A young TorahTutors student was interested in connecting more deeply with Jewish prayer, and asked her tutor if they could explore the meaning of Shema. After clearing the topic with the girl’s parents, the tutor guided her to read through each of the three Torah passages recited as part of Kriyat Shema and to find a main idea in each one. Together, they found indications in the text of what the Talmud (Berachot 13a) calls the theme of each of the two paragraphs: accepting G-d as King in the first, and accepting the responsibility of His commandments in the second. They discussed the logic of addressing those two themes in that order, as well as how the third paragraph relates to the first two.
What do you find meaningful in Kriyat Shema?
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A Tuesday TorahTutors Tidbit: Real Torah, from real TorahTutors sessions.
