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Wake Up! | Kavanah | Zmanim | Tzitzit | Tefillin | Brachot | Pesukei d'Zimra
Kriat Shema | Amidah | Geshem and Tal | Kaddish | Amen!
Shabbos | Kiddush | Shofar | Teshuva | Rosh HaShana | Ten Days
Yom Kippur | Sukkos | Pesach | Sefirat HaOmer | Shavuot | Chanukah
Purim | Rosh Chodesh | Tu B'Shvat | Fast Days | The Three Weeks | Tisha B'Av
The Four Parshiyot | Parshat HaShavua | The Kosher Kitchen | Issur v'Heter | Speaking to G-d
Spiritual Reality, Spiritual Freedom | The Jewish Calendar | Chinuch: Education | A Practical Guide to Shabbos
Rav Dovid's Shiurim | True or False?

Reciting Shema

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Rav Dovid gives a daily halacha at the Wall Street Synagogue in Lower Manhattan.
This series covers the recitation of the Shema.
8 Iyar 5768 listen Chinuch for Mitzvot Aseh (14:37)
Introduction to chinuch: a look at Kiddush Lavana and Kriat Shema.
Sources: MB 426:1; OC 70:2; MB 70:6-9; Sha'ar HaTziun 70:7
8 Adar I 5768 listen Review: Shema through Aleinu (15:10)
A review, summary and overview of halachot of shacharit, from Shema through Aleinu.
7 Adar I 5768 listen Review: Wakeup through Shema (15:32)
A review, summary and overview of halachot of morning conduct, from waking up through the recitation of Shema.
26 Cheshvan 5768 listen Davening before MiSheYakir (16:27)
What should you do if you need to daven early in the morning, prior to MiSheYakir (the earliest time for shema), which is much before netz (the earliest time for the amidah).
Sources: OC 89:8; MB 89:38-42; Beur Halacha d.h. "Bsha'at HaDchak"
Dedicated to Ariella Rivka bas Avroham, may her neshoma have an aliya.
24 Cheshvan 5768 listen Learning before Davening; Learning before Dawn (12:56)
Being careful about davening shacharit at the right time is of such high priority that one shouldn't even learn Torah prior to davening. But what about learning at night, or waking up before dawn?
Sources: OC 89:6; MB 89:30-35
21 Cheshvan 5768 listen Eating before Amud HaShachar (14:18)
We have learned that we cannot eat prior to davening Shacharit, but what about eating prior to dawn?
Sources: OC 89:5; MB 89:27-29
13 Cheshvan 5768 listen Davening the Amidah too Early (Before MiSheYakir) (12:03)
The earliest time for the amidah is netz hachama ("third dawn"). What if you can't wait until then and need to daven early?
Sources: OC 89:1; MB 89:2-4
11 Cheshvan 5768 listen What if you miss the time for Shema? (16:59)
If you are unable to complete shema on time, or even if you purposely miss the required time, you can still say shema later in the day.
Sources: OC 58:6; MB 58:24-29
10 Cheshvan 5768 listen The Difference Between Night and Day (12:12)
If you forget to daven ma'ariv, you can daven until dawn, but this impairs the permission to daven shacharis early. Also: The yahrzeit of Methushelah.
Sources: OC 58:5; MB 58:20-23
7 Cheshvan 5768 listen Davening before Netz (15:11)
Sometimes you have no choice but to daven before netz or to start davening before misheyakir. What should you do? Also: an actual example of how Rav Dovid handled such a situation.
Sources: OC 58:4; MB 58:18-19; Beur Halacha d.h. "MiSheAlah Amud HaShahar"
6 Cheshvan 5768 listen Reading Shema before MiSheYakir (14:36)
What should you do if you have no choice but to read shema prior to the earliest permissible time?
Sources: OC 58:3; MB 58:13-17
5 Cheshvan 5768 listen What if you have to daven before dawn? (15:09)
Includes: review and overview of the four morning halachic times: the three "dawns" and the end of the time for kriat shema. Situations where you have to daven before the appropriate time.
Sources: OC 58:2-3; MB 58:10-12
4 Cheshvan 5768 listen The Ideal Time for Shema (14:58)
The perfect time to recite the shema is just before the sun peeps over the horizon. This time is so ideal that one can daven at this time at the expense of davening with a minyan.
Sources: OC 58:1; MB 58:6-9; Beur Halacha d.h. "Mitzvah min HaMuvchar"
3 Cheshvan 5768 listen The Latest Time for Shema (14:46)
The entire Shema must be recited in full before three halachic daylight hours have passed.
Sources: OC 58:1; MB 58:3-5
In memory of Leah bas Yechezkel on the occasion of her yahrzeit.
