Va’eschanan 6:4 · unit 8

TT #49 · Parashas Va’eschanan · Passuk 6:4

The Complete Passuk

שְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ יְהֹוָ֥ה ׀ אֶחָֽד׃

Hear, O Israel: Hashem is our God, Hashem is One.

Chabad.org — 6:4

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to the practice of the men of Yericho who “bundled” the Shema (Berachos 16a).

Sefaria — Berachos 16a

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
תַּנְיָא: אַנְשֵׁי יְרִיחוֹ הָיוּ כּוֹרְכִין אֶת שְׁמַע וְלֹא מִיחוּ בְּיָדָם חֲכָמִים. הֵיכִי הָווּ עָבְדִי? אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה: שֶׁהָיוּ אוֹמְרִים שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ ה׳ אֶחָד וְלֹא הָיוּ מַפְסִיקִין.

English: It was taught: The men of Yericho used to bundle the Shema, and the Sages did not protest. How did they do it? R’ Yehudah said: they would say “Hear, O Israel, Hashem is our God, Hashem is One” and would not pause.

On the daf / in context: The dispute concerns whether they failed to pause between “echad” and “ve’ahavta” (the pause that facilitates proper kavanah) or between other clauses.

Type of Learning

Custom — the practice of continuous recitation without the standard pause after the first verse.

What Is Learned

The men of Yericho recited the opening of Shema without the customary pause; the Sages did not protest, though the preferred practice is to pause for kavanah.