As I have shared in this column before, one of the highlights of my week is teaching my Navi/Beur Tefillah class. This past week we took some time to learn about Keriat Shema Al HaMita, the Shema one says before one goes to sleep. When we begin a Beur Tefillah unit I try to focus on a part of davening that does not get a lot of attention, but is a mainstay of Jewish life and inspiration.
We learned about the content of the bedtime Shema. The theme of forgiving others and hoping for others to forgive us is how we begin. We pray for Hashem to give us a peaceful sleep. We thank Hashem for protecting us through difficult times. And, we are grateful that Hashem watches over us and will return our soul in the morning when we awake. We end with Adon Olam highlighting the words (which we often do not notice during tefillah)
בְּיָדוֹ אַפְקִיד רוּחִי, בְּעֵת אִישַׁן וְאָעִירָה
Into His hand I entrust my spirit, when I sleep and when awake
While the Shema has many spiritual messages for us, we also focused on the psychological benefits of ending one’s day with Keriat Shema Al HaMita.
In the article “Bedtime Shema- All’s Well That Ends Well” (Chabad website, author unknown) it discusses why the bedtime Shema routine is good for your mental health. “Psychologists who study dreams tell us that the last five conscious minutes of our day determine what we’ll be dreaming about at night. And we all know that how we slept at night determines a lot of how we perform the next day.”
We know all the research about the importance of disconnecting from technology before bed- allowing one’s brain to rest. What we do in bed before we sleep should relax one’s mind, and end the day. There has been much research on how to quiet one’s mind at the end of the day. Of course, once we get into bed, all our worries come to the fore. Some recommend a journal as a mindful way to evaluate the day, accept what happened and most importantly to let it go. I find that saying Shema plays the same role. It ends the day. It gives you the ability to draw a line between today and tomorrow. It allows you to “let it go.”
Rabbi Efrem Goldberg, in his article “How To Quiet Your Mind.” Rabbi Goldberg begins by sharing research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that says that a third of people are not getting the seven hours of sleep needed and it is “an escalating public health crisis.” Many are having a hard time falling asleep and are resorting to medications to help them sleep.
“We are living in a time of unprecedented noise; we can hardly hear anyone or anything let alone hear our own inner voice. If we are to be our best selves, we need to quiet so many of the distracting sounds and voices around us and in us… Some are constantly thinking about every possible problem that could arise, every reason they won’t succeed, everything that could go wrong. For others, the mind is filled with the noise of trying to juggle a million things, emails to return, phone calls to make, people to visit, tasks to get done, people to make happy. For yet others, the mind is overloaded with keeping up with the news cycle, with social media, pop culture, work, home and more. The common denominator is a cluttered mind, a distracted existence…. Who can find peace while awake or calmly fall asleep when your mind is on overdrive, constantly bombarding you with thoughts, worries and things to do?”
I maintain that saying the bedtime Shema can be part of the solution. The importance of shutting down one’s mind is more essential than ever.
So, why do we begin the bedtime Shema with the words, “Master of the Universe! I hereby forgive anyone who has angered or bothered me, or has sinned against me . . .May it be Your will, Hashem, my God and God of my fathers, that I shall sin no more nor repeat my sins, neither shall I again anger You nor do what is wrong in Your eyes”- focusing on forgiveness? When one thinks about the research to ensure restful sleep, these words are a perfect way to leave the day behind:
Sleep is a journey. As with any journey, you’ll come back more refreshed if you travel light. So now’s the time to leave the baggage behind—meaning, all those grudges and hard feelings that may have been collecting over the day.
We often end the day in bed thinking about the interactions we have had with others that were hurtful or regrettable. The Shema is a way to leave those feelings behind and start fresh the next day.
Saying Shema before bed is a way to pause, to empty one’s mind. Now you say the Shema Yisrael, declaring that behind all that happened today there is only One G‑d. Say it with intense mental focus and it cleanses the soul. And, we close our eyes when we say the first line to ensure that we concentrate on what we are saying and nothing else.
The author explains that saying the Shema accomplishes the 6 R’s:
Re-examine- one’s day. Look for the positives and let go of the negatives
Relax- Pause. Let go of the “maddening” thoughts of the day. Empty your mind.
Repent- Let your “mess-ups” go
Refresh- And forgive the mess-ups of others. Fresh start tomorrow.
Refocus- After the introductory paragraphs, you say the Shema Yisrael, declaring that behind all that happened today there is only One G‑d. Say it with intense mental focus and it cleanses the soul.
Re-entrust- Finish with the Hamapil blessing, requesting a peaceful night, entrusting your soul into G‑d’s faithful hands, and praising Him for that which you witnessed today, that His glory illuminates the entire world.
