BERAKHOT CHAPTER 1 MISHNAH 1
From when does one recite Shema in the evening? From the time when the Kohanim enter to eat of their Terumah. Until the end of the first watch. These are the words of Rabbi Eliezer. But the Sages say until midnight. Rabban Gamliel says: Until the pillar of dawn comes up. It happened that his sons came from a feasting house. They said to him, We did not read Shema. He said to them: If the pillar of dawn has not come up, you are still obliged to read. And not this alone but where ever the Sages stipulated “until mid night,” the mitzvah still obtains until the pillar of dawn. The burning of the fats and limbs may be performed until the pillar of dawn comes up. And all the offerings that are to be eaten in one day, the period of performing their mitzvah lasts until dawn. If so, why did the Sages stipulate “till midnight”? To keep one far away from transgression.

CHAPTER 1 MISHNAH 2
From when is the Shema read in the morning? When one is able to distinguish between tekhelet and white. Rabbi Eliezer says: when one can distinguish between tekhelet and green. And he finishes it until sunrise. Rabbi Yehoshua says, for such is the custom of princes to rise at three hours. Whoever reads from then onwards has not lost, like one who reads the Torah.

BERAKHOT CHAPTER 1 MISHNAH 1
From when does one recite Shema in the evening? From the time when the Kohanim enter to eat of their Terumah. Until the end of the first watch. These are the words of Rabbi Eliezer. But the Sages say until midnight. Rabban Gamliel says: Until the pillar of dawn comes up. It happened that his sons came from a feasting house. They said to him, We did not read Shema. He said to them: If the pillar of dawn has not come up, you are still obliged to read. And not this alone but where ever the Sages stipulated “until mid night,” the mitzvah still obtains until the pillar of dawn. The burning of the fats and limbs may be performed until the pillar of dawn comes up. And all the offerings that are to be eaten in one day, the period of performing their mitzvah lasts until dawn. If so, why did the Sages stipulate “till midnight”? To keep one far away from transgression.

KEHATI
“And you shall speak of them when at home and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up” (Deut. 6:7). This verse, which appears in the paragraph beginning with Shema Yisrael is the source, as the Sages of the Talmud point out, of the obligation of “Reading the Shema” twice daily: “When you lie down” – at night; and “When you rise up” – in the morning. The “reading” consists of three sections of the Torah: (1) “Hear 0 Israel…” (Deut. 6:4-9); (2) “And it shall come to pass…” (ibid. 11.13-21), which also includes “. . . to speak of them when at home.., and when you lie down and when you rise up,” and (3) the paragraph dealing with Tzitzit (Num. 15:37-41). The last section was incorporated in the Shema because of its reference to the Exodus, and also because there, too, it is stated: “. . . that you may remember and do all My commandments and be holy unto your God,” – which supplements the exhortation in the second paragraph, “and it shall come to pass, if you will hearken diligently to My commandments.”

The first three chapters of this tractate (Berakhot) deal with the laws pertaining to the “Reading of the Shema,” with the opening mishnah discussing the time factor in reference to reading the Shema at night. That the Tanna (the author of this mishnah) did not state at the very outset that such an obligation actually exists, i.e., that it is mandatory to read the Shema, is explained by the Gemara: The Tanna relied upon the fact that this obligation is explicitly ordained in the Torah, “And you shall speak of them.., when you lie down and when you rise up,” as mentioned above. Hence, the first mishnah begins with the problem of determining exactly the period when one lies down and the second mish nah with determining the period of rising from sleep.

Now since Scripture has placed “when you lie down” before “when you rise up,” mentioning the night-time before the morning, the Tanna fol lows suit and commences with the discussion of the Shema of the night time, and defers the discussion of the morning obligation to the second mishnah. Another reason for giving priority to the night-time obligation is mentioned in the Gemara, viz.: The Creation Chapter has: “and there was evening and there was morning..”, first evening and afterwards morning. Hence, our mishnah, too, adopts the same order.

