Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Berachot 2a: From what time does one say Shema בערבין?


בערבין means in the evening, not necessarily night. According to the Mishna (2a):



מאימתי קורין את שמע בערבין? [1] משעה שהכהנים נכנסים לאכול בתרומתן.
עד סוף האשמורה הראשונה, דברי רבי אליעזר. וחכמים אומרים:[2] עד חצות. 

FROM WHAT TIME MAY ONE RECITE THE SHEMA' IN THE EVENING? FROM THE TIME THAT THE PRIESTS ENTER [THEIR HOUSES] IN ORDER TO EAT THEIR TERUMAH1  UNTIL THE END OF THE FIRST WATCH.2  THESE ARE THE WORDS OF R. ELIEZER. THE SAGES SAY: UNTIL MIDNIGHT.

According to the Tosefta (nikkud and translation pulled from here):

מֵאֵימָתַי קוֹרִין אֶת שְׁמַע בַּעֲרָבִין?  מִשָּׁעָה שֶׁבְּנֵי אָדָם נִכְנָסִין לֶאֱכוֹל פִּיתָּן בְּלֵילֵי שַׁבָּתוֹת דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. 
וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים מִשָּׁעָה שֶׁהַכֹּהֲנִים זַכָּאִין לֶאֱכוֹל בִּתְרוּמָתָן. 
סִימָן לַדָּבָר צֵאת הַכּוֹכָבִים. 
וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵין רְאָיָה לַדָּבָר זֶכֶר לַדָּבָר (נחמיה ד:ט"ו): וְחֶצְיָם מַחֲזִיקִים בָּרְמָחִים מֵעֲלוֹת הַשַּׁחַר עַד צֵאת הַכּוֹכָבִים.


From when do we read Shema in the evenings? “From the time when people come [home] to eat their bread on Shabbat (Sabbath) nights,” [these are] the words of Rebbi Meir. And the Chachamim (Sages) say from the time when the Kohanim (priests)4 are able to eat their Terumah (heave offering). A sign for this is the coming out of the stars. And even though there is no explicit proof for this matter, there is an indirect reference: “… and half of them were holding spears from the morning twilight until the coming out of the stars.” (Nehemiah 4:15)
According to the brayta cited in Bavli (2b):
ורמינהו: "מאימתי קורין את שמע בערבין? משהעני נכנס לאכול פיתו במלח, עד שעה שעומד ליפטר מתוך סעודתו".
They pointed to a contradiction [from the following]: From what time may one recite the Shema' in the evening? From the time that the poor man5  comes [home] to eat his bread with salt till he rises from his meal.
And another brayta:
ורמינהו: "מאימתי מתחילין לקרות קריאת שמע בערבית? משעה שבני אדם נכנסין לאכול פיתן בערבי שבתות, דברי רבי מאיר. וחכמים אומרים, משעה שהכהנים זכאין לאכול בתרומתן. סימן לדבר, צאת הכוכבים. ואף על פי שאין ראיה לדבר, זכר לדבר, שנאמר: "ואנחנו עושים במלאכה וחצים מחזיקים ברמחים מעלות השחר עד צאת הכוכבים". ואומר: "והיו לנו הלילה משמר והיום מלאכה".
They pointed to a contradiction [from the following]: From what time may one begin to recite the Shema' in the evening? From the time that the people come [home] to eat their meal on a Sabbath eve. These are the words of R. Meir. But the Sages say: From the time that the priests are entitled to eat their terumah. A sign for the matter is the appearance of the stars. And though there is no real proof of it,6  there is a hint for it. For it is written: So we wrought in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rise of the dawn till the appearance of the stars.7  And it says further: That in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labour in the day.8
According to another brayta:
ורמינהו: "מאימתי מתחילין לקרות שמע בערבין? משעה שקדש היום בערבי שבתות, דברי רבי אליעזר. רבי יהושע אומר, משעה שהכהנים מטוהרים לאכול בתרומתן. רבי מאיר אומר, משעה שהכהנים טובלין לאכול בתרומתן. אמר לו רבי יהודה: והלא כהנים מבעוד יום הם טובלים! רבי חנינא אומר: משעה שעני נכנס לאכול פתו במלח. רבי אחאי, ואמרי לה רבי אחא, אומר: משעה שרוב בני אדם נכנסין להסב".
They pointed to a contradiction [from the following]: From what time may one begin to recite the Shema' in the evening? From the time that the [Sabbath] day becomes hallowed on the Sabbath eve. These are the words of R. Eliezer. R. Joshua says: From the time that the priests are ritually clean to eat their terumah. R. Meir says: From the time that the priests take their ritual bath in order to eat their terumah. (Said R. Judah to him: When the priests take their ritual bath it is still day-time!)11  R. Hanina says: From the time that the poor man comes [home] to eat his bread with salt. R. Ahai (some say: R. Aha). says: From the time that most people come home to sit down to their meal.
The Mishna in Yerushalmi is identical to the Mishna in Bavli:
דף א, א פרק א הלכה א משנה  מאימתי קורין את שמע בערבין משעה שהכהנים נכנסין לוכל בתרומתן עד סוף האשמורת הראשונה דברי ר"א.  וחכמים אומרים עד חצות. 
The gemara in Yerushalmi:
דף א, א פרק א הלכה א גמרא  אנן תנינן משעה שהכהנים נכנסין לוכל בתרומתן.  תני רבי חייא משעה שהכהנים נכנסין לוכל בתרומתן.  תני רבי חייא משעה שדרך בני אדם נכנסין לאכול פיתן בלילי שבת.  ותני עלה קרובים דבריהן להיות שוין.
Thus, a brayta from Rabbi Chiya: from the time the kohanim enter to eat their terumah.
And another brayta from Rabbi Chiya: from the time people enter to eat their bread on the night of Shabbat.
And they taught upon it: Their words are close to the same.

