Laws of Prayer and the Priestly Blessing, Chapter 7 (Auto Translated)

Laws of Prayer and Priestly Blessing, Chapter 7 – Other Blessings

Location of Study

Speaker 1:

We are learning the Laws of Prayer and Priestly Blessing, Chapter 7. Where have we learned until? Still details of the Priestly Blessing, which is still Laws of Prayer, Chapter 7, the seventh chapter of the laws of prayers.

Wonderful. We have learned, first of all let us mention and agree upon the praise of the important donors of our shiur, our dear friend, lover of Torah and its students, Rabbi Yoav Wetzberger, who is donating the shiurim, the first few shiurim, on condition and with the desire that the community should learn from this to donate the subsequent shiurim. With God’s help, we are presenting to the community, we don’t yet know how to send the donations. We will inform the community exactly how. Just as it is the custom after davening the gabbai goes around, or in the middle at “U’varuch David.” We haven’t yet reached “U’varuch David” in the order of prayer, but we see that the Rambam says that one must give tzedakah (charity) at that time.

Note: Tzedakah Before Davening

In any case, it is a great matter. The Rambam mentioned, yes, in the Laws of Prayer the Rambam did not mention that one should give tzedakah before davening, but in the Laws of Gifts to the Poor he says yes that one should give tzedakah before davening. Yes?

Speaker 2:

Okay, we will perhaps come to the order of prayer. We need to find it, have we seen it?

Speaker 1:

We must check it.

Speaker 2:

No, I believe you for now. It will be there, it makes no difference. It will be there. What does it say?

Speaker 1:

Yes, it says. Well, it has already come up. One gives tzedakah before davening. We need to find it. It says. Have we mentioned this?

Speaker 2:

I don’t remember.

Speaker 1:

Okay. Okay, we will perhaps find the source. We will come to it. We haven’t yet learned the end of the order of prayer. Until now we have only learned about the Shemoneh Esrei. The end of this chapter and the next chapter goes through the entire order of prayer from Modeh Ani until the end. Perhaps somewhere there we will see if he brings it.

In any case, the community should learn and add to the shiur. It doesn’t work for free. Everything is… Now we will learn like this.

Introduction: Structure of the Laws of Prayer in the Rambam

Speaker 1:

Okay, let’s say a small introduction like this. We have learned the essence of the Laws of Prayer, how the Laws of Prayer developed. After that we learned who is obligated, and those sorts of things. And there was one chapter that said the essentials, five essential things which means prayer, which we explained according to Rav Miller. And after that there were another eight, another eight conditions, that part are conditions and part are levels, that the prayer should be proper, how much a person should exert himself with prayer.

Now we are coming to a new type of matter, that the Sages instituted other types of prayers and blessings besides the three prayers a day. We already know that the fulfillment of the Torah commandment is only that one should pray in general. The Sages said that the prayer must have certain times during the day, and they instituted Shacharit and Mincha. Later, all of Israel further obligated themselves also in Maariv. So we know that one prays three times a day, but that’s because you don’t yet know everything. Also during the day the Sages wove in prayers.

Dispute: What Did the Sages Actually Do in Instituting Prayer?

So I want to preface here, before going further, I had a bit of a dispute between me and R’ Yitzchak. I don’t know who noticed, who follows the shiur, we’re not always on the same page, each one comes from his… We are both actually Teshuvah grandchildren, which doesn’t mean that I think like him or that he thinks like me.

And so I said like this, that the Rambam has given us so far much to hear what the soul means, what the Almighty means, what are the foundations of the Torah. And so far everything fits, more or less. So now, when we are going to learn further about how a person should mention the Almighty and the soul and all these matters every day, one must also look at how the Rambam rules on the language. R’ Yitzchak says, no, he brings the language in the siddur.

