EsoteriaA library of sacred & hidden knowledge
The Spellbook · Protection

The Spellbook · Judaism

The Bedtime Shema and the Four Archangels

How Jews say the bedtime Shema with the angel formula 'Michael on my right, Gabriel on my left, Uriel before me, Raphael behind me', and where it comes from.

  • TraditionRabbinic Judaism: Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 4b–5a and 60b; angel formula from midrashic tradition, found in medieval and later prayer books
  • ForProtection, Peace
  • DifficultySimple
  • Time10–15 minutes before sleep
  • WhenEvery night, as the last words before sleep

The Kriat Shema al ha-Mitah, "the reading of the Shema upon the bed", is the traditional Jewish prayer before sleep. Alongside the Shema itself and a blessing for sleep, it contains one of Judaism's most beloved protective formulas, in which the sleeper places four archangels around the bed and the Divine Presence above: "Michael on my right, Gabriel on my left, Uriel before me, Raphael behind me, and over my head the Shekhinah of God." Children learn it in song; adults say it as the last words of the day.

How to do it§

  1. Forgive. Many prayer books open with a short declaration forgiving anyone who has wronged you during the day, so as to sleep with a clear heart. Say it sincerely, in Hebrew or your own language.
  2. Say the blessing for sleep. The Talmud (Berakhot 60b) gives the blessing Hamapil, praising God "who casts the bands of sleep upon my eyes" and asking to lie down in peace and rise to life. Some say it at the end rather than the beginning; by custom, one does not speak after it.
  3. Recite the Shema. Say "Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one" (Deuteronomy 6:4), covering your eyes, then the blessing "Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever" and the first paragraph, "You shall love the Lord your God…" (Deuteronomy 6:5–9).
  4. Add the protective psalms. Recite Psalm 91, "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High", and in many rites Psalm 3, together called "the song against afflictions".
  5. Place the angels. Say the angel formula, traditionally three times. It is common to turn the head slightly or picture each angel in place: Michael at the right, Gabriel at the left, Uriel in front, Raphael behind, and the Shekhinah above.
  6. Add the verses of blessing. Many rites add the priestly blessing ("The Lord bless you and keep you…", Numbers 6:24–26), three times, and the verse from the Song of Songs describing sixty mighty men around Solomon's bed "because of fear in the night" (3:7–8).
  7. Close with Adon Olam. End with the hymn Adon Olam, whose last lines entrust one's spirit into God's hand "when I sleep and when I wake". Then lie down to sleep in silence.

Origins and history§

The Talmud discusses the bedtime Shema at length. Rabbi Joshua ben Levi is reported to have said that although one has recited the Shema in the evening synagogue service, it is a religious duty to recite it again on one's bed (Berakhot 4b–5a), and the blessing Hamapil is given in Berakhot 60b. The Talmud also describes the Shema as protection against harmful spirits, and Shevuot 15b names Psalms 3 and 91 as the "song against afflictions" recited before sleep.

The angel formula draws on midrashic teaching that four angels surround the divine throne, as the twelve tribes encamped on four sides of the Tabernacle in the wilderness (Numbers Rabbah 2:10; compare Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 4). Michael, whose name asks "Who is like God?", stands at the right as the greatest; Gabriel ("strength of God") at the left; Uriel ("light of God") before, giving light; Raphael ("God heals") behind. The sleeper is thus surrounded as the throne of glory is surrounded. Over the centuries the formula entered Ashkenazi and Sephardi prayer books, and Joshua Trachtenberg's Jewish Magic and Superstition (1939) noted its place among Jewish protective practices of the medieval period, where angel names were also inscribed on amulets for childbirth and sickness.

The kabbalists of Safed, especially followers of Isaac Luria in the sixteenth century, expanded the bedtime Shema with confession and meditations, regarding sleep as a nightly entrusting of the soul to God. Hasidic and Sephardi prayer books often print long versions, while many families keep the short core of Shema, Hamapil and the angels. In the twentieth century the formula became a popular children's song, Bi-Shem Hashem.

Variations§

Some say the angel formula once, others three times. On Sabbath and festival nights several penitential passages are omitted. Parents often say the Shema and the angels with young children, sometimes adding a personal blessing or the priestly blessing with hands on the child's head. Christian folk prayers placing four angels around the bed are a striking parallel.

Safety and good sense§

The prayer needs no candle; a dim night light is safer by the bed. The bedtime Shema is a comfort and a discipline of trust, but persistent nightmares, insomnia or fear at night deserve the help of a doctor or counsellor.

Sources and further reading§