The Beginner's Guide: How to Protect Against Spiritual Harm?

It's no secret that a day in the life of a Torah-observant Jew is entirely different from that of a gentile, but even when a Jew decides that his energy is depleted and it's time to call it a night, he doesn't forget the last meeting with Hashem. Before collapsing into bed, there's one last act that completes the day as it should be: the bedtime Shema prayer.

The sages instituted the Shema recitation before going to sleep as stated in the Talmud (Tractate Berakhot, page 4): "Even if a person has recited the Shema in the synagogue, it is a mitzvah to recite it on his bed," supporting their words with the verse "Meditate within your heart on your bed and be still, Selah" (Psalms 4:5), as mentioned in the Talmud. There are several reasons for reciting the bedtime Shema.

1. Acceptance of the Heaven's Kingdom before entrusting the soul. The sages explain that sleep at night is "one-sixtieth of death" (Tractate Berakhot, page 57), wherein the soul rises to higher worlds and returns upon awakening. In nighttime sleep, we entrust our soul to our Creator, and before doing so, we end our day by accepting the kingdom of heaven through the recitation of the Shema which expresses our faith in the Creator of the world and our acceptance of His dominion upon us.

Thus wrote the kabbalist Rabbi Moses ben Machir in his book 'Order of the Day': "It is a mitzvah to accept upon oneself the yoke of the kingdom of heaven near the bed, and the reason is that sleep is one-sixtieth of death, and before departing from the world, one ought to accept upon oneself the yoke of the kingdom of heaven, and His love and awe."

2. Reminder for introspection. The order of the Shema recitation before bed, also includes various verses and psalms as well as the confession prayer, designed to awaken within us a sense of self-reflection. Judaism teaches us the importance of daily self-examination in order to advance towards achieving our life's purpose in the world. Each day is so valuable and meaningful for spiritual advancement that it is not enough to conduct an annual self-accounting during the days of awe and the ten days of repentance, but rather, Judaism teaches us to conclude each day with a short self-accounting to review the good deeds we have done that should be continued, which inappropriate actions should be corrected, and what actions were done that could have been performed in a more worthy manner and should be improved in the future.

3. Protection against spiritual harm. The sages explain that during sleep at night, a person is surrounded by spiritual forces wishing to harm him, both spiritually and physically, and reciting the Shema serves as a protective shield, as if holding a double-edged sword by which he defeats these forces so that they are unable to harm him throughout the night. As the wording in the Talmud says, "Whoever recites the Shema upon his bed, it is as if he holds a double-edged sword...Whoever recites the Shema upon his bed, the harmful forces flee from him" (Tractate Shevuot, page 5), and as stated in the Jerusalem Talmud, "Why did they say a person needs to recite the Shema in his home at night – to drive away the harmful forces" (Berakhot, first chapter).

4. A gentile's bed. A Jew who sleeps at night without reciting the Shema is considered to have a gentile's bed, as mentioned in the Talmud "And do not sit on a gentile's bed. Some say do not sleep without the Shema" (Tractate Berakhot, page 8), and Rashi explains "so that your bed does not resemble a gentile's bed." In other words, sleeping without reciting the Shema causes one's bed to resemble that of a gentile.

Rabbi Shimshon David Pincus of blessed memory once said in a talk, "Those who get used to sleeping without the Shema live a quarter of their lives like a gentile! But those who habitually recite the Shema appropriately gain a quarter of their lives to sleep like a Jew! They are as if sitting in Hashem's embrace because they fall asleep with thoughts attached to Him, blessed be He. Their thoughts are occupied with the unity of Hashem and they cling to the divine of Israel. Such a small effort – and behold the difference!" ('Tiferet Shimshon', Parashat Balak).

The Weekly Challenge

Purchase a Shema leaflet according to your community's custom, place it on the nightstand beside your bed, and right before you fall asleep, recite the Shema. Recite the verse 'Hear O Israel' with the sections and the blessing 'Hamapil', which are essential and obligatory. If you wish, gradually add the recitation of verses and psalms from the order of the Shema, the confession, and the text "I hereby forgive and pardon". Your day will end one minute later, but with a night's sleep like a Jew.

For the text of the Shema on the bed, click here.

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