The Shema is a Jewish text that recognizes the singularity of G-d and the Jewish people’s relation to G-d.
Traditionally, it is recited twice a day during morning and evening services. It is a mitzvah to say it in the morning and at night.
It is also recited at some other moments, such as during Yom Kippur services.
The Shema has three paragraphs. For many observant Jews, the Shema is a deeply meaningful expression. For others, certain parts of the Shema present challenging ideas.
Text adapted from English Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0.