From when does one recite Shema in the evening – At precisely which moment does the obligation of reciting the Shema at night begin?

From the time when the Kohanim enter to eat of their Terumah. Kohanim receive a share of each year’s agricultural produce, called Terumah. It is consi dered sanctified and may only be eaten by Kohanim when they are ritually “clean.” A Kohen who becomes defiled through leprosy or by having touched an object conveying defilement, e.g., a dead reptile, may not eat Terumah, as it is written (Lev. 22:4): “And from sanctified food he shall not eat, until the time when he shall become pure.” Hence a ritually defiled Kohen may not eat Terumah until he becomes purified first by immersion in a mikveh (ritual pool) and secondly by the onset of night, i.e., as long as the sun is still visible, he is still unfit to eat Terumah even though he has immersed himself in a mikveh. This qualification is derived from the verse: “And when the sun is set and . . . shall be clean, and afterward he may eat of the holy things” (Lev: 2.7).

According to the Gemara, the words “and be clean” do not refer to the Kohen (as the plain sense of the passage would seem to indicate), but to the clearing of all traces of the sun from the sky. Usage of the term “purification” or “clearing” with reference to the end of the day found its way into the vernacular of the inhabitants of Eretz Israel, as we find the term, Adaki Yoma, “the day became pure,” used idiomatically for the onset of the night, when the sun has set and the stars appear. Rambam (Laws of Terumah 1:2) rules in similar vein: “Kohanim who are ritually impure may not eat Terumah until the sun has set for them and three stars become visible in the sky, as it is written: ‘And when the sun is set and it (i.e., the sky) shall be clean.., and afterwards he may eat of holy things.” This then is what the mishnah conveys by: “From the time when the Kohanim enter to eat of their Terumah.” The Kohanim, whose task it was to serve in the Holy Temple, to disseminate knowledge of Torah among the people and to set an example by their punctilious and diligent observance, revert to their pure state upon the appearance of the stars at night. That very moment also marks the beginning of the obligation to recite the Shema.

The Gemara explains that the mishnah chooses the expression “the time when the Kohanim enter to eat of their Terumah” rather than “the appearance of the stars” as the time factor for reciting the Shema in order to teach us by implication that even a Kohen whose purification rites require, at their conclusion, the offering of a sacrifice (as in the case of one who suffered a flux, or a leper) may nevertheless eat Terumah, once he has immersed himself and night has fallen. The proof is explicitly stated in the verse, “And when the sun is set, and it shall be clean, and afterward he may eat of the holy things,” i.e., the state of purity in terms of Terumah is conditional upon nightfall and not on the bringing of a sacrifice. Others offer a different explanation: The mishnah stipulates the eating of Terumah as the beginning of night because the only direct reference in the Torah to sunset is in connection with Terumah: “And when the sun is set… he may eat of the holy things” (Shenot Elihayu). A further explanation is that since the first mitzvah of the day is the recital of the Shema (the Jewish day commences at nightfall), and Terumah is also referred to as the “first of the fruits” – “the first fruits of your corn, of your wine . .. shall you give him” (Deut. 18:4), therefore the mishnah chose to relate the Shema to Terumah.

It is also possible to ascribe the Tanna’s motive in referring to Terumah as being to urge people, by way of analogy, to recite the Shema with enthusiasm and anticpation. For when the Kohen eats Terumah, he fulfills one of the commandments of the Torah, as is evidenced by the fact that he is obliged to recite a special Berakhah over it: “Blessed… Who has sanctified us with the sanctity of Aaron and has commanded us to eat of the Terumah” (Rambam, Laws of Terumah, 15:22). Obviously, a Kohen who, after becoming ritually impure has performed his ablutions but is not permitted to eat Terumah, looks forward with anticipation to the setting of the sun and the beginning of the “new” day when he will revert to the state of ritual purity. We may therefore conclude that in order to give expression to the change in his physical and spiritual state, the Kohen will take advantage of the very first opportunity to eat his Terumah and not delay the fulfillment of the mitzvah even for an instant. (This apparently is the significance of the term, “enter to eat their Terumah” – they revert to their pure state for the purpose of eating their Terumah, as we have explained above.) Hence Hazal have stated that “from the time when the Kohanim enter to eat of their Terumah” marks the beginning of the period when Shema is to be read. Hence, just as the Kohanim arouse themselves with alacrity to eat their Terumah, so is it incumbent upon every Jew energetically to rouse himself to perform the mitzvah of “Read ing the Shema,” and thereby to accept upon himself the “Yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven” and the “Yoke of Mitzvot.”