I think that it’s connected to a larger question: What did the Sages do? The Sages who instituted the prayer, were they engaged in words of Torah or were they engaged in kindness? I, as a Sanz grandchild, and now there is a Sanz Yitzchak, I say that one can say it like this, one can say that they were such masters of kindness. They closed the Gemara, the Chumash, everything, and sat down with the women and slaves and children, people who had stammering tongues, whoever has learned until now, that people davened very well, but they didn’t speak in any normal language, it was chopped Yiddish, English, not clear. So they did a kindness and they provided people with a language. And the kindness they did further, because people used to pray. And I want to tell you, we have again a question with Rabbi Yitzchak. The essential matter, so we have now spoken that we have learned here that several times a day there are prayers, just as one sees the sun, one puts on tefillin, one puts on tzitzit, one goes to sleep, several events of the day, whether their natural events, whether their events that the person does actions, there are prayers. And the text of the prayers is rabbinic, so says the Rambam. The prayer itself, seemingly, is like the essential prayer, that a person mentions even the Almighty, as the Rambam later says that when a person wakes up he says “Ah, thank the Creator,” there wasn’t any language for this. But with the Sages, for this a language was instituted, so that it shouldn’t be said with stammering. So the whole matter is a matter of kindness, helping people. Therefore there isn’t that the language, it can have a resolution, the language is what people can most easily remember, it’s a matter like a piyyut, and one cannot necessarily be precise in every word that it must teach something from it. So it turns into a dispute, yes?

Speaker 2:

Yes.

The Rambam’s Order: Structure Over Chronology

Speaker 1:

Let me say a bit what I have now grasped about this thing, about this point. Because we have seen, the Rambam begins “When the Sages instituted these words of prayer”, that is the prayers, he must already bring “words of prayer,” because the text of the prayer… He must already bring the text. Because the text of the prayer, seemingly, simply straightforward understanding, the text of the prayer is a longer thing. The Rambam will eventually bring the entire text of Shemoneh Esrei. The short blessings are all that he brings right here, because the order of the Rambam in the end is not really an order that one can use to pray, it’s more the longer texts. But those who know the order must also remember what is the order of the prayer.

And I want to tell you another reason, also very practical. He says here the order how one says this in the morning, yes? He goes out, when one finishes, one stands up, it’s according to the order of the day. The Rambam goes yes, he goes on the order, he also goes at the end of the chapter to say the entire order of prayer with Pesukei D’Zimra and everything. But when he comes to Shemoneh Esrei he doesn’t say the text, he tells you “and one says Shemoneh Esrei blessings,” you need to look somewhere else to know the text. So it’s not really set up practically what one can use.

But I want to say something further. The order of the Rambam is usually not that he accompanies you, he is like your calendar, he accompanies you in the day. But in the Laws of Kriat Shema and Laws of Prayer, these are the two times in the day that the Torah has as it were placed us in time. All other things don’t have times, for example Laws of Foundations of the Torah has no time and period. There are sometimes days that a person didn’t think of the Almighty, he wasn’t serving, but there are days that he was really the entire time engaged in the Foundations of the Torah. Kriat Shema and prayer force us into time.

So therefore, here even the Rambam who doesn’t make a Shulchan Aruch, here comes a Shulchan Aruch, because this is the order of prayer, which is calculated for us in a very limited state. Because our order would have begun, a book of law is a book of law, Orach Chaim. Our order would have begun, one says Modeh, whatever, the first blessing, and after that the second, and after that Shemoneh Esrei. The Rambam goes the opposite, the Rambam goes first, he goes in the structure. Even in prayer he goes essentially with the essential laws, he goes with the structure of prayer. There is what pertains to the Laws of Kriat Shema, which is a Torah commandment, a rabbinic commandment, or a bit Torah a bit rabbinic. There is rabbinic prayer, which means Shemoneh Esrei. After that there are other blessings which are even not on this level, yes, it’s seemingly a weaker level in the enactment of the Sages even than, I won’t now say if it’s a bit similar, but essentially it’s certainly a weaker level. You don’t yet know the Torah source of it, there’s no doubt that the essential prayer is Shemoneh Esrei. All these other blessings that we say always is also an enactment of the Sages, but it’s not on the same level. I don’t know exactly what the practical difference is if it’s not on the same level, it goes on the level of the stringency, of the definition of the matters. This is the order that the Rambam goes, already the order of the…

Question: Is Constant Mention of the Almighty a Torah Law?

My question here is, which would also explain the stringency of the matter, that in the midst of the matter of praying every day is indeed a Torah law, only the time and the text is rabbinic. The question is whether this that one should mention the Almighty the entire time is something a Torah law. The Rambam says later that a person must, “Your righteousness is like the mountains of God,” “The righteousness of Hashem in all His ways and kind in all His deeds,” that a person should think and mention the Almighty. He should mention the Almighty the entire time. But that is a bit different. If one could say that this itself, the very essence is a Torah law, and the Sages also added words to this. But the Rambam doesn’t say it clearly.

