Outsiders often have the impression that Judaism stresses the performance of commandments over the inward “service of the heart.” This calumny sprouts from the libelous portrayal of the Pharisees found in the Christian Bible, and it cannot be further from the truth. Quite the opposite — the Torah demands awareness and comprehension of the holy nature of commanded actions and their source in the Divine.

The Talmud posits that the intention that is required to fulfill the obligation of the Shema must be of even higher caliber and of greater quality than that expected for other commandments. The source for this principle may be the very next verse of the Shema: “And you shall love the Lord our God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” The vav of the first word of the verse, “v’ahavta — and you shall love,” appears to be an additive construction, indicating the requirement that the first verse of the Shema be recited with an additional measure of love and signifying kavanah beyond that which is required for the fulfillment of other mitzvos (Ohr HaChaim, ad. loc.).

In order to address the unique requirements of the mitzvah of reciting the Shema, I will review briefly the four general kinds of intentions discussed by the Talmud (based on the Sefer HaShlamah, by Rabbeinu Meshulam, on the second chapter of Berachos). We will then focus on the kavanah that is unique and specific to the Shema.

We must keep in mind that kavanah is a generic term that the halachah uses interchangeably for a number of distinct and different concepts. It remains for the serious student to delineate and reconcile the apparently conflicting sources by clarifying and assigning specific concepts to particular passages. Fortunately, the Rishonim have already done this, each commentator in his own internally consistent way. Our goal is not to provide a comprehensive review of this topic but only to focus on the special kavanah of the Shema. Consequently, I will attempt to avoid extended consideration of sources that are not germane to that purpose.

The Four Types of Kavanah

1. Intention to fulfill the commandment. The first category of kavanah is the kind that is required of any commandment — the simple intention to fulfill a mitzvah. When a person reads the Shema, he or she should be aware that the purpose of the act is to do the will of the Creator Who commanded its performance. Whether this kind of intention is required post-facto (that is, whether the action is still valid without it) depends ultimately on whether the mitzvah in question is of rabbinical or biblical origin. Although subject to disagreement (Rosh HaShanah 28; Pesachim 114), the generally accepted approach is that biblical commandments require intention even post-facto, while rabbinically ordained obligations do not. The Shema is no different from other mitzvos with regard to this kind of intention.

2. Intention to read. What this means is that there exists a requirement to pronounce and enunciate the Shema properly. Most Rishonim understand it to exclude reading the Shema from the Torah scroll as it is being corrected. In such a case, the proofreader carefully pronounces the words as they are written but not as they read. This kind of reading falls under the category of misaseik, performing an action as a byproduct of some other activity. As an example, a person who unintentionally swallows a piece of forbidden fat while drinking a glass of orange juice will have performed that action as a misaseik. When the scribe has no intention to recite the Shema, he, in essence, pronounces the words with his lips but not his brain. Frequently he may not even pronounce them accurately but in a way that assists his process of correction. This kind of kavanah is generally disqualified for mitzvos that require recitations, not only for the reading of the Shema.

3. Reading it as a keva, in a manner focused on the Shema, and not as arai, or a secondary action (while primarily engaging in something else). Such a case is found in Berachos 16, which talks about a worker who reads the first verse or chapter while working at the top of a tree or on a pile of stones. Such a worker must stop working while reading the entire first chapter of the Shema. Failure to do so signifies a lack of this kind of kavanah. This requirement is specific to the Shema.

4. The unique kavanah of the Shema — keeping in mind that God is one and unique. As we discussed previously, God is both unique and unlike any other being or concept. He is also our King and involved in every aspect of our lives and the functioning of our universe. Awareness and concentration on this fact is uniquely required for the Shema. Despite differing opinions, the halachah has generally followed the view that this special kind of intention is specially required in the case of the Shema. However, although this special kavanah is classically spoken of in relation to the recitation of Shema, a similar awareness of standing before God in prayer may also be, even post-facto, necessary for the first blessing of the Shemoneh Esrei (Chiddushei Rav Chaim on Hilchos Tefillah 4:1 of the Rambam).