Berakhot 009

22:
Having given the interpretation of b^eshokhb^ekha according to Rabbi Eli'ezer and Rabban Gamli'el, we must now explain the view of the 'rest of the sages'. One of the interpretation rules of the Mishnah states that where the opinion of an individual is given and also the opinion of 'the rest of the sages', the halakhah is to follow 'the rest of the sages', as being the majority view. Thus it would seem that the views of both Rabbi Eli'ezer and of Rabban Gamli'el are rejected as halakhah, but this is not quite so. The view of Rabban Gamli'el is, in fact, recognized by the sages as being the 'correct' interpretation of b^eshokhb^ekha ["When you lie down"], but the sages invoke another halakhic consideration: "Make a fence around Torah" [Tractate Avot 1:1, 3:13]. The idea is that people are 'only human' and tend to leave duties until the last possible moment; when the duty is a sacred one it would be better that they think the 'last possible moment' to be earlier than it really is. Therefore, although the sages accept that the meaning of b^eshokhb^ekha is actually "throughout the night", they artificially pulled back 'the last possible moment' to midnight, thus ensuring that all who observe the terminus of midnight will have automatically observed the terminus of first light.

To be continued.

The growth in the number of subscribers to RMSG means that there is also a growth in the number of comments and questions. This is wonderful, but please keep your messages as short as possible!

Mordecai Miller has sent a message which is very long – even after I have savagely edited it! – but well worth the reading:

Here's another interpretation of why the Mishnah links Keriat Shema d'Arvit [Recitation of Shema in Evening] with the time when priests who were defiled can once again eat their Terumah. Only in a state of taharah [ritual purity] can one enter the Temple precinct and/or eat Kodashim [sacred food]. In our Mishnah, even though the kohanim [priests] have yet to bring a korban [sacrifice], they are allowed to eat their terumah. A reason given by the Torah is because it's the kohen's staple food, and that's why we can "bend" the rules a little to allow him to eat something that is kodashim despite the fact that he isn't yet completely tahor [ritually pure]. And that's the connection to the Shema! It's our staple, spiritual food. On the one hand to really say the Shema with all the correct kavanah [thoughts], to really appreciate all the implications of the passage, is next to impossible. In a sense, our lack of purity of purpose, of true dedication means that we are de facto liars (!) when we recite the Shema – but it's our leĥem [food]. And so we too are bound by the mitzvah to recite the Shema at the same time that the kohanim who lack complete purity eat their leĥem – and, despite our own lack of purity, we can gain proximity to God.

In Berakhot 007 I wrote concerning how we ascertain the exact time of dusk: There is no centralized ruling: people who wish to base themselves upon their own observation of the onset of dark are at liberty to do so.

Rémy Landau writes:

One of the questions that I think will eventually be of importance on this subject concerns the fact that there exist many places on this planet where the time from sunset to sunrise is many months, such as within the Arctic circle. Also, those involved in space travel do not have the kind of sunset to sunrise times described by the sages. What then would the observant Jewish Arctic explorer, or space traveler do in order to determine these halachically designated times for thevarious services?

I respond:

These questions have been addressed halakhically. In those parts of the globe where the 24-hour day does not have regular sunrise and sunset, one should follow the times of the nearest inhabited place where the usual phenomena are observed. A recent Jewish astronaut was instructed by the Chief Rabbi of Israel to observe Jerusalem time when in space. However, I suspect that the further away man manages to get from the mother-planet (and the longer he can stay away from it) the less that instruction will be deemed satisfactory. Let's not get bogged down right now with hypothetical questions: they'll actualize soon enough!

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