Prayer and Blessings
The Bedtime Shema for Someone Who Stays Up All Night
Question
Hello, honor of the rabbi, do we recite Shema al haMitah if we are not sleeping at night?
Thank you very much
Answer
Shalom and greetings,
According to Sephardi custom, even someone who stays awake all night recites Shema al haMitah a little before midnight, except for the blessing HaMapil (Ben Ish Chai, year 1, Parashat Pekudei, letter 14); however, according to Ashkenazi custom, there is no need to recite it at all.
With blessings,
Hillel Meirs
