Every Jew can, in effect, sacrifice his life when he recites the daily Shema. Love of God “with all your soul” is a boundless love, loving Him to the degree that it means sacrificing one’s life for Him. For one who reads the Shema with this intention, it is as if he has died each day to sanctify the Divine Name.

When a person recites the Shema, and reaches the verse: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5), he should think about what the Sages said: “‘With all your soul’ – even if He takes your soul” (Berakhot 54a). He should submit his soul to God, may He be blessed, and decide to sacrifice his life for the sake of the sanctity of the Divine Name, and be willing to die for Him. This will be considered as if he was actually killed to sanctify the Name. This secret has been revealed to us through what the Sages said in the Sifrei (Va’etĥanan 7): “‘With all your soul’ – this is what the verse states: ‘For we are killed all day long for You’ (Psalms 44:23). Is it possible for a person to be killed every day? Rather, these are the righteous, who the verse considers as having been killed every day.” (Rabbeinu Yona Gerondi, Igeret HaTeshuva 11)

Even someone who is not actually called upon to die sanctifying God’s Name can reach that level of martyrdom through deciding to sacrifice his life for God.

Many Jews were killed at the time of the decree [the pogroms during the Crusades], and many decided to give up their lives but were then saved. A Jew whose name was Rabbi Shabtai saw in a dream another Jew named Rabbi Shabtai who had been killed. The murdered Rabbi Shabtai said: “All those who decided to die in sanctification of God’s Name share our reward in the afterlife.” (Rabbi Yehuda HeĤasid, Sefer Ĥasidim 222)