The Unseen Shield: The Transforming Power of the Shema

There’s a beautiful teaching from the Midrash (a collection of ancient Jewish teachings). Rabbi Mani said: “Don’t take the Shema lightly. It has 248 words, which match the 248 parts of the human body. God says: ‘If you protect Mine—by saying the Shema properly—I will protect yours.’” God tells the Jewish people: “Say the Shema in the morning and at night, and I will protect you,” just as it says in Psalms: “God will guard you from all evil; He will guard your soul.”

Rabbi Shemelka of Nikolsburg once said that someone who takes the Shema seriously receives powerful protection—like the special incense that once stopped deadly plagues in the Temple. This idea is something Rabbi Meir Michael Gruenwald often shares in his talks. Many people, he says, have seen great blessings and even miracles after deciding to recite the Shema with extra care.

And then, he shared a chilling true story.

One stormy winter day, five young men traveled to Meron—a city in northern Israel—where the great sage Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai is buried. They came to pray for a friend who was seriously ill. There, they met Rabbi Gruenwald and asked him for a few words of encouragement. He told them something that would stay with them forever: “We don’t really understand how powerful the Shema is,” he said. “There’s an old teaching that even if a harsh judgment has been decided in Heaven, a person still has until morning to change it—if they say the morning Shema with full focus and dedication. Even the worst decree can be cancelled.” Then he looked them in the eye and said: “Don’t just say the Shema. Say it properly—on time, with heart. It protects.” And then, he told them this story:

“This story was told to me by a medic from one of the emergency rescue organizations,” Rabbi Gruenwald said. The medic was sitting at a red light when he saw a young man walking across the street. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a speeding car lost control and came straight at him. “To my horror,” the medic said, “I saw the car hit him directly. He was thrown high into the air, slammed against a utility pole, and fell to the ground—unconscious.” The medic jumped out of his ambulance and began CPR immediately. A mobile emergency team joined in, but things looked very bad. The head injury was severe, and it didn’t seem like the young man would survive. They found his ID. He was a father—he had small children waiting at home.

The medic drove to the man’s house to tell the family. A young woman opened the door, holding a baby. A toddler crawled on the floor behind her. As the medic began to explain what had happened, she grew pale. Then she cried out—not in panic, but with strength: “God in Heaven!” she cried. “My husband always says that if someone is careful to say the Shema on time and with focus, they won’t die in a strange or unnatural way. He says it all the time—and I know he’s always so careful about it!” She repeated it again: “It can’t be that he’ll die this way. It just can’t be!”

At the hospital, the man had already been taken into surgery. His skull was shattered, and the doctors gave little hope. The operation lasted twelve hours. But three days later—amazingly—he opened his eyes. He recognized his wife and children. With time, therapy, and great effort, he walked out of the hospital on his own two feet. A full recovery.

The five young men were deeply moved by the story. Right there in Meron, they pulled out a piece of paper and wrote a note: “We, the undersigned, commit to saying the morning Shema with care and before the proper time, starting today—the 2nd of the Hebrew month of Tevet—and continuing until the 15th of Tevet, for the healing of our friend.” They all signed their names. It was a cold night during the holiday of Chanukah.

A few hours later, they got in the car to drive home. It was still dark. The rain poured down. Fog wrapped around them like a blanket, and water covered the roads. As they approached a junction, thick fog blinded their vision. Suddenly, another car—pushed by rushing water—hit them gently. And then, their car was caught by the current. Like a small boat drifting helplessly, their car swayed toward the other side of the road—straight into the path of oncoming cars. Then—disaster struck. Two cars slammed into them, head-on. The impact threw their vehicle into a stone barrier on the edge of a cliff. Then it bounced back into the road—broken, crushed, and without control. Some wheels were missing. The engine was dead. Doors jammed. But inside that crushed car, something miraculous happened: Everyone was alive. One by one, they crawled out, trembling and soaked.

They stood in the rain, stunned. Their car was a pile of twisted metal. It looked impossible that anyone inside could have survived. But there they were. All five of them—alive, unhurt. They stared at each other. Then at the note in one of their pockets. The promise: “We commit to saying the Shema with care, starting today…” They hadn’t even had the chance to fulfill it yet. But the protection was already there. And in their hearts, they heard again the words of that young wife: “My husband always says… if you’re careful with the Shema, you won’t die a strange death. It just can’t be.”