M. II. 2-3. The Sections of the Shma‘ and their Order
The Sections of the Shma‘ and their Order.
M.II. 2. This is what is meant by "between the sections," viz.: between the first Benediction and the second; between the second and the Shma‘; 3 between the Shma‘ and, "And it shall come to pass if ye hearken"; 4 between "And it shall come to pass if ye hearken" and "And the LORD said"; 5 between "And the LORD said" and "True and sure." 6 R. Judah says: One may not pause between "And the LORD said" and "True and sure." 7
M.II. 3 (2 cont.). R. Joshua ben Qorcha 1 said Why does the Shma‘ precede "And it shall come to pass if ye hearken"? So that a man may accept the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven 2 first, and afterwards accept the yoke of commandments. [Similarly] "And it shall come to pass, if ye hearken" precedes "And the LORD said," because "And it shall come to pass, if ye hearken," applies both by day and by night, but "And the LORD said" applies by day only. 3