HaMaariv Aravim, or simply Maariv Aravim, is the first blessing before the

Shema ''Shema Yisrael'' (''Shema Israel'' or ''Sh'ma Yisrael''; he , שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ''Šəmaʿ Yīsrāʾēl'', "Hear, O Israel") is a Jewish prayer (known as the Shema) that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewis ...

and generally the opening prayer during Maariv. It is considered to be the parallel prayer to

Yotzer ohr Yotzer ohr (''Creator of light''), also known as ''Birkat yotzer'' (the ''yotzer'' blessing) or ''Birkat Yotzer Or'', is the first of the two blessings recited before the Shema during Shacharit, the morning religious services of Judaism. Translat ...

, which is recited in the same place at

Shacharit ''Shacharit'' ( he, שַחֲרִית ''šaḥăriṯ''), or ''Shacharis'' in Ashkenazi Hebrew, is the morning ''tefillah'' (prayer) of Judaism, one of the three daily prayers. Different traditions identify different primary components of ...

. Just as Yotzer Ohr speaks of the coming of light, HaMaariv Aravim speaks of the coming of darkness. HaMaariv Aravim and

Ahavat Olam Ahavat Olam ( he, אהבת עולם, ''Eternal love'') is the second prayer that is recited during Maariv. It is the parallel blessing to Ahava Rabbah that is recited during Shacharit, and likewise, is an expression to God for the gift of the Tora ...

being recited at the beginning of Maariv is seen as a preparation for the recitation of the Shema in the form of an affirmation of unity.

Theme

HaMaariv Aravim is a praise of God for bringing on the darkness, controlling the day and night, for ordering the

star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

s in heaven, and for the seasons.

Time of recitation

While it is preferable to recite Maariv after dusk, it is permissible to recite this blessing any time after plag hamincha, even if dusk has not occurred yet.

Alternative version for Sabbath

In the Italian rite (based on the Siddur or Rav

Saadya Gaon Saʻadiah ben Yosef Gaon ( ar, سعيد بن يوسف الفيومي ''Saʻīd bin Yūsuf al-Fayyūmi''; he, סַעֲדְיָה בֶּן יוֹסֵף אַלְפַיּוּמִי גָּאוֹן ''Saʿăḏyāh ben Yōsēf al-Fayyūmī Gāʾōn''; ...

), there is an alternative version of this blessing for the Sabbath, beginning with "asher kilah".Angelo Piattelli and Hillel Sermoneta (eds.)
Seder Tefillot ke-minhag benè Roma
Jerusalem 2014, page 117.

References

{{Jewish prayers Maariv Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish prayers and blessings