At the end of his life, Yaakov gathers his children together and proffers his last will and testament. The text in the Torah records a statement about each of his children. They include specific qualities about the individual and many hint at events in the future of the Jewish people.

בראשית מט – (א) וַיִּקְרָ֥א יַֽעֲקֹ֖ב אֶל־בָּנָ֑יו וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הֵאָֽסְפוּ֙ וְאַגִּ֣ידָה לָכֶ֔ם אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־יִקְרָ֥א אֶתְכֶ֖ם בְּאַֽחֲרִ֥ית הַיָּמִֽים:

Beresheit 49 ) —1( Jacob called for his sons and said, "Gather and I will tell you what will happen to you at the end of days.

The Talmud discusses this episode in relation to the manner of reciting Shema.

תלמוד בבלי – פסחים נ"ו.

רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר מַפְסִיקִין הָיוּ אֶלָּא שֶׁלֹּא הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וְעַד. וַאֲנַן מַאי טַעְמָא אָמְרִינַן לֵיהּ כִּדְדָרֵישׁ רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ. דְּאָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ {בראשית מ״ט:א׳} וַיִּקְרָא יַעֲקֹב אֶל בָּנָיו וַיֹּאמֶר הֵאָסְפוּ וְאַגִּידָה לָכֶם בִּיקֵּשׁ יַעֲקֹב לְגַלּוֹת לְבָנָיו קֵץ הַיָּמִין וְנִסְתַּלְּקָה מִמֶּנּוּ שְׁכִינָה אָמַר שֶׁמָּא חַס וְשָׁלוֹם יֵשׁ בְּמִטָּתִי פְּסוּל כְּאַבְרָהָם שֶׁיָּצָא מִמֶּנּוּ יִשְׁמָעֵאל וְאָבִי יִצְחָק שֶׁיָּצָא מִמֶּנּוּ עֵשָׂו אָמְרוּ לוֹ בָּנָיו שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ ה׳ אֶחָד אָמְרוּ כְּשֵׁם שֶׁאֵין בְּלִבְּךָ אֶלָּא אֶחָד כָּךְ אֵין בְּלִבֵּנוּ אֶלָּא אֶחָד בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה פָּתַח יַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ וְאָמַר בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וְעַד.

Talmud Bavli – Pesachim 56a

Rabbi Yehuda says: They paused, but they would not recite: Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever. The Gemara asks: What is the reason that we recite that passage: Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever, even though it does not appear in the Torah? The Gemara answers: We recite it in accordance with that which Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish interpreted homiletically. As Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said that it is written: “And Jacob called his sons and said, Gather around and I will tell you what will occur to you in the end of days” (Genesis 49:1). Jacob wanted to reveal to his sons when the complete redemption would arrive at the end of days (see Daniel 12:13), but the Divine Presence abandoned him, rendering him unable to prophesy. He said: Perhaps the Divine Presence has abandoned me because, Heaven forfend, one of my descendants is unfit, as was the case with my grandfather Abraham, from whom Ishmael emerged, and like my father Isaac, from whom Esau emerged. His sons said to him: Hear Israel, our father, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One. They said: Just as there is only one God in your heart, so too, there is only one in our hearts. At that moment Jacob our father said in praise: Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever, as all his children were righteous.

Our practice is that after reciting the first verse of the Shema, “Listen Israel Hashem is our God Hashem is One”, we pause before continuing. We insert the sentence “Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever” before continuing with the subsequent paragraph.

At first glance, this is indeed a strange custom. We generally avoid reorganizing the Torah (see Gemara Brachot 12b, Megilah 22a, the Rav’s Yartzeit Lectures in Memory of his Father, Vol 1, p.20). What is the impetus for breaking from this longstanding practice and placing this additional recitation in the middle of the Shema? The Talmud explains that when Yaakov gathered his sons at the end of his life, he wanted to “reveal to his children the end of days”, and was disrupted from doing so. He then wondered if perhaps a flaw was present among his children. In response, his children assured him that they all accept and affirm the Oneness of God. Yaakov responds with “Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever”. That is the source of our custom.

