Kids Daf Quest

Daf Yomi for kids · Talmud Bavli · Masechet Berakhot

Berakhot 9 for kids: Midnight and the Morning Light

ברכות ט׳

🌅 This daf asks: can you say the evening Shema after midnight if you waited too long? It also explores when the Paschal lamb could be eaten, and when morning Shema can begin, ending with the custom of saying redemption right next to prayer.

Daf Yomi day:

📖 Open Berakhot 9a in Daf QuestOpen Berakhot 9b in Daf Quest

In the app: the Gemara with Rashi and Tosafot, the printed page, games made from this daf, play coins and treasure chests.

Stories from Berakhot 9

Words to know

Rashi and Tosafot on Berakhot 9 in simple English

Rashi on Berakhot 9a, in English Tab translation (18)
  1. And the fact that it is called night — referring to what was said, that one fulfills the evening Shema obligation with it.
  2. Because there are people who are sleeping — so the verse 'when you lie down' can still apply to that time.
  3. Provided he does not say Hashkivenu — one who recites the evening Shema in the morning close to dawn should not recite the blessing Hashkivenu, since it is no longer the time for beginning to lie down to sleep, but rather the time when lying down is ending.
  4. That they got drunk — and fell asleep until after dawn had passed.
  5. In a time of pressing need — but not when there is no pressing need, in which case one may not rely on this.
  6. This is what they said to him — to Rabban Gamliel; the text should read 'this is what they said,' not 'rather.'
  7. Do the Rabbis disagree with you — meaning: do the Rabbis disagree with you, holding that when they say 'until midnight' they mean it precisely, understanding 'when you lie down' not as referring to the entire time people lie down, but rather to the time when people are typically occupied with going to lie down. However, on this point they disagree with Rabbi Eliezer, for Rabbi Eliezer holds that the time of being occupied with lying down lasts only until the first watch, while the Rabbis hold it lasts until midnight. And you hold that 'when you lie down' means the entire time that people are lying down, that is, the whole night. And when an individual disagrees with the many, the halakha follows the many.
  8. Or perhaps they hold like you — understanding 'when you lie down' to mean the whole time of lying down, and that their statement of 'until midnight' is merely a safeguard to encourage alacrity. However, where one was prevented by circumstances and did not recite before midnight, it is still within the time of obligation, and they are obligated and fulfill their obligation to recite the Shema in its proper time.
  9. They hold like me — the correct reading is 'and you are obligated to recite,' not 'you are permitted,' for even after its proper time we learn (on the next page) that one who recites from this point onward has not lost out, like someone reading from the Torah.
  10. The time of haste — this refers to dawn, as it is written, 'None of you shall go out of the entrance of his house until morning' (Exodus 12:22).
  11. One might think it should be eaten — like other sacred offerings, on the day of its slaughter, in the manner of a thanks offering, which also has an eating time of one day, continuing throughout the day of its slaughter and the night until morning, as is the law for a thanks offering, as it is written, 'It shall be eaten on the day of his offering' (Leviticus 7:15).
  12. Just as peace offerings are eaten for two days and one night — the night in between, as it is written, 'It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it, and on the next day' (Leviticus 19:6). So too the Paschal offering, since it is eaten only at night, let us establish two nights in place of the two days of peace offerings, so that it is eaten over two nights with one day in between — not that it should be eaten during the day, but that there be a waiting period equivalent to the day, so that it not become invalidated through the delay, and he could eat it on the second night. This teaches us that this is not so.
  13. There: 'You shall slaughter the Passover offering in the evening... as the sun sets... the appointed time of your departure from Egypt' — Here you have three different times. 'In the evening' means when the shadows of evening lengthen, that is, after midday when the sun has passed overhead and tilts westward. 'As the sun sets' means from when it becomes dark. 'The appointed time of your departure' means in the morning. How can all these be reconciled? 'In the evening' refers to the time of slaughtering; 'as the sun sets' is the beginning of the time for eating; 'the appointed time' is the time for burning, meaning that by morning it becomes notar, since the time for burning has arrived; but since sacred items may not be burned on a Festival, they wait until the following morning.
  14. Until when do you eat it? — this follows Rabbi Akiva's view; but according to the first tanna, the time for eating is only until midnight of that night and no longer, for otherwise what would be the difference between their opinions?