28 Tishrei 5768 listen The Earliest Time for Shema: Vatikin (15:05)
The proper time for the recitation of the morning Shema is unfortunately a time when few of us can awaken ourselves to pray on a regular basis.
Sources: Brachot 9b; OC 58:1; MB 58:1-2
Dedicated in memory of Feigel bas Aharon HaKohen on the occasion of her yahrzeit.
27 Tishrei 5768 listen The Earliest Time for Shema (15:57)
The earliest time that one can recite the morning Shema is the time when we can recognize each other.
Sources: Brachot 9b
19 Cheshvan 5767 listen Kavanah in Shema and Brachot (10:19)
We declare the shema alound to awaken our kavanah. The same is true of all our brachot.
Sources: OC 62:2-5; MB 62:9; OC 206:3; MB 206:13
18 Cheshvan 5767 listen Hearing Yourself Recite the Shema (12:49)
As with the amidah we are required to recite the shema loud enough that we can hear our own words. But unlike the amidah, there is no prohibition on vocalizing it fully.
Sources: OC 62:2-4; MB 62:4-7
17 Cheshvan 5767 listen Speaking the Words of Shema (14:45)
Like the amidah, the shema should be recited aloud, and like the amidah, though it can be recited in any language that you understand, Hebrew is prefered.
Sources: OC 61:4-5; MB 61:17,26; OC 62:1-2; MB 62:1-3
4 Tamuz 5766 listen Kissing Tefillin and Tzitzit During Shema (11:56)
When, where, and why we touch, hold, and kiss tefillin and tzitzit during kriat shema.
Sources: OC 61:25-26; MB 61:39-40; OC 24:2,4; MB 24:4-7; Men. 43b
3 Tamuz 5766 listen Separating Between Words of Shema (11:01)
We must be careful to separate between words so as not to slur them together. Some read the shema with the ta'amei hamikra (cantillation marks) to improve their kavanah.
Sources: OC 61:19-24; MB 24:38
2 Tamuz 5766 listen The Rewards of Proper Pronunciation and Enunciation of Shema (14:25)
Grammatical pauses, enunciating letters, differentiating words. What is the reward for proper recitation of shema?
Sources: OC 61:14-18; MB 61:31,32; OC 62:1; MB 62:1-2
27 Sivan 5766 listen The Prohibition on Repeating the Shema (14:01)
We are forbidden from reciting Shema repeatedly. Why? What about other verses? Also: why do we say Baruch shem kavod malchuto l'olam va'ed in a whisper?
Sources: OC 61:9-10,12-13; MB 61:22,28,30
26 Sivan 5766 listen The 248 Words of Shema (13:49)
The 248 words of Shema have a therapeutic benefit on both body and soul.
Sources: OC 61:3; MB 61:6,11,13,14
Dedicated by Ronald and Marion Stein l'ilui nishmat Menachem Mendel ben Yeshua Yaakov.
25 Sivan 5766 listen Kavanah for Hashem's Name (13:21)
What is the correct kavanah when saying Hashem's name? When saying elokim?
Sources: OC 5; MB 5:1-3
24 Sivan 5766 listen Developing Kavanah for Shema (13:39)
Simple, straightforward steps to developing kavanah for Shema: close and cover your eyes; pronounce the words aloud; enunciate; focus on the meaning of the words; recognize that the words are new and renewed each day.
Sources: OC 61:2,4-8; MB 61:17,20; Shaarei Teshuva 61:7
23 Sivan 5766 listen Reciting Shema with Fear, Awe, and Trembling (13:57)
The depth of meaning in the kavanah of kriat shema.
Sources: OC 61:1; MB 61:1-4
20 Sivan 5766 listen Kavanah for the First Pasuk of Kriat Shema (13:03)
What is the required kavanah for reciting Shema?
Sources: OC 60:5; MB 60:11-12
9 Cheshvan 5766 listen Hilchot Kriat Shema and Amida (10:28)
18 Tishrei 5766 listen The Third Paragraph of Shema (Tzitzit) (1:13:34)
4 Tishrei 5766 listen The First Two Paragraphs of Shema (1:22:25)

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Enjoy each of Rav Dovid's Daily Halacha Series:
Wake Up! | Kavanah | Zmanim | Tzitzit | Tefillin | Brachot | Pesukei d'Zimra
Kriat Shema | Amidah | Geshem and Tal | Kaddish | Amen!
Shabbos | Kiddush | Shofar | Teshuva | Rosh HaShana | Ten Days
Yom Kippur | Sukkos | Pesach | Sefirat HaOmer | Shavuot | Chanukah
Purim | Rosh Chodesh | Tu B'Shvat | Fast Days | The Three Weeks | Tisha B'Av
The Four Parshiyot | Parshat HaShavua | The Kosher Kitchen | Issur v'Heter | Speaking to G-d
Spiritual Reality, Spiritual Freedom | The Jewish Calendar | Chinuch: Education | A Practical Guide to Shabbos
Rav Dovid's Shiurim | True or False?
Rav Dovid's daily halacha is given at the Wall Street Synagogue before shacharit.

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