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Torah · 3:57

What Kavanah Does R' Orlofksy Have When Saying Shema?

239 views · Mar 25, 2026

Rabbi Dovid Orlofsky

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Hi, this is Rabbi Lopian, with our question and answer series. An anonymous asks, "Hi Rabbi Lopian, when I was in seventh grade, my rabbi mentioned that if you don't have in mind the meaning of the first person in Shema, you aren't Yotzei. He then proceeded to ask every kid in the class what they had in mind and responded to each one, 'No, that's wrong. You were never Makayem Mitzvas Krias Shema in your life.' When he finished going through the class, he gave a little speech about how if you're an Am Ha'aretz, you miss out on Mitzvas. What he failed to do is actually answer the question." >> [laughter] >> It's now 15 years later and while I remember all this vividly, I'm still not sure what true translation and Kavana I should have. I checked a number of Siddurim and they all gave slightly different translations. Can you please clarify this? Okay. We just finished Krias Shema in my Tefillah online class that I give. And we spent a lot of time on it. And we

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  1. 0:00Hi, this is Rabbi Lopian, with our question and answer series. An anonymous asks, "Hi Rabbi…
  2. 0:32question." >> [laughter] >> It's now 15 years later and while I remember all this vividly,…
  3. 1:04went through it. But I obviously you're looking for a thumbnail answer to this question. There's…
  4. 1:35And one does not mean one as opposed to two or three or four. Cuz in…
  5. 2:07>> [clears throat] >> All the other gods they want sacrifices. They want stuff from you.…
  6. 2:37pleasure as the Mesillas Yesharim says. And that's what I think every morning. Shema Yisrael, Hashem…
  7. 3:08program still happening? Of course. My Pesach plans fell through. Do you happen to have any…

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