Speaker 2:

No, he can say. I wanted to think about this, but… But only, the language that the Rambam says at the end of the Laws of Blessings, he makes it, can he make it for a Torah law? Or somewhere where does he say it’s a Torah law? It’s not so clear.

Speaker 1:

You remember indeed that one should praise the Almighty. You remember indeed that the Mishnah has a dispute, but the law is not so. One admits to me, I think, that the Chatam Sofer’s idea says by Chanukah and by Hallel, by Purim, that one can say that there is a Torah obligation to thank the Almighty, and the Hallel is only a rabbinic enactment, that perhaps Purim is Torah law. But the Rambam, certainly the way the Rambam thinks of commandments is not so. That is perhaps the Ramban, the Ramban, the Chatam Sofer is built on a Ramban. But the Rambam doesn’t say clearly so. The Rambam when he says a commandment, he means to say do the action. The idea you can say in general, the 613 Torah commandments is indeed also only a certain specific way that you must do it. The idea of all commandments is indeed only one, two ideas: remembering the existence of God and the like.

So when you say that an obligation… Certainly is built all commandments, whether Torah law, whether rabbinic, are built on a… One can say truly, the great ideas, the basic things which are Torah laws. But you ask me about a certain action, you speak about the action, you don’t speak about the idea within it. Certainly the idea, to remember the Almighty is in general a commandment of love of God, is indeed in general a Torah commandment, there’s no doubt. I also thought that it can come out a great difference, that let’s say a person who is not careful about blessings, whether one should say that here there is also a Torah law from it of saying thank you to the Creator. He comes out of the bathroom, he says thank you to the Creator. It is yes there, it’s true. But yes, seemingly that is a subordinate way of doing a Torah commandment.

Parallel Between Prayer and Blessings in the Sages’ Enactment

Let’s think like this: There is Torah law a commandment of prayer. What the Torah law has no measure, so says the Rambam, it has no measure. Every day, some bit of measure the Rambam gave, we spoke about this whether it means really even every day, but it means seemingly without a measure. Come the Rabbis, they make, I wanted to say like this, they make three things, they taught three things: first of all a times, how many prayers a day; second, a text; third, a time, yes? Three external laws.

Seemingly these things they also make on the blessings, right? Because all these one hundred blessings, we have learned, there is an amount of blessings which to make every day, one hundred blessings every day, yes? Besides prayer, there are three prayers a day and one hundred blessings, so there is an amount. There is also a time, it’s not really a time in the day, but a time, I can say an occasion, when one rises from sleep and the like, and there is a text. They made also the text of the blessings, how to do it.

So, seemingly it goes with the same thing, they took a more formal thing, it would have been a nice thing to thank the Almighty for every thing, and they made from this a precise order. And still as part of their kindness organization that people shouldn’t speak stammering language, and should also have good suggestions.

Question: Is the Text an Obligation or a Suggestion?

Speaker 2:

So, ah, wait, that is another way, because but the Rambam learns seemingly that it’s an enactment, not only a suggestion. So if it’s an obligation to pray with us the text…

Speaker 1:

No, wait, wait, but you come to… One must say, the Rambam doesn’t say… You can ask a question, what when one says another text if one fulfills? The Rambam never says clearly the way, I said other Rishonim say explicitly clearly that one is yes fulfilled with another text. The Rambam sounds that it’s something stands. The Rambam brings in Birkat Hamazon the conclusion in the Laws of Blessings? I don’t remember. Okay. But the Rambam sees certainly that certainly initially there is a rabbinic commandment to say the text.

Proof from “In Any Language”

Now, still there is a question, even according to the Rambam there is a question. The Rambam himself has a responsum about this, if one has different versions in the Gemara, and today’s siddurim say differently. I don’t believe that the Rambam would say that it’s at all a problem and one doesn’t fulfill, because one must go with the historical text. I have a proof, because one can indeed say in any language. In any language is to say that one must say four things, the Rambam has clearly, no, no, the Rambam has clearly that not.

The entire Rambam was divided. The Rambam said by Kriat Shema that the opposite. The Rambam said yes, in any language, that when one does in any language one needs to make a good translation in that language. But the Rambam doesn’t say that it must be precise. The Rambam says he doesn’t understand the difference.