The mishnah now turns its attention to the question of until when may Shema be recited?

Until the end of the first watch, i.e., until the end of the first third of the night, since the night is divided into three watches (Gemara).

‘These are the words of Rabbi Eliezer, based on his interpretation of the expression “and when you lie down,” meaning the period when most people go to retire for the night, and indeed most people do retire in the first third of the night. The Gemara explains that there were signs by which the division of the night into three could be discerned, hence the mishnah simply states: “Until the ‘end of the first watch.” When his name is mentioned without any further qualification, R. Eliezer b. Hyrkanos is meant (Ethics of the Fathers, 2:8).

But the Sages say that Shema may be recited until midnight.

Rabban Gamliel says: Until the pillar of dawn comes up, i.e., all night. His opinion being based on his interpretation of the same expression, “And when you lie down,” i.e., when people are lying down, which would include all night.

Various definitions have been applied to the concept A lot hashahar. R. Avraharn Eliyahu Kaplan offers a lucid and detailed explanation: “The initial rays of light in the East, known as Ayelet hashahar, “the morning dawn,” expand and lengthen for about an hour, until they seem to resemble a pillar of light. This pillar is called, “the pillar of dawn” (amud hashahar) and appears about an hour before the actual rising of the sun (Hanetz Hahammah). We also find the expression “the face of the East is alight” in reference to the onset of dawn; but there are divergent opinions among the Sages as to its precise meaning. Some claim that it refers to the “pillar of light”; others interpret it to mean Hanetz Hahammah, the first sparklings of the rising sun. Others again explain it to refer to the interval between dawn and sunrise.
It happened that his Rabban Gamliel’s sons came from a feasting house i.e., a wedding feast after midnight.

They said to him, to R. Gamliel: We did not read Shema; having been preoccupied, they had forgotten.

He said to them: If the pillar of dawn has not come up, you are still obliged to read. The Gemara explains his Sons’ dilemma. Do the majority of the Sages agree in principle with R. Eliezer that “when you lie down” refers to the time when most people go to retire for the night, and in their opinion this period extends till but not beyond midnight. In this case, then, the time limit for reciting the Shema had passed, and whoever had not yet read the Shema could no longer fulfill his obligation; and the view of the Sages is the accepted ruling, since it is always the majority view that is normative. Or else, perhaps the Sages, too, would explain “when you lie down” as referring to the entire period of lying down, and only limited its extent in order to spur the individual to perform the mitzvah in its proper time.

Rabban Gamliel accordingly informed his sons that the Sages agree with him in the interpretation of the term “and when you lie down.” Hence if the pillar of dawn had not yet risen, the obligation to read the Shema had not yet expired.

And not this alone. R. Gamliel added that not only in respect of the duration of the period for reading the Shema, did the Sages concur with him, even though they stipulated “until midnight”, &,X but wheresoever the Sages stipulated “until midnight,” the mitzvah still obtained until the pillar of dawn. In all cases where the Sages apparently limited the time till midnight, the obligation remains in force till dawn.

The burning of the fats and limbs of the sacrifices may be performed until the pillar of dawn comes up. If the blood of any particular sacrifice had been sprinkled on the altar on any particular day, then the fats and limbs were to be placed on the altar on the very same day and during the ensuing night – until dawn. Of the various sacrifices, the Olah – the burnt offering – was entriely consumed on the altar; as for the rest, the portions to be burnt are specified in Leviticus 7:15. Fats and limbs not placed on the altar within the allotted time become disqualified by virtue of having been left overnight, since Scripture ordains (Ex. 34:25): “…Neither shall the festal passover sacrifice be left until the morning,” and the halakhic procedure for all the other sacrifices is derived from this verse.

