App Will Remind You: Say Shema

By COLlive reporter

A new “Shema Yisroel App” for the iPhone and Android operating systems will remind users of the proper times for reciting both the morning and evening Shema according to geographic location.

A free download, the app has an audible “say-along” feature, a multilingual transliterations of the first verse of the Shema and a display of all 3 chapters of the Shema in their original Hebrew text.

The app is the brainchild of Glenn Broder, owner of Glenn Broder and Associates, who has grown up in in Baltimore, Maryland and is a regular participant at Chabad of Oak Park in California and an avid supporter of Chabad of the greater Conejo Valley.

“He approached us with his newest idea of disseminating the words and message of the Shema on a scale never tried before,” said Rabbi Yisroel Levine, Director of Development of Chabad of the Conejo which worked with the Saber Team to develop the app.

“His vision was for the power and potential of the Shema to be conveyed to the masses, not in a preachy way, but in a creative, positive and appealing way, so that everyone – regardless of affiliation or level of observance – could absorb it and tap into it,” Rabbi Levine said.

Glenn Broder’s Shema Yisroel Project, launched at the recent Chabad of the Conejo Gala, utilizes various forms of colorful media and marketing paraphernalia to inspire Jews from all walks of life to “Recite it… Ignite it!”

“The marketing efforts relating to this project –including the production of thousands of brochures, wallet cards and refrigerator magnets, and now, the launching of this new Shema Yisroel App– which have been implemented thus far thanks to Glenn’s sponsorship, is only the tip of the iceberg of what is yet to come,” Rabbi Levine added.

Features of the app allow users to select how much in advance of the prescribed morning time, and how long after the prescribed evening time they would like the system to sound notification alerts in the form of soft beeps. It also provides the Shabbos candle-lighting times for the given geographical area.

“Although the Shema is technically a ‘prayer,’ it is much more than that,” says Rabbi Moshe Bryski, Executive Director of Chabad of the Conejo. “It is essentially a Jewish ‘pledge of allegiance’ to the one and only Master of the Universe and a powerful expression of the inner flame of G-dliness that is at the core of every Jewish soul.

“Reciting it at the appropriate times on a daily basis thus keeps one in touch with one’s inherent and unshakeable truth, no matter what issues or challenges one may be faced with on a given day. If nothing else, it provides an empowering, invigorating and elevating source of perspective on what it’s really all about,” he said.

DOWNLOAD:
+ iPhone Shema App
+ Android Shema App

For more information and to receive a complimentary Shema magnet or wallet card, visit shemayisroel.com.