Perhaps Praise and Thanks is Torah Law?

I want to perhaps say something. Perhaps that the Rambam said that the essential concept that there should be praise and thanks, not necessarily requesting one’s needs, is perhaps a Torah law. It’s indeed implied in the verse.

Speaker 2:

I don’t agree. It’s clear that not, because you see that the prayer is…

Lecture on Prayer Formulations and Blessings Before Sleep

Speaker 1:

But I want to say perhaps by all prayers there is perhaps a certain, even let’s say it’s not the nusach (liturgical text), but it gives you a suggestion of what you’re asking for now. Because for example, let’s say when going to sleep, Chazal (our Sages) mention death here several times. “Now may You grant peace before You,” my children should be sustained, one is going to die. It’s perhaps a kind of, one doesn’t want to mention death so much, but one can at least look at what is the praise and thanksgiving, the request for needs?

Discussion: Does the Nusach Teach Us What We Should Say?

Speaker 2:

No, no, I don’t agree. I don’t agree. There’s a certain theme, something must be there. It shouldn’t be a random conversation with the Creator. It shouldn’t be a conversation with the Creator after eating and after going to the bathroom. It must be on a certain…

Speaker 1:

But that’s all still part of it not being lashon hedyot (common speech). That is, this is all part of the person thinking. No, this is all not an obligation. It’s not an obligation that one must speak about this. It’s all a matter that someone who just says “thank you” is somewhat childish. He says “thank you Hashem, thank you Hashem.” Okay, can you say something nicer? Do you have a nicer nusach? Very good.

The Chachamim (Sages) came and they made a takanah (enactment) that you should say a nicer nusach. Now, the takanah is that you should say a nicer nusach for everything. They even made a nicer nusach. You’re not uprooting their exact nusach, you’re not doing the nusach.

Chazal Elevate the Lashon Hedyot

Speaker 2:

Let me add a drop to your words. You can say this, that Chazal are here to elevate the lashon hedyot. Whatever the person groans just like that in his own language, they say it over in words. If I want to go to such an extreme, I would say for example, that at night when a person goes to sleep he thinks about dying, he thinks about yetzer hara (evil inclination) and pega ra (harmful encounter), because it could be, I don’t know, one might have bad dreams. Therefore they put it in a nusach. And in the morning one speaks about the new neshamah (soul).

So according to this, a person would basically have to do something, this is also that when he goes into an important meeting, whatever is important to him. This is the thing, the Gemara says that when a person thinks about the Almighty. We would see, we would see if there is a berachah (blessing) for your own meeting. I haven’t learned. These are only the berachot for things that are every day, you know, things that make sense.

Speaker 1:

It’s true that what Chazal made the nusach is approximately the language that people would now say. I already know what it is, one of those intimate things that the grandmothers say when going to sleep, when waking up. I know that, but say why. I wouldn’t be able to learn any fundamental principle of faith from that. Not the Rambam, and not the Aral Bereshvenim that Chazal learned from this.

Example of Yigdal

It’s not from the Rambam who had a Yigdal as my review. The Yigdal was written by someone much later, I don’t know who wrote it. But they can’t even for example. Various principles are mentioned that are stated. No! This is the Torah today! This is the Torah today! I’ll modernize this, I’ll want to be glad a little, but… I mean, I may be innovative. That the family or a certain Madison?! I need there about Moses. Listen, listen. I don’t see that he speaks about Moshe, please.

The Nusach is Beautiful Language, Not an Obligation on Content

Apart from what I think is, all of them… let’s say it means like you want the language of Yaakov and I already know what that means, that your children are whole. Let’s say it means that the messenger wants to say… It’s not the answer that this is what one must be concerned with when going to sleep.

Speaker 2:

Ah, okay. It has nothing to do with it.

Speaker 1:

But what… let me explain… but what… It’s a beautiful thing, a beautiful language, mittah sheleimah (complete bed). One goes to bed, a poet, someone who has beautiful language, remembers, ah, one can insert here a prayer about this. Okay, let’s insert it. But it’s not simply an obligation that every night one must need. I know. Either yes, or no. The whole point of the… many formulations, especially those that are more poetic, the whole point of them is that it’s beautiful language. When one gets up and says “pokei’ach ivrim” (who opens the eyes of the blind), and “pokei’ach ivrim” wasn’t a sin, but it’s beautiful language.

