Berakhot 016

1:
I have used the term 'school' for the Hebrew Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel in the sense of a school of thought rather than an educational establishment. While it is probable that during the lifetime of these two sages they did have students studying in their own Bet Midrash, afterwards, these two streams became part of the very fabric of Tannaïtic society. The fact that the presidency of the Sanhedrin was made hereditary in the House of Hillel (i.e. his descendants) is sufficient to indicate that the school of Hillel was much more widespread than the school of Shammai during the whole of the first century CE. When votes were taken in the Sanhedrin to determine halakhah, the school of Hillel was almost invariably in the majority. (One terrible exception was the bloody day some time during the 50's when an artificial Shammuti majority was obtained at sword point in order to pass 18 pieces of anti-Roman legislation. In the 60's the Shammutis were on the side of the nationalists whereas the Hillelites supported the peace-camp.)

2:
The discussion of this mishnah brings us back to the question that Reuven Boxman raised last week. Bet Shammai (as did Reuven) make a literal reading of the text: b^eshokhb^ekha (When you lie down) means that in the evening the Shema should be recited lying down, whereas the word uv^ekumekha (When you rise up) means that in the morning it must be recited standing up. Bet Hillel won't buy this, pointing out that such an interpretation does not fit the phrase "when you are on a journey": is everyone supposed to go on a journey every day in order to recite the Shema?! Please note that, in accordance with my explanation in Berakhot 016, both schools automatically assume that the text of the Shema indicates the time parameters of morning and evening.

To be continued.

Richard Friedman has written reminding me that in mishnah 1 he had suggested that the sons of Rabban Gamli'el were really asking him whether the sages agreed in principle with Rabbi Eli'ezer or with
Rabban Gamli'el. He continues: this reading was not original with me, though when I sent it to you I did not have sources available to check it. It turns out to be the reading of the Gemara [Berakhot 9a and see Rashi].

I respond:

Richard is absolutely right. If it were possible to send e-mail in colour I am sure that this response would be as red as my face!

Rémy Landau writes:

Perhaps I have missed some major detail. But it now seems to me that the Shema may be recited at any time of day or night. Is there some time of day or night in which the Shema may not be recited? And if so what specifically would that time zone(s) be?

I respond:

For the halakhic details concerning the Evening Shema see Berakhot 010. There is a time-span that lasts from dawn to about 72 minutes before sunrise during which it is too late for the evening Shema and too early for the morning Shema. The latter should be recited sometime from 72 minutes before sunrise until the end of the first quarter of daylight. Only these parameters yield the recitation of Shema at its proper time. During the second quarter of daylight (until noon) the Shema may still be recited with its berakhot (blessings) – and my guess is that this is what is done on Shabbat and Festivals in most synagogues of the diaspora where services usually don't even begin until about 9 am. From noon onwards the blessings may not be recited, and anyone who reads the Shema is "only" studying Torah – which is also not a bad thing!

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