The Shema is a prayer made up of sentences from the Torah. It is usually the first prayer a Jewish child learns and is said or sung at bedtime. Jewish men and women also say the Shema as part of their daily prayers. When the Shema is said or sung at the synagogue on Saturday, everyone stands up.

'Shema' is Hebrew for 'hear' and is the first word of the prayer. The first two sentences of the Shema are:

Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one.
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your mind and with all your strength.

In the Shema, 'Israel' means all Jews, not just those who live in the country of Israel. The first sentence teaches Jews that there is only one God. This is a very important belief for Jews. The second sentence teaches Jews that they should love God above everything else.