Perhaps One Can Learn Chazal’s Intention from the Nusach

Speaker 2:

I would think, that because Anshei Knesset HaGedolah (Men of the Great Assembly) made it, one can find here as if basically it should tell us that one must… Let’s say it says in Chazal that a person must be meharer (contemplate) every day about yom hamitah (the day of death). So one of the Anshei Knesset HaGedolah thought, “Ah, here I have an opportunity to as if shoot down two birds. I’ll mention here yom hamitah, I’ll mention here for a person that there is such a thing as a yetzer hara.” With what one says “hama’avir chavlei sheinah” (who removes the bonds of sleep), “the world will say yetzer tov and yetzer hara.” But one has here, one can see here as if Chazal are a bit teaching.

Why This is a Problematic Approach

Speaker 1:

I think that the lashon hatefilot (language of prayers)… I’ll tell you why I don’t like the teachings you’re saying, because this leads to many foolish things.

Speaker 2:

What makes foolish things?

Speaker 1:

A person will say, “It says here that one must pray for this every morning.” It doesn’t say anything! It says that one must pray. A Jew must speak about himself, he doesn’t need to speak common language, he must speak magnificent, beautiful, tasty words. And whoever is a poet, you know that…

The other point, let’s say, someone should say this, it says, you see a berachah “matir asurim” (who releases the bound). Why does one make “matir asurim”? When one’s limbs open up in the morning, it’s like “matir asurim.” A mussar teacher will come and say the derasha (homily), “One must feel like one is imprisoned.” No, not! One doesn’t need to feel anything! This is the beautiful way of saying… Instead of moving with the feet and I can move my limbs, the language is from a pasuk (verse) “matir asurim.” There is a pasuk, or a language from the prayer, I don’t know, a language “matir asurim.” Instead of saying “open,” it has no taste. “Matir asurim” is a beautiful thing.

An Alternative Approach: Chazal as a Chesed Organization

Speaker 2:

Let me try to take it to another way, like this. One can say that Chazal said this: They came into the beit midrash (study hall), they heard people saying prayers in common language, they thought about the prayers and they made prayers for them. A person who in common language would never mention any of these things, he was never obligated in this. Chazal didn’t obligate anything here.

One can say this, one can take it to the extreme, this is a chesed organization. Chazal were like the Satmar Rav, he went to the market to sell apples, he heard Jews davening in common language, he said, “What are people davening? What are people davening?” He took all these things in mind and he made for them. The common language person wasn’t obligated in anything here, because there was no takanas Chazal that one must daven this. Rather, a person must daven every day, and these are good formulations.

If a person has other concerns when he goes to sleep, for example every night he thinks again about the one child unfortunately who causes him anguish, or he thinks every night about the certain thing that hurts him, and he prays about it, he was yotzei (fulfilled) the prayer according to that. There’s no question that he’s yotzei.

But After They Made the Takanah

Speaker 1:

One can say that the nusach is me’akev (indispensable), and one can say that even the idea that they’re telling us here is me’akev. On the contrary, we know the basic that a person should daven to the Almighty all day. It’s an eitzah tovah (good advice) that one should help with the language, the “like” problem.

Speaker 2:

Yes, but after they made the takanah, it’s not just an eitzah tovah, it is a halachah, it’s a mitzvah.

Question: What About Other Prayers?

Speaker 1:

So let me ask one thing. The takanas chachamim, one can now say that for example if someone davened the prayer of R’ Elimelech or the prayer of R’ Nasan, wait a minute, he still wasn’t yotzei tefillat Shemoneh Esrei, but it could be that he already mentioned there all kinds of prayers and all kinds of things. It’s good, but it’s already something a takanas chachamim, it’s also elegant language.

Speaker 2:

No, but that’s what I’m saying, that’s a different question. What is a language that’s printed in a siddur? That’s already two questions. There’s one question, the halachic question: May one say other nuscha’ot? The answer is no. No, the answer is according to the Rambam no, according to other Rishonim yes. That’s in my opinion.

Rishonim Who Held That Nusach is Not Me’akev

I can bring you other Rishonim who didn’t insert a siddur in their sefer. Even if they did insert it, they understood more that the siddur is truly an eitzah tovah. Where you find other nuscha’ot for almost all berachot in the Rishonim of Ashkenaz particularly, they allowed themselves to write sometimes their own nusach on Birkat HaMazon even and the like, they didn’t hold that one must look in the Gemara and see the nusach.