רמב"ם קריית שמע א':ד'

(ד) הקורא קריית שמע, כשהוא גומר פסוק ראשון, אומר בלחש, ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד, וחוזר וקורא כדרכו ״ואהבת את י״יז״ עד סופה. ולמה קורין כן, מסורת היא בידינו, שבשעה שקיבץ יעקב אבינו את בניו במצרים בשעת מיתתו, ציום וזירזם על ייחוד השם ועל דרך י״י שהלך בה אברהם ויצחק אביו, ושאל אותן ואמר להן, בני, שמא יש בכם פסולתח, מי שאינו עומד עמי בייחוד אדון כל העולםט, כענין שאמר לנו משה רבינו ״פן יש בכם איש או אשה״ וכו׳י (דברים כ״ט:י״ז), ענו כולם ואמרו לויא, שמע ישראל י״י אלהינו י״י אחד, כלומר, שמע ממנו אבינו ישראל, י״י אלהינו י״י אחד, פתח הזקן וענהיב, ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד. לפיכך נהגו כל ישראל לומר שבח ששיבח בו ישראל הזקן אחר פסוק זה:

Rambam – Laws of Reciting Shema 1:4

When reciting the Shema, after completing the first verse, one says quietly "Blessed be the name of the glory of His Kingdom forever." He then continues to read the first section in its normal fashion: "And you shall love God, your Lord…" Why do we read it in this fashion? It is our tradition that when the patriarch, Jacob, gathered all his sons together in Egypt close to his death, he commanded and urged them regarding the Unity of God and the path of God upon which Abraham and Isaac, his father, had tread. He asked them: "My sons, perhaps there are dregs among you, one who does not stand with me in the Unity of God?" This is comparable to the manner in which Moses, our teacher, said to us: "Lest there be among you a man or woman [whose heart turns this day from God...]" (Deuteronomy 29:17). They all answered and said: "Listen, Israel, God is our Lord, God is One," i.e., listen to us, Israel, our father, God is our Lord, God is One. The wise elder responded: "Blessed be the Name of the Glory of His Kingdom forever." Therefore, the Jews are accustomed to utter the praise that Israel, the wise elder, uttered after this verse.

It is noteworthy that the Rambam incorporates this Talmudic anecdote into his halakhic work, the Mishneh Torah. There are many engaging and informative narratives in the Talmud that elucidate our performance of various mitzvot. But they very rarely make it into the Rambam’s terse legal code (see his introduction to the Laws of Idolatry and the Laws of Chanukah for counterexamples). Why did the Rambam include this Talmudic account in his legal formulation? How is it integral to the performance of the Shema?

When we recite the Shema we are acknowledging God as the creator and sovereign of the universe. This is described as “accepting the Yoke of Heaven” (Mishna Brachot 2:2). This is indeed a personal declaration. But it also exists within a larger context. We are simultaneously affirming our participation and membership in a community spanning generations committed to this truth. Our acceptance and acknowledgment of God does not exist in a vacuum. This idea is reflected in Yaakov’s statement and our corresponding recital of "Blessed be the name of the glory of His Kingdom forever”.

תלמוד בבלי – ברכות ט"ז:

אֲמַר רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר: מַאי דִּכְתִיב: {תהלים ס״ג:ה׳} ״כֵּן אֲבָרֶכְךָ בְחַיָּי בְּשִׁמְךָ אֶשָּׂא כַפָּי״? ״כֵּן אֲבָרֶכְךָ בְחַיָּי״, זוֹ קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע. ״בְּשִׁמְךָ אֶשָּׂא כַפָּי״, זוֹ תְּפִלָּה. וְאִם עוֹשֶׂה כֵן, עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב אוֹמֵר: {תהלים ס״ג:ו׳} ״כְּמוֹ חֵלֶב וָדֶשֶׁן תִּשְׂבַּע נַפְשִׁי״, וְלֹא עוֹד, אֵלָּא שֶׁנּוֹחֵל שְׁנֵי עוֹלָמִים, הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה וְהָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: {תהלים ס״ג:ו׳} ״וְשִׂפְתֵי רְנָנוֹת יְהַלֶּל פִּי״.

Talmud Bavli – Brachot 16b

The Gemara cites an aggadic statement concerning prayer and the recitation of Shema. Rabbi Elazar said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “So I will bless You as I live, to Your name I will raise my hands” (Psalms 63:5)? So I will bless You as I live, refers to the recitation of Shema, and to Your name I will raise my hands, refers to the Amida prayer, which is characterized as lifting one’s hands to God. And if one does so, recites Shema and prays, the verse says about him: “As with fat and marrow, my soul will be satisfied” (Psalms 63:6). And not only does he receive this reward, but he inherits two worlds, this world and the World-to-Come, as it is stated: “With lips of joys [renanot], my mouth praises You” (Psalms 63:6). The plural, joys, refers to two joys, that of this world and that of the World-to-Come.

The Talmud in Brachot (16b) records a statement from Rebbe Elazar on our topic. He quotes a verse in Tehilim, “Then I shall bless You in my lifetime; in Your name I shall lift my hands” (63:5), interpreting it to refer to reciting the Shema and prayer. He goes on to explain that the daily recitation of Shema and prayer impact our life in this world and the world to come. Acknowledging and accepting the existence of God does indeed have implications both for our existence in this world and the next.

