Va’eschanan 6:6 · unit 1

TT #45 · Parashas Va’eschanan · Passuk 6:6

The Complete Passuk

וְהָי֞וּ הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה אֲשֶׁ֨ר אָנֹכִ֧י מְצַוְּךָ֛ הַיּ֖וֹם עַל־לְבָבֶֽךָ׃

And these words that I command you today shall be upon your heart.

Chabad.org — 6:6

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to the requirement that the paragraphs of Shema (and of tefillin / mezuzah) must be written and read in their proper order — “vehayu be-havayyasam” (Menachos 32a / parallel).

Sefaria — Menachos 32a

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: וְהָיוּ — בַּהֲוָיָתָם יִהְיוּ, שֶׁלֹּא יִקְרָא לְמַפְרֵעַ.

English: The Sages taught: “And they shall be” — they shall be in their [proper] being, so that one not read them out of order.

On the daf / in context: The word “vehayu” is taken to require that the text remain in the sequence in which it was given; reversing the order invalidates the reading or the writing.

Type of Learning

Diyuk of “vehayu” as requiring the original order of the words and paragraphs.

What Is Learned

The paragraphs of Shema (and the texts of tefillin and mezuzah) must be written and recited in their proper order; reading or writing them backwards is invalid.