Chovot HaLevavot and Prayer

And one who learns Chovot HaLevavot, he doesn’t think at all about prayer. He can throw himself into the prayers, and he can find certain prayers that it could also all be that they made in addition to the main prayers, not a proof. But it’s certain that there were other Jews who thought clearly that one may say other nuscha’ot.

Double Nuscha’ot in Our Siddur

So it seems to me, I also think that in our siddur simply there are many nuscha’ot that we are basically a double language, which is another nusach of the same thing. For example, what one says in the morning by Kriat Shema, the “Atah Hu” that went, the whole nusach “L’El Olam,” is a short introduction, it’s a nusach of Birchot Kriat Shema. It comes with a berachah at the end, “Baruch hamekadesh shimcha barabim.” And it’s basically a Birkat Kriat Shema. Think to see that it’s more or less… I don’t know what the structure is, it’s another nusach. It’s another nusach from where you won’t come, it’s another nusach of Birchot HaShachar. One is yotzei with this Birchot Yotzer. It’s more or less built the same, two berachot before and two berachot after.

It comes out that the matter of mentioning divrei Torah is repeated also several times. Which divrei Torah? One says divrei Torah after…

Birkat HaMappil and Kriat Shema She’al HaMittah

Introduction: The Nature of Birchot HaShachar and Seder HaTefillah

Again, the last Birkat HaTorah. Or is it also a Birkat HaTorah perhaps? Because one says a Birkat HaTorah, and afterwards one says again, as if one says the berachot, one says in the morning “Eilu devarim she’ein lahem shi’ur,” one already says “Eizehu mekoman shel zevachim,” and afterwards you do it again. Now, it could be that about this, that about that Birkat HaTorah it’s not just like that. In any case, you have much doubling. And it was certainly others who held that the paytanim, originally the nusach of the paytanim was that one said this instead of the berachah, as the mefarshim, yes, all these kerovot, for piyutim one said “Astemech David,” and there were no kerovot. One said at all the first berachah one said “Vayehi erev,” and this was instead of, one fulfilled the berachah to Hashem. So this was certainly the other shittah. There is a Rambam it seems that he held that it’s a takanah. But that’s one question.

The second question is, what is the meaning of the takanah? Let’s say yes, it’s a takanah. So the other question is, what is the peshat? Is the peshat that one should learn all these things? One should say mussar? One should think at night about this and in the morning about this, and the like? Or, as the Rambam lays it down it’s not that. The Rambam lays it down that there is a matter of davening, certainly there is a matter of davening twice a day, three times a day, there’s also a matter of davening in order, or praising, whatever one calls berachot. And the Chachamim said this, did a good thing, but not only did a good thing, also obligated to say it in this beautiful nusach.

About this, I think that one answers many difficulties that the people who are medayek differently have difficulty. What comes in a king’s different songs? It’s poetic language, it’s a beautiful way of saying. A great part of takanot hatefilah is that one should have a beautiful way of saying things. Certainly there are questions on this Rambam. I’m not saying there’s nothing to need, that every nusach has a certain kind of difference.

Tefillat HaDerech and Kriat Shema She’al HaMittah — A Comparison

I would say it a drop more something that can fit here. For example, earlier we had that if someone goes on a journey he should say Tefillat HaDerech. Did the Rambam mention Tefillat HaDerech? No. He doesn’t mention it. He mentions… I think we spoke about this at the end of the last shiur. But how no, well, the Rambam didn’t mention Tefillat HaDerech. He makes a short prayer instead of the Shemoneh Esrei. But he asks there for life on the way.

Isn’t that person also a holech lemitato lishon balailah (one going to his bed to sleep at night)? Isn’t it simple that when that one comes back he also must say, must he still be meshaleim (complete)? Because that night he didn’t go to his bed, he had other concerns. No, according to my calculation it fits very well this way, because at night one worries about dreams and one worries about death. By him Chazal gave a good suggestion. That night he rode around with a motorcycle, he had other concerns, he didn’t have that set of thoughts. But if he goes to sleep on the way he has the same. But he goes to his bed shema yamut (lest he die), just as he enters his bed shema yamut, he’s going somewhere to sleep.

