Although not all of the problems related to Shema were resolved in the course of this chapter, the parameters of “when you lie down, and when you arise” were elucidated and the framework of the obligation of Shema was established.

In Beit Shammai's opinion, the phrase “when you lie down, and when you arise” includes instructions with regard to the specific manner in which Shema is to be recited. There were Sages, even those affiliated with Beit Hillel, e.g., Rabbi Tarfon and Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya, who ruled in accordance with this opinion. However, this opinion was not accepted as halakha. The accepted ruling was in accordance with the opinion of Beit Hillel, who hold that “when you lie down, and when you arise” merely establishes the time frame for reciting Shema.

There were many disputes with regard to the time defined by “when you lie down,” in terms of both the beginning and the end of that period. The Gemara concluded that the beginning of this period is the time established as the beginning of the night in all halakhot, i.e., the emergence of the stars. The conclusion of this period in exigent circumstances is at the conclusion of the night, i.e., dawn. Due to the identity of the time of lying down with night, some of the blessings that accompany Shema were formulated to reflect the time that it may be recited: One of the two blessings recited prior to Shema is a blessing on the radiant lights: Who brings on evenings, and one of the two recited after Shema notes the preparation for sleep: Help us lie down.

The consensus with regard to Shema in the morning is that “when you arise” refers to the time when people arise from their beds, not the entire day. This period begins early in the morning, before sunrise, and ends early in the day, after one quarter of the day has passed, calculated either from dawn or from sunrise. Although the blessings accompanying Shema in the morning are fundamentally parallel to the blessings at night, with the exception of the blessing: Help us lie down, they are different in terms of their essence and emphasis.

Although the halakhot of prayer are not the topic of this chapter, the connection between Shema and the Amida prayer in the morning and evening is discussed. Shema is not always recited together with the Amida prayer, as in the case when it is recited in bed; nevertheless, the halakha is that Shema and the Amida prayer should be juxtaposed to every possible extent, as each complements the other.

Shema itself is analyzed in terms of the meaning of its component sections. The first two sections, Shema and VeHaya im Shamoa, include the mitzva of reciting Shema as well as the fundamental acceptance of the yoke of Heaven and the mitzvot. The third section, which deals with the mitzva of ritual fringes, mentions fulfillment of the mitzvot as well as the exodus from Egypt.

Although some opinions suggest reciting additional sections from the Torah, among them some that were recited during the Temple period, e.g., the Ten Commandments, these three sections alone were established as obligatory.