recite the first verse of Shema at the same time each day. The idea is to unify Jews around the most powerful expression we have to add holiness to the world while bringing people together. (You can join one such effort HERE.)
What gives these six words such extraordinary power?
We usually think of the Shema as Judaism's declaration of faith. The Talmud describes it as Kabbalat Ol Malchut Shamayim, our acceptance of God's sovereignty. We are careful about its laws: saying it before the proper time expires, avoiding interruptions, covering our eyes, and concentrating on every word. But perhaps we sometimes become so focused on how to say the Shema that we forget what it is asking of us.
The key lies in the very first word: Shema.
We often translate Shema as “Hear, O Israel,” but that hardly captures the richness of the Hebrew. Rabbi Doron Perez points out that Shema may be one of the most complex words in the Torah. It means to hear physically, to listen attentively, to understand intellectually, to internalize emotionally, to empathize deeply, and ultimately to accept and act upon what has been heard. That’s a lot packed into three letters.
Judaism's defining declaration does not begin with the word “believe.” It begins with the word “listen.” That is no accident. At Sinai, the Jewish people did not see God. They heard God's voice. Revelation entered the world through listening. The Radziner Rebbe, Rabbi Yaakov Leiner, observed that sight reveals only the exterior of things, while hearing penetrates beneath the surface. Seeing tells us what something looks like; listening allows us to discover what it means. Faith begins not with certainty but with attentiveness.
That is why Shema is far more than the opening word of Judaism's creed. It is Judaism's first and most enduring life lesson. Listening is at the heart of our relationship with God. Before we can respond, question, or even believe, we must first learn to listen.
Listening is equally at the heart of what it means to be a mensch. Stephen Covey famously wrote, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood." It is remarkable how closely that echoes the Torah's message. Too often we listen only long enough to formulate our response, offer advice, or defend our position. Genuine listening requires setting aside our own perspective long enough to understand someone else's.
Every meaningful relationship depends on Shema. Healthy marriages, strong friendships, parents and children, teachers and students, Rabbis and congregants. One of the greatest gifts we can give another person is the feeling that they have been genuinely heard.
Shema is Judaism's defining prayer because it teaches us that listening is not merely a communication skill; it is a spiritual discipline. This message may be more urgent today than ever before. We live in an age overflowing with information but starved for attention. Social media, podcasts, videos, and endless notifications compete for every waking moment. Everyone has something to say; few people truly listen.
The Shema offers a quiet but profound counterbalance to the cacophony around us. Close your eyes. Block out the noise. Listen for God's voice. Listen to the people you love. Listen to those with whom you disagree. Listen to the quiet voice of your own soul. And say Shema out loud!
Let’s try to hear ourselves recite the words and internalize the message. The Shema is certainly Judaism's declaration of faith. It is our credo and our affirmation that God is One. The words are also an invitation to deeply engage in the sacred activity of listening to advance a world of more spiritual, religious, and emotional engagement. Perhaps the first and most fundamental obligation of every Jew is contained in that very first word.
Shema…
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