It’s not an obligation, it’s a lifestyle. It’s like the person finished davening, he goes… No, the siddur is here like “and after the prayer he should now go work,” and afterwards he should come back here to the next page, yes? No, it’s a different question. The Rambam holds this way. The Rambam will tell you that one says the berachot only when one is obligated in them.

Halachah Aleph: When a Person Enters His Bed to Sleep at Night — Birkat HaMappil

Okay, let’s begin, we haven’t spoken for about twenty minutes about the investigations. But we must go through the whole order. There are very many berachot in this chapter, so we need to move.

“When a person enters his bed to sleep at night, he blesses…”

The Gemara said “and these are words of prayers,” at the same time it also said, “and this is prayer,” it also has a din of prayer derabbanan (rabbinically ordained). So when someone doesn’t do the berachot it’s simple that he’s not following the nusach hatefilah of the Chachamim.

What must one say when one goes into bed to sleep at night? The first is the berachah of HaMappil. Here it begins at night, after Ma’ariv. We already spoke about Ma’ariv earlier. What is the next? It begins from the beginning of the day, which is at night. One goes to sleep, one says a special berachah.

Nusach HaBerachah: HaMappil Chavlei Sheinah

When one goes into bed, one says a beautiful HaMappil, a beautiful Aleinu, so the simple translation is that the Almighty makes me fall asleep. He says it in a beautiful way, that the Almighty casts down, such a poetic way, that the Almighty casts down little ropes. If someone wanted to make a painting of falling asleep, he would make that here are little angel pieces and they have little ropes, they pull down his eyes and they put him to sleep, the shades, the window shades of the eyes.

“U’meir le’ishon bat ayin”, and the same Almighty when He wakes up, He illuminates to the ishon bat ayin, to the center of the eye, with the pupil of the eye, the part of the eye that makes him see. That is the ishon, that is the main thing.

This is the berachah. The berachah is that the Almighty, it’s very interesting, in the morning, what happens in the morning? It’s very interesting, the sun shines in, that’s the way how people wake up when they’re in nature, the sun shines into the eyes and it wakes up. Okay, that’s the berachah, that’s the main berachah, one thanks the Almighty that He makes us fall asleep and wake up.

As R’ Binyamin Miller says, that many times one must daven, one must daven for sleeping and for waking up. A prayer comes for this, as it says that it’s one prayer, that one should wake up well.

Yehi Ratzon: Protection from Yetzer Hara, Pega Ra, Bad Dreams and Bad Thoughts

But there is a statement from Reb Zusha of Anipoli, that when one goes to sleep, the thoughts come that one had during the day, and this is the yetzer hara (evil inclination). During the day he saw forbidden sights, and the yetzer hara comes to him, or it comes literally like a pega ra (evil spirit), sometimes he remembers physical things, sometimes a certain image comes to visit him again.

“Uv’hala u’fachad” (and from terror and fear), what frightens a person when he lies in bed at night? Or can he be frightened spiritually, as it were from the yetzer hara, pega ra, or can he think of bad dreams and bad thoughts, have worries. Yes, hirhurim ra’im (bad thoughts) doesn’t mean hirhurei aveira (sinful thoughts), it means fears, such things. In today’s times, people go to a therapist, before one would say therapist, therapist, help me with the yetzer hara, pega ra, I go to the office and I have such and such temptations. And then, therapist, help me, I have stress, I have OCD.

This is seen as a prayer. This is what we ask from the Almighty. We ask this from the Almighty. Everything that a person can need at night. He says very nicely, at night comes the yetzer hara, pegai ra (evil spirits), or bad dreams and from bad thoughts. Very good. The sign is afterwards. Ra’im means simply physical, a thought, fears. What is there that he says? Fears, a dream. Because at night, he goes to rest, it’s like… One can ask such a question, the Rishonim all held that dreams are real. It’s not like you would have gone into his question. Or does he go afterwards, he doesn’t go to question, he doesn’t go to question. No, he doesn’t go to question. He doesn’t go to question. There’s no difference in reality. It helps even if one doesn’t believe in it, a wise man told him. Okay.

U’shetehei mitati sheleima lefanecha

“U’shetehei mitati sheleima lefanecha” (and may my bed be complete before You). What is the meaning of this? What does it mean? The meaning is that the bed should survive the night. There is a very nice expression. How does the expression go “mitati sheleima”? I don’t know. He says, the Rabbeinu Bachaye says, it could be that it’s a continuation from the yetzer hara. If a person has a nocturnal emission, his bed now needs to have all the sheets changed. What is the bed? The bed is now tumah (impurity). The bed is a pile of merchandise lying on the ground.

