Introduction to Shema and its Berachot (1) – Foundational Texts (1) – Mishna (Berachot and Tamid) & Yerushalmi Berachot 1:5, 3c
The next section of the siddur that I will analyze is the Shema and its blessings. As opposed to Pesukei d’Zimra, which had very few texts from chazal that overtly dealt with the topic, we now encounter a portion of the siddur with ample rabbinic material. These texts provide fertile ground for rishonim to struggle with the section’s deeper meaning and function.
These essays will proceed as follows. First, I present a few foundational texts that serve as the basis for subsequent deliberation. The remaining installments seek to answer the following three questions:
- What is the relationship of Shema and its blessings to the Amida? (סמיכת גאולה לתפילה)
- How do the berachot of Shema function relative to the Shema itself? (ברכת המצוה או ברכת שבח)
- How do the berachot function relative to each other (ברכות מעכבות)?
While these questions are somewhat technical in nature, they also provide a framework to help unpack some of the bigger themes of this section. Through a careful halakhic analysis, I hope to foreground some of the more spiritual messages that lie just beneath the surface of the Shema and its blessings. …