Cf. Siddur, p. 42ff.
The sheliach tzibbur should include himself in the congregation by responding ברוך ה' המברך לעולם ועד (p. 42) together with (and not after) them. One does not respond Amen to this sentence.1
When saying יוצר אור (ibid.) one touches the hand-tefillin, and the head-tefillin when saying ובורא חשך.2
The first letter in the phrase למלך א-ל חי וקים (p. 44) should be vocalized with a kamatz.3
At the phrase beginning והביאנו לשלום (p. 45), one first brings the two front tzitzis together; these are then joined by the remaining one on the left and the remaining one on the right. All four are then held together between the fourth and last fingers of the left hand.4
“Though the customary order for bringing together and holding the tzitzis for Kerias Shema has been described in print, some of the details are still unclear. I shall therefore record what I observed of the Rebbe Rashab on this subject.
“He would first take the two front tzitzis in his left hand, holding them next to each other between the thumb and the middle finger (over which all four tzitzis would soon be arranged). He would then bring the left-hand tzitzis from the back of the tallis and place it to the left of the two front ones, and likewise take the right-hand tzitzis from the back of the tallis and place it to the right of the three that were already held in position. The tzitzis were thus held in the same order as they had been when they were freely suspended from the tallis, the two front ones then having been (as it were) enclosed by the two back ones.
“After this he would take the four tzitzis in the above order and draw them, from the palm outwards, between the last and fourth fingers. They then crossed the fourth and middle fingers, on the outside, and were again brought into the palm between the middle and index fingers. Finally, having crossed the inside of the index finger, they were held between that finger and the thumb throughout the Shema, including the stages when they were kissed.
“When it came to וראיתם אתו (p. 48) the [ends of the] two front tzitzis (which were now in the middle of the set of four) were taken up in the right hand, the order not being changed from the above.”5
The sheliach tzibbur concludes the blessing הבוחר בעמו ישראל באהבה (p. 45) quietly.6
One kisses the tzitzis six times, at the following places (pp. 47-48): ציצת, ציצת, ציצת, אמת, קימת, לעד.7
One passes the tzitzis over the eyes before kissing them.8
A worshiper who has not yet completed his reading of the Shema is nevertheless included in the sheliach tzibbur’s proclamation of ה' אלקיכם אמת. (I.e., these three words which he now hears read aloud bring his own reading too to its required total number of words, since he too is now reading the Shema.)9
One who prays alone should repeat the words אני ה' אלקיכם.10
The morning Shema may be read during the first quarter of the daylight hours. One must be especially careful in the summer, when daybreak is early, not to exceed this time limit.11
Throughout the year, the sheliach tzibbur recites the blessing גאל ישראל (p. 50) at [no less than] his usual volume.12