  15. All agree — Rabbi Akiva himself agrees that from midnight onward was the time of haste for the Egyptians, as they hurried to send the Israelites out of the land.
  16. They were redeemed from the evening — meaning permission was granted for them to leave.
  17. The haste of the Egyptians — refers to the plague of the firstborn, on account of which they hurried to rush Israel out.
  18. The haste of Israel — refers to the fact that Israel did not heed them to leave until morning.
Tosafot on Berakhot 9a, in English Tab translation (3)
  1. Actually it is day — And if you ask: why not teach the law twice as applying before sunrise, which would be a greater novelty, that even before sunrise is the time for reciting the morning Shema? The answer is, as we explained, that this reference to 'day' concerns other mitzvot, but regarding the recitation of Shema, since there are people still asleep at that hour, it is not yet considered the time of arising. One might object that this creates a contradiction between two statements of Rabbi Akiva, since here he says the time is after sunrise, while later (on the next page) he says 'from when one can distinguish between a donkey and a wild donkey,' which is even before sunrise. The answer is that these represent two tannaitic traditions cited in the name of Rabbi Akiva. Alternatively, one can say that it is considered day even regarding the recitation of Shema, since it is the time of arising, and the reason the Gemara does not state 'before sunrise' twice is to teach that one does not fulfill the obligation by reciting the night Shema after sunrise.
  2. Provided one does not say 'Help us lie down' — Rashi explains that this follows Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai's position, which refers to reciting Shema before dawn breaks. It seems to me that at that time it certainly is the time for lying down, so one could say 'Help us lie down.' Furthermore, the Gemara should have referred back to the topic it had just finished discussing. Rabbi Moshe of Coucy explains that this instead refers to the earlier case, before sunrise, which is why it says one cannot say 'Help us lie down' — because once dawn has already broken, even if it is still before sunrise, it is no longer the time for lying down.
  3. Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya says: Here it is stated 'on that night,' etc. — And if you ask: how can Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya hold that the time for eating the Paschal lamb is until midnight, when it is written, 'You shall not leave any of it until morning' (Exodus 12:10), which implies that one may eat it until morning? The answer is that he can explain the verse to mean: do not do anything that will cause it to become leftover (notar) by morning. For if it is not eaten by midnight, you will be unable to eat it, and you will also be unable to burn it that night, since we say that by day you may burn it, but you may not burn it at night — in which case it would remain until morning unburned, and thus become subject to the prohibition of leftover meat.
Rashi on Berakhot 9b, in English Tab translation (20)
  1. That righteous person — this refers to Abraham.
  2. Like a trap without grain — It is the practice of bird trappers to scatter grain beneath their traps so that birds will come and be caught; when there is no grain in it, no bird turns toward it. So too, they emptied the Egyptians of all their wealth. 'And they emptied' (vayenatzlu) is, as the Targum renders it, 'and they emptied out.'
  3. Like an abyss without fish — Like the depths of the sea; that is, in the deep water fish are not found, but rather near the shore, where there is food.
  4. It is enough for the trouble to come in its own time — It is enough for them to grieve over the trouble when it actually comes upon them; why sadden them now with harsh tidings?
  5. That You divert their mind — from the wicked scheme entering their hearts, to deny me and say that I brought this fire through sorcery.
  6. Mishna: sky-blue (tekhelet) — It is a green color, close to the shade of the leek [karti], called 'porez' [in Old French].
  7. One who reads from this point onward has lost nothing — for he is like one reading any passage of the Torah; although he has not fulfilled the obligation of Shema, he receives reward as one engaged in Torah study.
  8. Gemara: between the sky-blue and the white within it — A fleece of wool dyed sky-blue, which has spots where the dye did not take properly, remaining white.
  9. Wild donkey (arod) — a wild ass.
  10. For tefillin — to put on tefillin, since the mitzva of putting them on precedes the recitation of Shema, as stated in the second chapter (14b).
  11. Vatikin — humble people who cherish the mitzva.
  12. One prays during the day — for sunrise, according to all opinions, is considered day.
  13. What is the verse — that teaches there is a mitzva to pray at sunrise?
