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The Shulhan Aruch records the custom of placing one's hand over his eyes in Shema in order to increase concentration. What about someone who wears glasses? Must he move them or remove them?

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4  
Not really an answer (because no source for it), but I've always just put my hands directly over my eyes, pushing my glasses up. – Alex Jan 25 '12 at 15:08
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@Alex, Same here. – jake Jan 25 '12 at 15:11
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perhaps knowing the reason why just closing your eyes is not enough may also help us with an answer to this question. – Menachem Jan 25 '12 at 17:25
@Menachem see Ydk's answer. – Hacham Gabriel Jan 26 '12 at 4:09

3 Answers

up vote 8 down vote accepted

http://www.chabadyavne.com/contents.asp?fid=82&av=2327

The Piskei Teshuvos 61:5 mentions from the Arizal that the hand has to actually cover the eyes. However the Kloizenberger Rebbe Zatzal held that you may just cover the glasses with your hand. In Chabad they lift the glasses and place the hand on the eyes.

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I wouldn't call it a Chabad minhag. It says that since the Lubavitcher Rebbe did it, many of his chasidim do it as well. (Or maybe they saw Alex doing it ;) – YDK Jan 25 '12 at 18:26
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@YDK, actually, that site doesn't say anything about the Rebbe and glasses (AFAIR, he never used to wear glasses in public anyway), just that he would actually have (some of his) fingers touching his eyes (as opposed, I guess, to just holding his hand an inch or two in front of them). Apparently people generalized from this that nothing should interpose between the fingers and the eyes. – Alex Jan 25 '12 at 20:53
Interesting, I guess that's why Rav Mordechai Eliyahu Zs"l I believe used to move his glasses while saying Shema. – Hacham Gabriel Jan 26 '12 at 15:27
up vote 6 down vote

Yalkut Yosef 61:4

ואין צריך להסיר המשקפיים בעת שנותן ידיו על עיניו בקריאת שמע.‏

He holds you don't have to remove the glasses.

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What is this book "Yalkut"? Shim'oni? – msh210♦ Mar 22 '12 at 14:25
@msh210: Yalkut Yosef, probably. – Alex Mar 22 '12 at 15:44
@Alex great guess. – Hacham Gabriel Mar 23 '12 at 20:43
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@DoubleAA seems you're correct. They didn't have glasses at the time of Yalkut Shimoni! – Hacham Gabriel Mar 23 '12 at 21:21
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@HachamGabriel, actually, they may have. Wikipedia says that glasses were invented about 1286; the date of the author of Yalkut Shimoni isn't known for certain, but the earliest manuscripts of it are from the early 1300s. – Alex Mar 23 '12 at 22:39
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up vote 4 down vote

I don't believe it says anywhere that you have to put your hand over your eyes.

"(They) are accustomed to pace their hands over their face when reading the 1st pasuk so that one won't stare at anything else that will deter him from concentrating." (SA OC 61:5)

It isn't clear from the Shulchan Aruch whether it is 1 hand or both. Although the source for the custom (Brachos 13: 2nd to last sec.) implies both hands, the Mishna Berura brings in the name of the Ata"z that the custom is the right hand.

The custom has morphed into covering the eyes which allows for the original intent of the custom. There is no indication that I need to close my eyes under my hand. If that were true, there would be no need to cover the face in the first place.

Leaving glasses on does not interfere with that intent and there is no custom to specifically take them off.

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+1. Perhaps the intent is to shade the face so it is impossible to look forward but possible to look down at the text. (On the other hand, in the good old days most people didn't have the text before them, I don't think.) – msh210♦ Jan 25 '12 at 18:33

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