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Ma’ariv is made up of Barkhu, the Shema and its accompanying blessings, the Amida, and Aleinu.
As we said above (section 3), there is a Torah obligation for a man to recite the Shema every morning and evening. There is also a Torah obligation to mention the Exodus from Egypt every day and night, fulfilled by reciting the third paragraph of the Shema (section 4 above). The Sages instituted the recitation of two blessings before the evening Shema and two afterwards. Three of these four blessings are parallel to the blessings recited before and after the morning Shema. The fourth blessing is Hashkiveinu, in which we ask God to watch over us during the night and while we sleep. (Outside Israel, some Ashkenazim insert another blessing at this point.) The Amida is recited immediately afterwards.
Originally, Ma’ariv was instituted as an optional, recommended but not obligatory, prayer service. (This is why a ĥazan’s repetition of the Amida was never mandated.) However, over the course of time, men took upon themselves to recite it, so it was considered obligatory by the Middle Ages.
One can recite the evening Shema once the stars are out, meaning three stars are visible. The exact time can be found in standard Jewish calendars. The ideal time for the Shema and Ma’ariv is by midnight; if necessary, they may be recited all night long.
These last two chapters are meant to provide the reader with a basic introduction to formal Jewish prayer. Consult traditional prayerbooks for further details.
