Mishnah Berakhot 1:1

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Contents 1 Introduction 2 Hebrew Text 3 English Translation 4 Explanation

Introduction

The Torah (Deut. 6:6–7) commands us to recite “these words… when you lie down and when you arise.” The “words” in question are Deut. 6:4–9 (with the addition of a line taken from the Talmud, Pesachim 56a), ibid. 11:13–21, and Numbers 15:37–41; collectively these are called the Shema, after the opening Hebrew word of Deut. 6:4.

This mishnah, then, begins by qualifying what is considered the time “when you lie down.” Specifically, this phrase can mean either “when people are going to sleep” or “when people are already sleeping”; the various opinions in this mishnah reflect this ambiguity.

Hebrew Text

English Translation

From when may one recite the Shema in the evening?

From the time when the kohanim (priests) enter to eat their terumah (agricultural gifts).

[It may be recited at any time] until the end of the first watch [of the night]; this is the view of Rabbi Eliezer.

The Sages say: [The Shema may be recited] until midnight.

Rabban Gamliel says: [It may be recited] until dawn breaks (lit. the column of dawn rises).

It once happened that [Rabban Gamliel’s] sons came from a place of feasting,

and said to [their father]: “We have not recited the Shema.”

He said to them: “If dawn has not broken, you are obligated to recite it.

“[This is true] not only in this case; rather, in all cases where the Sages said that [some precept can be performed only] until midnight — the precept is [still in force] until the break of dawn.

“[For example:] Burning the fats and organs [of the sacrifices, on the Temple altar] — this precept [can be performed] until the break of dawn.

“[Another example:] All [sacrifices] which may be eaten for one day — the precept [of eating them can be performed] until the break of dawn.

“If so, why did the Sages say [that these precepts can be performed only] until midnight?

“To keep a person away from sinning.”

Explanation

Terumah is a portion of the produce grown in the land of Israel, which is to be given to a kohen (a descendant of Aaron in the male line). The kohen must eat this portion in a state of taharah (ritual purity). (Today, since we are unable to purify ourselves from certain types of impurity, terumah is not given to a kohen; instead, it is discarded in a respectful manner.)

Some types of tumah (ritual impurity) can be removed by a three-step process: immersion in a mikveh (a natural pool containing at least 200 gallons of water), waiting until night falls, and offering a sacrifice in the Temple. The third step, however, is not necessary in order for a kohen to eat terumah; thus, nightfall — defined as when three medium-sized stars appear — is when a kohen (who became impure and immersed himself) can “enter [the city, since the mikveh was usually located outside the city limits (Tiferet Yisrael)] to eat their terumah.” (By phrasing it this way, rather than just stating that the Shema may be recited “beginning at nightfall,” the mishnah incidentally teaches us the law that a kohen may eat terumah before offering his sacrifice.)

The Gemara (Berakhot 3a) explains that the second stich of the mishnah (“From the time when the kohanim…”) is not part of Rabbi Eliezer's statement, but rather an anonymous (and hence universally accepted) opinion. (One may recite the Shema earlier, and indeed it is common practice to do so, but then it must be repeated again after nightfall.) The mishnah then digresses to discuss the latest time for reciting the Shema, which is the subject of a dispute.

First watch: There are various opinions as to whether the night is divided into three or four “watches.” The Gemara (ibid.) quotes Rabbi Eliezer as saying that there are three watches, so that “the end of the first watch” is four hours after nightfall. (According to most halachic opinions, these “hours” are proportional hours, meaning that the period from dusk to dawn is divided into twelve equal parts, each of which is designated an “hour”; their length thus varies depending on the latitude and the season of the year.)

The point of Rabbi Eliezer’s opinion is that he translates the verse (see Introduction) as “when people are going to sleep”; the “end of the first watch” is typically the latest time at which people go to bed, hence it is the deadline for reciting the evening Shema. By contrast, the Sages and Rabban Gamliel agree that the verse means “at the time when people are asleep,” which would mean the entire night. (As Rabban Gamliel points out, there is actually no disagreement between him and the other Sages: they all agree that the Shema should preferably be recited before midnight, as a precautionary measure, but that if this was not done — as in the case of Rabban Gamliel’s sons — it may be recited until dawn. The halachah follows this view. Ideally, though, it should be recited as early in the evening as possible.)

Burning the fats and organs: When sacrifices were offered in the Temple (and when this will resume with the coming of Moshiach and the rebuilding of the Temple), the essential parts of the service include: slaughtering the animal, sprinkling some of its blood on the altar, and placing certain fats and organs on the altar pyre. These steps must be performed during the daytime; the fats and organs can be burned anytime during the night, but if any of them are left over by morning, they become invalidated and must be burned outside the Temple precincts. (The Sages did not move up the deadline to midnight in this case, since there is no violation involved.)

All sacrifices which may be eaten for one day: Some sacrifices have portions that are designated for the kohanim, or for the owners, to eat, and there is a specific obligation for them to do so. Most such sacrifices may be eaten only on the day they were offered plus the following night; anything that remains uneaten by the next morning becomes invalidated and has to be burned, and one who eats the leftover portions incurs the penalty of kareit (spiritual excision). As a precautionary measure, then, the Sages instituted a ruling that these portions are to be eaten no later than midnight. The same rule is applied in the case of reciting the Shema, since failure to recite it at its proper time is a violation of a Biblical commandment.he:ברכות פרק א משנה א