The recitation of the "Shemaa" which starts with "Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One," contains both the essence of the Jewish faith (the Unity of God) and the acceptance upon oneself of the commandments. The "Shemaa" consists of three paragraphs from the Torah and is recited twice daily, in the morning and in the evening. These texts are preceded and followed by several blessings which are different in the morning and the evening prayers. There are also differences between the blessings on weekdays from those on Shabbat and holidays. The three paragraphs from the Torah are however always the same: