Tehillim · The book of Tehillim
What do we say before sleep (the bedtime Shema)?
Before sleep we say the Shema at the bedside together with Psalm 91, placing the soul in the care of the Eternal until morning.
The last words of the day
The Jewish night has its own liturgy. Before sleep we say the Shema at the bedside — קריאת שמע על המיטה (keriat Shema al hamitah), the reading of the Shema upon the bed — together with Psalm 91, a psalm of shelter and trust. In these words we entrust the soul to the Eternal for the hours we cannot guard ourselves, and ask to be returned to the morning in peace.
Where this comes from
The practice is rooted in the Talmud, in tractate Berachot 60b, which speaks of the words said as one lies down to sleep. Psalm 91, long felt as a psalm of protection, is joined to it — so that the last thing on our lips is not the day's worry but the name of Heaven.
What to do
As you lie down, say the first paragraph of the Shema and then Psalm 91. Keep it unhurried; let it be the seal of the day rather than one more task. And if sleep takes you partway through, the intention was already offered.
Source: Talmud, Berachot 60b; Psalm 91.
When night comes and you would rather not search for the page, Kolí (the Tehillim for the moment you are living) opens straight to the bedtime Shema and Psalm 91, so the words are already waiting for you.
Open Kolí