And all the offerings that are to be eaten in one day, i.e., in respect of all the offerings that are to be eaten on the day of their slaughter and the following night, such as Thanksgiving offerings, Sin offerings and Guilt offerings p the period of performing their mitzvah i.e., to eat them lasts until dawn. The source for this regulation is the verse concerning the Thanksgiving Offering (Lev. 7:15): “He shall not leave anything of it till morning,” which is extended to apply to all other sacrifices as well.

If so, that every mitzvah set for the night may be performed at any time during the entire night why did the Sages stipulate “till midnight”? – in respect of reading the Shema (our mishnah) and eating of the sacrifices (Mishnah Zevahim, Chap. V)? (In regard to the burning of the fats and limbs on the altar, the Sages did not, however, specify any limitation. This case was only cited in our mishnah to demonstrate that for “night mitzvot” the entire night is suitable. This opinion is voiced both by Rashi and by R. Ovadiah Bartenura. Rambam, on the other hand, rules that burning the fats and limbs is only permissible till midnight. The commentators are at pains to find the source for his decision. (See Tosefot Yom Toy ad bc.). The Vilna Gaon (Shenot Eliyahu) and R. Shiomo Ha’adani (Melekhet Shelomo) claim that the Rambam based his ruling on the mishnah Zevahim 9:6.

Nevertheless, why did the Sages stipulate “till midnight”?

To keep one far away from transgression. To spur the individual to perform the mitzvah with alacrity, and not postpone it till the last minute, lest he forget and not perform it altogether, or else perform it after the expiration of its time, and in the case of eating sacrificial animals become liable to the penalty of excision (Karet).

In discussing this Mishnah, the Gemara quotes the following baraita: “The Sages erected a fence around their words (by limiting the recital of the Shema till midnight) to prevent someone, returning from the field in the evening, from saying to himself: ‘I shall go home, eat a little, drink a little, take a short nap, and afterwards recite the Shema and the evening tefillah.’ Then he would dose off and sleep the whole night through. Instead, when someone comes back from the field in the evening he should go to the synagogue. If he is used to reading Scripture, he should read Scripture; studying Mishnah, he should study Mishnah and then recite the Shema and teflhlah, eat his food and recite the Grace after Meals” (Berakhot 4b).

CHAPTER 1 MISHNAH 2
From when is the Shema read in the morning? When one is able to distinguish between tekhelet and white. Rabbi Eliezer says: when one can distinguish between tekhelet and green. And he finishes it until sunrise. Rabbi Yehoshua says, for such is the custom of princes to rise at three hours. Whoever reads from then onwards has not lost, like one who reads the Torah.

KEHATI
From when is the Shema read in the morning? When does the time for the morning Shema begin?

When one is able to distinguish between tekhelet (blue) and white. These two colors have relevance to the mitzvah of tzitzit, since it is stated (Num. 15:38):

“And they shall put with the fringe of each corner a thread of tekhelet (blue).” From here we learn that one of the four woollen threads inserted into each corner of the garment must be colored tekhelet, only the dye extracted from the blood of the Hilazon snail (Menahot 44a) having the correct shade.

Our Sages taught: “Tekhelet resembles the sea; the sea resembles the sky, which in turn resembles sapphire, and sapphire the Throne of Glory,” and Rambam declares: “The tekhelet mentioned in the Torah… is like the color of the sky when the sun is at its zenith and the heavens clear.” The blue and white threads of the Tzitzit are intended, then, to attract the human eye and to rouse the viewer to be mindful of the Divinely ordained precepts, as is written: “And you shall look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them. . .” Now since the essence of the mitzvah is to remind us of our religious obligations, as is seen from the verse cited above, the wearing of the fringes becomes obligatory at that moment of the day when one is able to differentiate between the two colors. This is what the mishnah states: “When one is able to distinguish between blue and white” is when the morning Shema becomes mandatory, i.e., when there is sufficient natural illumination to distinguish between the blue and the white in the Tzitzit.