I will add one more “R”- reflection. Quiet reflection is a wonderful way to get to sleep with a “quiet mind.”
And, there is much research on stopping before one goes to sleep to reflect on what we are thankful for. In a research study Dr. Robert Emmons, a group of participants were asked to focus on gratitude before bed. The majority of participants who were in the gratitude group showed “significantly higher positive affects, satisfaction with their lives, optimism and, most remarkably, they slept better.” They slept more hours each night, fell asleep more quickly and woke up feeling more rested. All from just practicing gratitude before bed. These results have been replicated over and over. Shema is another opportunity for that pause for gratitude- for all that Hashem does to take care of you throughout the day.
And, all these tips can be applied to the bedtime routines we practice with our children- from even a young age.
And, of course, there is a plethora of research on the importance of having a bedtime routine each day- for both children and adults, in helping one’s body and brain be ready for bed, ensuring good sleep and minimizing problematic sleep behaviors. The Keriat Shema recitation, and all of the above that it accomplishes, is an important nightly routine to facilitate sleep.
At the same time I was teaching a unit on Keriat Shema with my students, I coincidentally came across Shema in a different setting around the same time. I have been attending a series of shiurim on Tehillim by Mrs. Peshi Neuburger. In learning about the battle of Dovid HaMelech with Goliat, we focused on the pasuk in Shmuel 1, 17:16
טזוַיִּגַּ֥שׁ הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֖י הַשְׁכֵּ֣ם וְהַעֲרֵ֑ב וַיִּתְיַצֵּ֖ב אַרְבָּעִ֥ים יֽוֹם:
And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.
Why did Goliat go out to skirmish with the Jews every morning and every evening? Rashi quoting the Gemara in Sotah 42b says,
השכם והערב. אמרו רבותינו (סוטה מב ב): כדי לבטלם מקריאת שמע:
Our Rabbis said: (He did this) in order to prevent them from reciting ‘Shema.’
The Gemara in Sotah 42a explains:
״וְאָמַר אֲלֵיהֶם שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל״. מַאי שְׁנָא ״שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל״? אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן מִשּׁוּם רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַי, אָמַר לָהֶן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל: אֲפִילּוּ לֹא קִיַּימְתֶּם אֶלָּא קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע שַׁחֲרִית וְעַרְבִית — אִי אַתֶּם נִמְסָרִין בְּיָדָם.
The Torah says about the priest anointed for war: “And he shall say to them: Hear Israel” (Deuteronomy 20:3). The Gemara asks: What is different in this setting that necessitates the usage of the phrase: “Hear Israel”? Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to the Jewish people: Even if you have not fulfilled any mitzva except reciting Shema of the morning and the evening, you will not be delivered into the hands of your enemies.
There is some power to the prayer of Shema that if they truly say it with kavana they will win against their enemies. Goliat knew the power of the Shema and he consequently tried to distract them from that mitzvah. It is something about the emunah and the connection to G-d that this tefillah creates that will lead to their victory and their ability to persist during difficult times.
This Gemara particularly struck home to me during the ongoing war in Israel when hearing over and over about the belief in G-d that has developed during this war. And, it was highlighted even more yesterday after hearing Rachel Goldberg, wife of Rabbi Avi Goldberg, z”l who was killed in battle.The incredible emunah that she has is what is keeping her going during this difficult time.
As we approach Purim this week, we focus on that no matter how desperate things appear to be, Hashem can save us in the end. Rachel Sharansky Danziger, who introduced Rachel Goldberg, shared that while the Jews were going through the battle of Chanukah or the terror of their potential annihilation of Purim, they did not know that things would turn out well in the end. They persisted with emunah. So too in Israel today. We battle with no end in sight, but we believe that Hashem will step in. And, especially during Purim, which was a time of הסתר פנים- when Hashem’s “face” was hidden, no one knew definitively that they would prevail. But, it was emunah that kept them going.
This Gemara In Sotah highlighted for me one more purpose/accomplishment of the bedtime Keirat Shema is our time to reiterate our emunah and belief that Hashem takes care of us. “Religion serves as a resource for coping with negative life experiences and existential fear, ” states Dr. Clay Routledge. One can more easily relax one’s mind before bed knowing and believing that Hashem will take care of you. And, simply the practice of sharing our worries with Hashem before bed lightens one’s heart.
As I shared with my students, Keriat Shema Al HaMita is not just a mitzvah. It is a mindful way to end one’s day with tranquility and hope.
Advisory Update:
Sixth Grade- Student did a “How Are We Doing?” lesson to check in to see how school is going.
Seventh Grade: Students learned about the impact of “upbeat thinking.”
Eighth Grade: Students began a unit on honesty versus cheating.