  14. For it is written, 'They shall fear You with the sun,' etc. — When do they fear You? When they accept Your awe upon themselves, namely, the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven accepted through the recitation of Shema.
  15. With the sun — meaning, when the sun comes out, that is, at sunrise.
  16. And before the moon — this teaches that the afternoon prayer, too, should properly be said at the time the sun is setting.
  17. That if he merits — to see, in the World to Come, the greatness of Israel.
  18. He will discern — how much greater their glory will be over the nations, compared to now.
  19. This shall be — this statement of Rabbi Yochanan applies to the evening prayer, where we are not concerned with juxtaposing redemption to prayer, since the redemption occurred during the day.
  20. For we learn it thus: 'Rabbi Yehuda the son of Rabbi Shimon said...'
Tosafot on Berakhot 9b, in English Tab translation (4)
  1. Rather, between the sky-blue within it and the white within it — Rashi explains this refers to wool dyed sky-blue, noting that in some places the dye did not take properly. But this is difficult, for we say in Menachot (43b) that this verse 'he saw this mitzva upon which another mitzva depends' refers to the mitzva of Shema, as the mishna teaches 'until he can distinguish between sky-blue and white.' Now if this refers to a fleece of wool, it has no connection to ritual fringes [tzitzit]. Moreover, at night too one can sometimes see wool that is not dyed as usual. Therefore, one must explain that 'between the sky-blue within it' refers to the sky-blue thread within the tzitzit, which had sky-blue fixed in it along with two white threads, forming a band of sky-blue and a band of white.
  2. Others say: until he can recognize his fellow, etc. — In the Jerusalem Talmud it asks: what are the circumstances? If referring to someone familiar, even at a greater distance he would recognize him; and if referring to someone unfamiliar, even up close he would not recognize him. It answers: explain it as referring to someone partly familiar and partly unfamiliar, like a lodger who comes only occasionally. And one must say that this opinion of 'Others' is not that of Rabbi Meir, since Rabbi Meir is discussed before them.
  3. For the recitation of Shema like the vatikin (early risers) — This is difficult, for earlier we ruled like the opinion that permits reciting from immediately after dawn, and later we rule in accordance with Rabbi Yehoshua, who says the time extends until three hours of the day; yet here Abaye, who is the later authority, rules 'like the vatikin,' implying that this is the halacha. One must say that indeed the time for reciting Shema begins after dawn and extends until three hours, but the optimal performance of the mitzva is like the vatikin, close to sunrise, in order to juxtapose redemption with prayer. Even the vatikin would agree with Rabbi Yehoshua that if one did not recite before sunrise, the time has not passed and one may still recite until three hours — and this is what we rely upon. Similarly in the chapter 'Mi Shemeto' (Berachot 22b), it states that regarding one who had a seminal emission and went to immerse, if he can go up and recite before sunrise, etc., and the Gemara there (25b) concludes 'perhaps like Rabbi Yehoshua and like the vatikin' — meaning that the mishna which states 'before sunrise, like the vatikin' shows that even the vatikin agree with Rabbi Yehoshua that the time does not pass until three hours. However, there is a difficulty, for we say in Yoma (37a) that she [the wife of Monobaz] also made a golden candelabrum, so that when the sun shone forth, sparks would emanate from it, and people would know that sunrise had arrived and that the time for the morning Shema had come — and the Gemara there explains this was for the ordinary people of Jerusalem, implying that the essential time for Shema begins after sunrise; yet this is not the practice of the vatikin, who recited before sunrise, close to it. One must answer that that particular time was established for the community because they were unable to advance and hasten like the vatikin, since most people cannot calibrate that precise moment.
  4. Anyone who juxtaposes redemption with prayer suffers no harm — One might ask: doesn't everyone juxtapose redemption with prayer? What, then, is the greatness of Rav Beruna, that laughter never ceased from his mouth? One must answer that this means: anyone who juxtaposes redemption with prayer in the manner of the vatikin, who recite Shema before sunrise and pray after sunrise.

Sources

Kid summary and story cards written by Tab from the William Davidson Edition English (Sefaria, CC BY-NC 4.0).

Tab translation (machine-assisted) of Rashi and Tosafot, from the Vilna Edition Hebrew (public domain) on Sefaria. May contain mistakes.

In the app, the Gemara text comes from Sefaria (William Davidson Edition, CC BY-NC 4.0; Hebrew/Aramaic Vilna Edition). Rashi and Tosafot Hebrew: Vilna Edition (public domain) via Sefaria.

Also spelled: Berachot, Brachos, Berachos, Brachot 9.