A baraita (Menahot 43b) enunciates the connection between the Shema and lzitzil: “And you shall look upon it and remember…’ Look upon this mitzvah and, by association, recall another. Which is that? The recitation of the Shema, as we have learnt: ‘When does the obligation to recite the morning Shema begin?’ When one can distinguish between blue and white.” We learn from another baraita (Berakhot 9b): “Others say: [ obligation commences] when one can recognize an acquaintance at a distance of four cubits.” Despite the different criteria adopted by the two baraitot, in practice there is no distinction, since, as is pointed out in the Yerushalmi, the degree of natural illumination necessary to distinguish between the coloring of the fringes and to recognize an acquaintance at four cubits is precisely the same. Consequently, both baraitot agree in defining the moment when reading the Shema becomes mandatory.

R. Eliezer says: The time for the morning Shema begins, when one can distinguish between tekhelet and green. This requires more light than to distin guish between blue and white, since the former two colors are similar. Targum Onkelos uses the word karti (translated as “green”) as the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew word for “leek,” a vegetable mentioned in Numbers 11:5. It is greenish-blue in color, a shade removed from pure blue. R. Eliezer chose colors existing in nature, the blue of the sky as contrasted with the green of the vegetation on the ground.

And he finishes it until sunrise, i.e., his time for reciting the Shema finishes when one can see the sparkle of the sun above the mountains on the horizon. It has been suggested that the Tanna deliberately chose the expression “and he finishes it” to teach that it is desirable to complete the reading of the Shema a moment before sunrise. This interpretation is based on a baraila (Berakhoi 9b): “The devoutly pious Vatikin – the humble who love mitzvot (Rashi) would complete their recitation of the Shema at sunrise so as to join the Redemption (the Berakhah, “Who redeemed Israel”) to the tefihlah (the Shemoneh Esreh), thereby reciting the teflhlah in the daytime” (i.e., the mitzvah of tefihlah is to be performed at sunrise and follows the prayer for Redemption: hence the importance of reciting the Shema immediately prior to sunrise.) It should be noted that in certain recensions of the mishnah, the word vegomrah, “and finishes it,” is omitted.

R. Yehoshua says, Until the first three hours of the day, i.e., the first quarter of the day. W for such is the custom of princes to rise at three hours. R. Yehoshua based his decision on the expression, “and when you rise up,” which he takes to refer to the period when the vast majority of people have already risen from their beds. The children of kings, however, usually rise towards the end of that period, and so the obligation remains in force until then. R. Yehoshua’s view is the accepted ruling in practice. Wherever R. Yehoshua is mentioned without further qualification the reference is to R. Yehoshua b. Hananyah (Ethics of the Fathers 2:8). The hours mentioned in the Mishnah are “relative” hours as opposed to the standard hours of sixty minutes. Relative hours are calculated by dividing the time between dawn and the appearance of the stars into twelve equal parts; each part is called a sha’ah zemanit. These hours are longer than the standard hour in summer and shorter in winter.

Whoever reads the Shema from then onwards, after the first quarter of the day has elapsed, has not lost, i.e., although he has failed to perform the mitzvah of reading the Shema, he nevertheless earns reward, being like one who reads the Torah.

Whoever reads the Shema after its set time is in effect reading the Torah. The Gemara explains “has not lost” to signify that he has not lost in respect of reciting the preceding and succeeding Berakhot attached to the Shema, as is explained below (mishnah 4). The mishnah accordingly teaches that even though the time for reading the Shema has expired, one may read it together with its preceding and succeeding benedictions. Although, in this case, he will not fulfill the obligation to recite the Shema in its prescribed time, he will nevertheless earn reward as does one reading the Torah.