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The prayer services revolve around the two central prayers of Jewish tradition, the Shema and the Amida. Let us begin with the Shema. It is a mitzva to recite it twice a day, morning and evening, because the verse states, “when you lie down and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 6:7). As we mentioned (21:16 above), this mitzva is obligatory for men and optional for women. The time for the morning Shema is from the first light of dawn until three seasonal hours into the day. The time for the evening Shema is from the time the stars come out until midnight, and all night long, if necessary. The exact times can be found in standard Jewish calendars. The central mitzva of the Shema is to recite the first verse, “Listen, Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is one.” While saying the words, one should accept upon himself the yoke of heaven. (See 21:16 above for what to have in mind.) Ideally, one should expand this acceptance by committing himself to act in accordance with his faith. This is why the Sages instituted reciting all three paragraphs of the Shema, as they deal with fulfilling God’s commandments.
