CHAPTER 1 Hear שׁמע Sh’ma It is important that the Sh’ma be recited audibly. The Talmud clearly directs that the command to “hear” can only be obeyed if there is something to which to listen: “One who recites the Sh’ma must do so audibly, as it says, Hear, O Israel … which implies: ‘Let thine ear hear what thy mouth utters’ ” (Meg. 20a). It is not enough to mutter the Sh’ma under one’s breath. Hearing, however, is not only something we do with our ears. There is an inner listening too. “When thou