Shema Yisrael (שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל, Hear, O Israel) is the opening of the Shema, the Jewish declaration that G-d is One: "Hear, O Israel: the L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is One" (Deuteronomy 6:4). Jews recite it every morning and evening, and its first two paragraphs are the text handwritten on every kosher mezuzah scroll.
שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְיָ אֱלֹקֵינוּ יְיָ אֶחָד
Shema Yisrael, Adonai Elokeinu, Adonai Echad.
Hear, O Israel: the L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is One.
On this page the Divine Name is written the traditional reverential way. The transliteration says Adonai where the Hebrew has the Name and spells the next word Elokeinu, the respectful form used in print; aloud in prayer it is said Eloheinu. The English spells the Name L-rd and G-d.
Most people meet the Shema in three places: in the prayer book, at bedtime and at the doorway. A mezuzah (מְזוּזָה, doorpost) is more than the decorative case on the doorframe. The mitzvah (מִצְוָה, commandment) is the parchment scroll inside, and that scroll carries the Shema. Our page What Is a Mezuzah? explains how the scroll and the case work together.
What Does Shema Yisrael Mean?
Shema is the Hebrew command "hear" or "listen," a word that also carries the sense of understanding and accepting. Yisrael is Israel, meaning the Jewish people. The two words open the verse and give their name to the whole passage, and saying it is called Kriat Shema (קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע, the reading of the Shema). You will also see the spellings Shema Israel, Sh'ma Yisrael and Shema Yisroel (the Ashkenazi pronunciation), and the English "Hear, O Israel."
The line that follows the first verse is Baruch Shem (בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם, blessed is the Name): בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד, Baruch shem kevod malchuto l'olam va'ed, "Blessed is the name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever." It is said in an undertone through the year and aloud on Yom Kippur. It is a response recited after the first verse, not a verse of the Torah, and it is not written in the mezuzah parchment.
The Three Paragraphs of the Shema
The full Shema is made of three Torah passages:
- Deuteronomy 6:4 to 9, which begins with Shema Yisrael and goes on to love of G-d, teaching these words to your children, binding them on your arm and head, and writing them on the doorposts of your house. Read the passage at Deuteronomy 6:4 to 9 on Sefaria.
- Deuteronomy 11:13 to 21, known as Vehayah Im Shamoa (וְהָיָה אִם שָׁמֹעַ, and it will be, if you listen), which repeats those commands and ties them to keeping the mitzvot. Read the passage at Deuteronomy 11:13 to 21 on Sefaria.
- Numbers 15:37 to 41, the paragraph about tzitzit (צִיצִית, fringes) on a four-cornered garment and remembering the Exodus from Egypt. It is part of the daily Shema, and it is not written in a mezuzah.
Shema Yisrael in Jewish Tradition
Reciting the Shema each morning and evening is a Torah commandment, drawn from the words "when you lie down and when you rise up." In the morning and evening prayers it is surrounded by blessings, and many people say it again before going to sleep, a custom known as the bedtime Shema. For many children it is the first prayer they learn.
While saying the first verse, many people cover their eyes with the right hand to concentrate on its meaning. The Shema is also traditionally the last words a Jew says before death. Communities differ in pronunciation, melody and some details of the surrounding blessings, so follow your own siddur and ask your rav (רַב, rabbi) about the times and laws of the daily recitation.
Shema Yisrael and the Mezuzah
The verse "write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates" (Deuteronomy 6:9, repeated in 11:20) is the source of the mezuzah itself. A sofer STaM (סוֹפֵר סְתָ״ם, a scribe of Torah scrolls, tefillin and mezuzot) writes the first two paragraphs of the Shema by hand on klaf (קְלָף, parchment). Our article on the sofer STaM explains the craft. What Is Written Inside a Mezuzah shows what is on the parchment.
Because every letter must be correctly formed, the scroll is what makes a mezuzah kosher, and the case is yours to choose by taste. Our article what makes a mezuzah kosher explains the requirements. Many people touch the mezuzah and kiss their fingers as they pass, and why Jews touch or kiss the mezuzah tells why.
The same two paragraphs are written inside tefillin (תְּפִלִּין, the leather boxes worn at weekday morning prayer), together with two passages from Exodus, 13:1 to 10 and 13:11 to 16. That is why the Shema describes "binding" the words on the arm and head; see What Is Tefillin for how those boxes are made and worn.
MezuzahStore.com was started in 1999, inspired by the Lubavitcher Rebbe's Mezuzah Campaign, to make it easy to order a real, handwritten kosher mezuzah scroll, and you can read our story on the About page.
Mezuzah Scrolls Written with the Shema
Every scroll below carries the same words, written by Certified Sofrei STaM (סוֹפְרֵי סְתָ״ם, scribes of sacred texts) in Israel and guaranteed 100% kosher. They differ in size and in the Ktav (כְּתָב, script) of each community, and Ashkenazi vs. Sephardi explains how to choose. These are examples of what we carry:
- Mehudar (Superior) Sephardic Mezuzah Scroll | 5-Inch (12 cm) ($109.95) in Ktav Velish.
- Mehudar (Superior) Ashkenazi Mezuzah Scroll | 6-Inch (15 cm) ($164.95) in Ksav Beis Yosef.
- Alter Rebbe (Superior) Chabad Mezuzah Scroll | 6-Inch (15 cm) ($279.95) in Ktav Alter Rebbe.
Choose kosher mezuzah scrolls in your family's script and a size within your case's listed Scroll Fit.
Checking the Shema on Your Doorposts
Ink can fade and letters can crack over time, so a scroll that has hung for years deserves a check. Our in-house Certified Sofer examines each letter, and you can book it on our mezuzah and tefillin checking page. Our article on how often to have your mezuzahs checked gives the usual rule.
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