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Deut 6 · Deut 11 · Num 15

Date

500BCE

c. 500 BCE to c. 900 CEapproximate date

The Shema gathers three biblical passages and is read twice daily (Shaharit and Arvit). Langer and Nulman describe traditional practice; Reif notes that in the talmudic period there is still no uniform fixed Siddur.

Religious historyBible and Second TempleRabbinic literature31.7772°N 35.2350°E
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From Temple to Talmud: each bar is an event of the period; this one is in coral.

Sourced narrative

Each block is a verifiable statement. The number opens the cited page; amber or coral blocks flag tradition or contested interpretation.

6 statements

01Three passages

For Langer, the Shema gathers three biblical passages (Deut 6:4-9, Deut 11:13-21, and Num 15:37-41); its name is the first word of Deut 6:4 ('Listen'). Nulman defines the Shema as a faith declaration recited each morning during Shaharit and again at night during Arvit, using the three classic biblical sections.

02In the rabbinic core

Langer summarizes that the rabbis structured their liturgy around three core elements: recitation of Shema, the Amidah, and the reading of Scripture, though much more was added over time. Reif notes that although Shema and Amidah basics are taking shape in talmudic sources, the wider rabbinic community still lacks one shared prayer-book and shows no uniform approach to detail among its groupings.

Context

Nulman defines Shaharit (from 'dawn') as the first prayer service of the day, in the morning. Nulman records Arvit as a name for the evening service (from erev, 'evening'), used interchangeably with Ma'ariv.

§ 01Geography

Where it happened

Gazetteer coordinates (Pleiades for ancient places; Natural Earth and Wikidata for modern ones) over modern physical geography (Natural Earth). Coastlines and the Dead Sea have changed since antiquity.
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§ 04Network

Connections

§ 05Bibliography

Further reading

  • Ruth Langer, Jewish Liturgy: A Guide to Research (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015), ch. 5 (Weekday Prayers).

    Weekday prayers: Amidah, Shema, and Siddur structure · recommended in Langer, p. 151

  • Macy Nulman, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer (Northvale: Jason Aronson, 1993).

    Encyclopedia of prayers and Ashkenaz / Sephard differences · recommended in Nulman, p. 15

§ 06Apparatus

Sources on this page

  1. 01Langer, p. 19inspect
  2. 02Nulman, p. 634inspect
  3. 03Langer, p. 17inspect
  4. 04Reif, p. 89inspect
  5. 05Nulman, p. 25inspect
  6. 06Nulman, p. 16inspect
  • Documented evidenceAttested by contemporary evidence: texts, inscriptions, coins, papyri or archaeology.
  • Scholarly reconstructionHistorians' inference from indirect evidence.
  • Tradition or narrativeA literary, traditional or religious account; significant in itself, but not independently verified.
  • Contested interpretationScholars explicitly disagree; see the positions in the debate.
  • Illustrative reconstructionA hypothesis or visual scheme to guide reading; not a historical claim.