 Rabbi
Akiva patiently endured while his flesh was being torn with
iron combs, and died reciting the Shema. He pronounced the
last word of the sentence, "Echad" (one) with his last
breath (Talmud Berachot 61b). The Talmud says that when Jacob was about to reveal the
end of days to his children, he was concerned that one of
them might be a non-believer.
His sons reassured him immediately and cried out, "Shema
Yisrael." We are commanded to say the Shema
twice each day: once in the morning and again in the
evening. This requirement is derived from the verse: "And
you should speak about them when you... lie down and when
you get up" (Deut. 6:7). The Talmud explains that when you
"lie down and when you get up" does not refer to the literal
position of one's body, but rather designates the time of
day to say the Shema (Brachot 10b). |
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