And in 1b:
סימן לדבר משיצאו הכוכבים.  ואף על פי שאין ראיה לדבר זכר לדבר (נחמיה ד) ואנחנו עושים במלאכה וחציים מחזיקים ברמחים מעלות השחר עד צאת הכוכבים וכתיב (נחמיה ד) והיה לנו הלילה למשמר והיום למלאכה.
This is an overview of the Tannaitic sources, without considering the analysis provided either by the Amoraim or the setama degemara.

Now, a bit of analysis from me.

I am not convinced that נכנסים of the Mishna is the same as זַכָּאִין of Tosefta. That is, perhaps, it is tzeis hakochavim when they may actually eat, since at that point they will be זַכָּאִין. But they enter,  נכנסים, their house and prepare themselves for the meal a little before that. So, the Mishna is actually saying a little bit before tzeis.


(Yet, it would be good to make the Tanna Kamma of the Mishna (the first half of the statement) correspond to the Chachamim of the Tosefta. And see how siman ladavar in Bavli and Tosefta are juxtaposed to zakaim; but in Yerushalmi might be associated with a nichzasim.)


Considering the brayta in the Tosefta -- Rabbi Meir's opinion:
מֵאֵימָתַי קוֹרִין אֶת שְׁמַע בַּעֲרָבִין?  מִשָּׁעָה שֶׁבְּנֵי אָדָם נִכְנָסִין לֶאֱכוֹל פִּיתָּן בְּלֵילֵי שַׁבָּתוֹת דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. 
When is that? Is that tzeis? I would guess that it is earlier. During the week, people work later and eat later. But on erev Shabbos, they leave off work earlier, accept Shabbos earlier. The Tosefta 5:1 speaks of the meal when it gets dark. This may be before tzeis.

Continuing:

וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים מִשָּׁעָה שֶׁהַכֹּהֲנִים זַכָּאִין לֶאֱכוֹל בִּתְרוּמָתָן
This would seem to be at tzeis, given the continuation. The pasuk of "ובא השמש וטהר" ((ויקרא כב, ז) needs interpretation to refer specifically to tzeis.


סִימָן לַדָּבָר צֵאת הַכּוֹכָבִים
A way of marking it, according to the chachamim. Though the specific size and type of stars are subject to further specification.

Continuing:
וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵין רְאָיָה לַדָּבָר זֶכֶר לַדָּבָר (נחמיה ד:ט"ו): וְחֶצְיָם מַחֲזִיקִים בָּרְמָחִים מֵעֲלוֹת הַשַּׁחַר עַד צֵאת הַכּוֹכָבִים.
Interestingly, there is no further clause of ואומר, for further proof from Nechemiah, in the Tosefta. This further proof appears in the brayta as cited in Bavli and Yerushalmi.

I would suggest that the proof from Nechemia is indeed part of the pesukim cited, but not necessarily the part cited. That is, the pesukim are:

טו  וַאֲנַחְנוּ, עֹשִׂים בַּמְּלָאכָה; וְחֶצְיָם, מַחֲזִיקִים בָּרְמָחִים, מֵעֲלוֹת הַשַּׁחַר, עַד צֵאת הַכּוֹכָבִים.15 So we wrought in the work; and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.
טז  גַּם בָּעֵת הַהִיא, אָמַרְתִּי לָעָם--אִישׁ וְנַעֲרוֹ, יָלִינוּ בְּתוֹךְ יְרוּשָׁלִָם; וְהָיוּ-לָנוּ הַלַּיְלָה מִשְׁמָר, וְהַיּוֹם מְלָאכָה.16 Likewise at the same time said I unto the people: 'Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labour in the day.'


Perhaps the focus should not be that tzait hakochavim is the definition of night, but rather either that (a) tzait hakochavim is the definition of sleep, with יָלִינוּ , לינה , connoting sleeping arrangements, which corresponds to ובשכבך; or (b) that it corresponds with the cessation of work, and thus the brayta cited וְהַיּוֹם מְלָאכָה. That is, perhaps ובשכבך has some connection with ending work; we see all of the examples for time to read Shema as when person X (kohen, normal person, pauper; on a weekday, on erev Shabbat) comes in from a hard day of work, in order to eat his meal. And we have the related gemara, describing the fence that Chazal instituted:
They learnt [in a brayta]: The Chachamim made a fence for their words, so that a person should not come from the field in the evening and say 'I will go to my house, eat a bit, sleep a bit, and afterwards will read Shema and pray', and [meanwhile], if sleep seizes him, he will end up sleeping all night. Rather, a man will come from the field at evening and enter the shul. If he is accustomed to reading [Mikra], he will read, if to learn, he will learn, and afterwards, he will read Shema and pray [Shemoneh Esrei]. And whoever violates the words of the Chachamim is liable to death.
Thus, again, we see the idea of a meal and sleep, after coming in from the field. It might then be this ending of work that the brayta is referring to.

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for starting this blog. I hope you will continue.

    Incidentally, are you aware of any resources that assist with the study of Tosfos on the daf?

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  2. thanks.

    indeed, there is Rabbi Nachman Kahana's Mei Menuchot, in English, available as a PDF download here.

    kol tuv,
    josh

    ReplyDelete