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Is the Shema recited on the night of the Seder?

by Rabbi Simcha Bart

  

Library » Holidays » Passover » Seder » Laws and Rituals | Subscribe | What is RSS?

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The Seder night is called Lail Shimurim -- a night that is guarded: a night on which there is protection from harmful elements. “[The night of Passover] is a night of anticipation for the L-rd, to take them out of the land of Egypt; this night is the L-rd's, guarding all the children of Israel throughout their generations.”1

The Seder night is called Lail Shimurim -- a night that is guarded
For this reason we do not recite the entire Shema and the other prayers asking for G-d's protection that are usually said before going to sleep. We read only the first paragraph of Shema and the Hamapil blessing because on this night we enjoy special protection from G-d.2 Chabad custom is to do so only the first night. The second night of Pesach we recite the ordinary holiday Shema.

[Also based on this verse, many have the custom to leave their front doors unlocked on the first night of Passover – the “Guarded Night” – demonstrating their trust in the Guardian of Israel.]

Footnotes

  • 1. Exodus 12:42.
  • 2. Code of Jewish Law, Orach Chayim 481.

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Passover
A Biblically mandated early-spring festival celebrating the Jewish exodus from Egypt in the year 1312 BCE.
Chabad
Chabad, an acronym for Wisdom, Knowledge, and Understanding, is the name of a Chassidic Group founded in the 1770s. Two of the most fundamental teachings of Chabad are the intellectual pursuit of understanding the divine and the willingness to help every Jew who has a spiritual or material need.
Seder
Festive meal eaten on the first two nights of the holiday of Passover (In Israel, the Seder is observed only the first night of the holiday). Seder highlights include: reading the story of the Exodus, eating Matzah and bitter herbs, and drinking four cups of wine.
Pesach
Passover. A Biblically mandated early-spring festival celebrating the Jewish exodus from Egypt in the year 1312 BCE.
Shema
The most fundamental Jewish prayer, recited twice daily. This prayer, of Biblical origin, professes the belief in G-d's absolute unity.
G-d
It is forbidden to erase or deface the name of G-d. It is therefore customary to insert a dash in middle of G-d's name, allowing us to erase or discard the paper it is written on if necessary.