Commentary: On the Mishnah, Tractate Berakhot

From when does one recite the Shema‘ in the evening? From the time when the priests enter to eat their terumah,¹ until the end of the first watch. [m. Berakhot 1:1]

They say in explanation of this teaching that the expression “from when” introduces a question, namely, from what time does the period for the reading of the Shema‘ begin? Now this unattributed question of the mishnah was asked by R. Meir, and R. Eliezer answered him with the statement that it begins from the time when the priests, who have immersed that day, enter to eat their terumah. This is after sunset, as it is stated: Any man from whom the flow of seed goes out, etc., a person who touches any such thing shall be impure until the evening and shall not eat from consecrated food (Leviticus 22:4, 6).

The Gemara asks why the mishnah starts by discussing the evening rather than beginning with the morning, and the answer given is that night comes before day, as the Torah states: And there was evening and there was morning, one day (Genesis 1:5), and likewise it states [in the Shema‘ itself]: when you lie down and when you get up (Deuteronomy 6:7; 11:19), rather than the reverse: when you get up and when you lie down [see b. Berakhot 2a].

This mention of “the first watch” refers to the fact that the night is divided into three watches. The proof of this is from the episode of Gideon and his lads, where the verse states: [Gideon, and the hundred men who were with him,] came to the outermost part of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch (Judges 7:19), for if something is called the “middle” there must be one before it and one after it.

The mishnah continues:

And the sages say, until midnight; R. Gamaliel says, until dawn.

The law follows the opinion of R. Gamaliel, as stated in the Gemara that R. Judah explicitly said in the name of Samuel: The law is in accordance with R. Gamaliel. The reason for the opinion of the sages, that the Shema‘ may be read only until midnight, is to keep people far from sin, to fence them off so that they do not delay longer than the actual final time. As the mishnah itself says: If so, why did the sages say until midnight? In order to distance a person from transgression. The Gemara cites a teaching in explanation of this idea: The sages reinforced their stance, so that a person should not come home from the field in the evening and say, “I will go home, eat a little, drink a little, and sleep a little and then I will read the Shema‘ and pray.” For if he falls into a good sleep, he will end up sleeping all night. Rather, a person should come home from the field in the evening and go to the synagogue. If he is accustomed to reading the Bible, he should read. If he knows how to learn, he should learn. And then he should read the Shema‘ and pray [b. Berakhot 4b].

“From a house of feasting.”² That is, from a wedding celebration.

“And they said this not only regarding this case. Rather, whenever the sages said until midnight.” This is part of R. Gamaliel’s response to his sons. The ruling is correct not only in this particular case, namely, the reading of the Shema‘. Rather, there are a few other instances in which the same principle applies.

“The burning of fats and limbs.”³ There are two possible explanations of this law. First, that it is referring to the fats of the evening daily offering, i.e., if the priests were delayed for whatever reason and were unable to burn the fats and limbs of the evening daily offering, it is permitted to burn them all night until dawn. Accordingly, the Gemara states:

And why did they say that the evening prayer is not fixed? Because the limbs and fats that were not consumed before the end of the day would be sacrificed continuously throughout the entire night. [b. Berakhot 26b]

The second explanation of this burning of the fats is that of R. Se‘adya, in his commentary on the verse: The fat of My feast shall not remain all night until the morning (Exodus 23:18):

The Torah permits us to burn the fats of the Passover offerings at the beginning of the night, because their allocated time at dusk (Exodus 21:6) is too short for the slaughtering of the Passover offerings as well as the sprinkling of their blood and the burning of the limbs. Since the priests cannot manage to do all these during the period of “dusk,” scripture gave them more time and permitted the burning of its fats at night.

“And all that are eaten for one day,” i.e., the thanksgiving offering, as it is stated: And when you sacrifice an offering of thanksgiving, etc., and it proceeds to state: On that day it shall be eaten; you shall leave none of it until the morning (Leviticus 22:29–30).