כד הקמח לרבינו בחיי – יחוד השם

גדול שכר ק״ש שכן ארז״ל בברכות (דף טו ב) בסוף פרק היה קורא מאי דכתיב (תהילים ס״ג:ה׳) כן אברכך בחיי בשמך אשא כפי, כן אברכך בחיי זו קריאת שמע בשמך אשא כפי זו תפלה ואם עשה כן עליו הכתוב אומר (שם) כמו חלב ודשן תשבע נפשי, ולא עוד אלא שנוחל שני עולמות העולם הזה והעוה״ב שנא׳ (שם) ושפתי רננות יהלל פי, וביאור כן אברכך בחיי זו קריאת שמע על שם שאנו אומרים ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד, בשמך אשא כפי זו תפלה על שם ברכת כהנים וקובע בזה שכר שהוא נוחל שני עולמות העוה״ז בק״ש ועוה״ב בתפלה. וידוע כי עיקר היחוד לימות המשיח שהרי בזמן הגלות והשעבוד אין סימני היחוד ניכרין כי זה עובד לשמש וזה לירח וזה לככבים ומזלות וזה לאש וזה למים ותרבה הכפירה בעולם בהכחשת האמת ויתהפכו הדעות בהתהפך האמונות, אבל לימות המשיח יאבדו כמה מן המלכיות וישובו כל האמונות לאמונה אחת ויהיה העולם מתוקן במלכות שדי ויסכימו כולם לעבודת השם יתברך בלבד לקרא כלם בשם ה׳ ולעבדו שכם אחד ואז יתפרסם יחודו של אלהינו בפי כל האומות, והוא שהבטיח הנביא לעתיד ואמר (זכריה י״ד:ח׳-ט׳) והיה ה׳ למלך על כל הארץ ביום ההוא יהיה ה׳ אחד ושמו אחד:

Rabbeinu Bachya – Kad HaKemach – Oneness of God

The reward of reciting the Sh'ma is great. The Sages have established's that one inherits both this world by virtue of his recitation of the Sh'ma, and the World to Come by his utterance of the Eighteen Benedictions which follow the Sh‘ma. It is well known that the principle of G-d's Unity will be universally recognized in the era of the Messiah. Presently, in the era of the exile and its subjugation, the signs of G-d's Unity are not discernible, for one person worships the sun, and another the moon or the stars and constellations. One worships fire, and another worships water. Thus, heresy increases in the world as the truth is denied, and opinions are altered as the religions change. In the Messianic era, however, many of the kingdoms will be abolished and all creeds will turn to the One Faith. The world will exist in perfection under the Kingdom of G-d, and all will agree to worship G-d alone that they may all call upon the Name of the Eternal, to serve Him with one consent. The Unity of our G-d will then be made known to all nations, as the prophet assured us of the future, And the Eternal will be King over all the earth; in that day shall the Eternal be One, and His Name One.

Rabbeinu Bachya expands on Rebbe Elazar’s statement. One of the objectives of the recitation of the Shema in the manifestation of God’s existence in this world. Across history this truth is at times muddied and confused, even distorted or hidden. But we remain committed to it, acknowledging it twice a day. The act of accepting this concept and incorporating it into our lives is itself an expression of the Divine will.

When we recite the Shema and accept the Yoke of Heaven, we are certifying our place as part of a multigenerational community committed to guarding and keeping this truth. We are also actively engaging in the manifestation of the name of the Divine in the world. Both these ideas are reflected in our statement of "Blessed be the name of the glory of His Kingdom forever”. We hope and pray and strive toward a time in the future when this reality will be apparent to all, where God, the Torah, and the Jewish people can be a beacon of truth to the entire world.

References

Baḥya ben Asher ben Ḥlava, & Chavel, C. B. (1980). Encyclopedia of Torah thoughts. Shilo Pub. House.

Maimonides, M., Touger, E., Kaplan, B., Abramson, Z., & Silverstein, S. (2007). Mishneh Torah. New York: Moznaim Pub. Retrieved from: https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/682956/jewish/Mishneh-Torah.htm

Rosenberg, A. (1980). A new English translation of the Hebrew Bible text and Rashi, with a commentary digest. New York: Judaica Press. Retrieved from: https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/

Steinsaltz, A., In Weinreb, T. H., In Schreier, J., & Hotsaat Koren (Jerusalem),. (2017). Koren Talmud Bavli, the Noe edition: Talmud Bavli. Retrieved from: https://shas.alhatorah.org/

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