Bedtime Shema Part IV

BEDTIME SHEMA PART IV

Repeat three times each of the following verses

:ךֶרְמְׁשִיְו הוהי ךְכֶרָבְי :ָ ךֶּּנֻחיִו ךיֶלֵא ויָנָּפ הוהי רֵאָי :םוֹלָׁש ךְל םֵׂשָיְו ךיֶלֵא ויָנָּפ הוהי אָּׂשִי

:לֵאָרְׂשִי רֵמוֹשׁ ןָׁשיִי אֹלְו םוּנָי‑אֹל הֵּנִה

:הוהי יִתיִּוִק ךְתָעוּשׁיִל :ךְתָעוּשׁיִל הוהי יִתיִּוִק .יִתיִּוִק ךְתָעוּשׁיִל הוהי

,לֵאָרְׂשִי יֵהֹלֱא הוהי םֵׁשְּב ,לֵאָכיִמ יִניִמיִמ

לֵאיִרְבַג יִלאֹמְּׂשִמוּ ,לֵאיִרוּא יַנָפְלִמוּ ,לֵאָפְר יַרוֹחֲאֵמוּ .לֵא תַניִכְׁש יִׁשאֹר לַעְו May God bless you and protect you. May God make His face shine upon you and give you grace. May God turn His face toward you and grant you peace.

See – the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.

For Your deliverance I hope, Adonai. I hope, Adonai, for Your deliverance. Adonai, for Your deliverance I hope.

In the name of Adonai, the God of Israel: May Michael [angel of loving‑ kindness] be at my right hand, Gabriel [angel of strength] guard my left, In front of me, Uriel [angel of light], Behind me, Raphael [angel of healing], And hover above my head the Shechinah, Presence of God.

THINK

Forgiveness is a concept even very young children understand. Studies have found that forgiveness evolves over childhood and that parents play an important role in the way their children understand forgiveness. Additional research has shown that children who are more forgiving are happier. Forgiveness is learned. We can get better at forgiving over time. A nightly forgiveness practice reminds children that forgiveness is always an option, freeing them from the burden of resentment and anger. While we cannot control what others do, we can control how we respond. The opening of the Bedtime Shema helps us model this for our children and instill a lifelong foundation for living with unencumbered joy.

CONNECT

Saying “I love you” to your child before they go to sleep might seem like an obvious part of your nightly routine. The second part of the Bedtime Shema can help you take this one step further. After you say the Shema, recite the words of the Ve’ahavta: Love Adonai with all your heart. Embedded in these words is an important message about what it means to love God, and be loved in return. If you ask your child who loves them, they will probably say you. If pressed, they will name other relatives and close family friends, maybe a pet. But what about God? If we don’t talk to our children about the love God has for us, how can we expect them to benefit from the power of that love, and a relationship with a Power greater than themselves? The Bedtime Shema is an opportunity to remind your children that not only do you love them, God loves them as well– more than they can possibly imagine.

PERSONAL PRAYER

Translated from Ladino, a Judeo-Spanish vernacular I lie in my bed, [the bed] of Miriam the Prophetess, I cover myself with a blanket of King Solomon. I place my soul in the hands of the Creator, who guards me from fear of death and threat. I secure my doors and windows with the seal of King Solomon. May Michael [angel of lovingkindness] be at my right, Gavriel [angel of strength] be at my left, and may the Shechinah, Presence of God, hover above my head. Protect me from evil and from severe illness. Save me from harsh pronouncements and from danger.

From the community of Crete