I hear, I see that the Rabbeinu Menuach brings an explanation, “she’ta’aveid ishto v’teiled banim hagunim” (that he should serve his wife and she should bear proper children). It could be, I think now, that it could be that when a person goes to sleep, if he is with his wife, he is now going to do the mitzvah with his wife, it could be that actually this is also a blessing on that. But Yaakov Avinu prayed that all my children should be proper children.

Yes, but why is it called “mitati sheleima”? Because he goes on the bed to make children, there will be union, and it should be a good bed, it should be complete children. No, I think there’s a good answer. What is the beginning of cleanliness of speaking about the wife? “Mitati” perhaps means the wife, just as Rabbi Chanina said “beiti zu ishti” (my house is my wife). The bed is the part of the bed. The wife is the part of the bed. Why is it called “matanim”? Yes, one calls the bride by the name of the gift, yes. It could be that… No, now it’s very good. Now there’s an answer to the question of the Maskil. It’s not a real… It doesn’t mean literally that the bed should be whole. That’s certain. There are people who say it like the prayer of the Ramban before union.

Yes, very good. The Kriat Shema is indeed yichuda ila’ah (supernal unification), that’s a minimum. Yes. Yes, it’s very good. It could be that the fear will also give you, it will go against this. Instead it says… And this is precise in the words, “l’chaim ul’shalom” (for life and for peace), you should arise from the bed for life and for peace. Yes, that’s… The bed gives you life and peace. Until now, one says one struggles, the bed gives you like it charges at night.

V’or einai pen ishan hamavet

“V’or einai pen ishan hamavet” (and the light of my eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death). Earlier he said that the Almighty awakens with light. But the eyes can die sometimes, and then the light doesn’t help. Sometimes a person doesn’t get up in the morning, one prays a prayer for this. Yes, I say, earlier it says “me’ir la’aretz” (who illuminates the earth), that the Almighty sends. But this only helps when the person is there, and the person wakes up from the light. “V’or einai”, the eyes should be able to communicate, “pen ishan hamavet”. He brings but the verse is “pen ishan mot”, with “ishan hamavet” it’s the same thing. It’s an alliteration it’s called. “Pen ishan hamavet”. The sleep is already death. That’s “ishan hamavet”. Yes, here you see that it’s made poetically. Yes, it’s very poetic this blessing.

Chatimah of the Blessing: HaMeir l’chol ha’olam kulo

And one concludes “Baruch atah Hashem hameir l’chol ha’olam kulo” (Blessed are You, Hashem, who illuminates the entire world). The Almighty already makes a blessing in the morning that it will be light. No, I mean it fits with today’s things it fits very well. When you go to sleep, the Almighty is already making it light in London. I hear. It’s an interesting blessing. “L’chol ha’olam” (for the entire world). Yes, the Almighty doesn’t now… The Gemara asks where does the sun go at night, but the Almighty is… Somewhere else it is illuminating. In another place they’re already saying to him “Modeh Ani”. Okay.

Halacha 2: V’korei parshat rishona shel Kriat Shema

“V’korei parshat rishona shel Kriat Shema” (and one reads the first section of Kriat Shema). Ah, now he says a new thing. Here you heard for the first time about Kriat Shema she’al hamitah (Kriat Shema at bedtime). One reads the first section of Kriat Shema and goes to sleep. Very good. And this is the order, this is how one must do when going to sleep.

Why Kriat Shema Again?

It’s very interesting, why does one say Kriat Shema again now? It looks like again, a person must know what he’s praying. A person in Kriat Shema, the Torah-based Kriat Shema was already said, but the Rambam says why. Why one must read Kriat Shema. The Gemara says that one is “mecharef u’megadef” (blasphemes and curses), yes. But you’re not clear, you can learn that Kriat Shema she’al hamitah is the text of… You’re adding this to Kriat Shema of Maariv. No, now is the obligation, the essential obligation.

This is an amulet, this is an amulet. But it could be that the Rambam says one may not make any amulets. One must know how the Rambam understood this. No, that is perhaps then there’s an image in the yetzer hara. But the Rambam learned, and the Rambam brings the principles of faith. Ah, he brings from Rav Hai Gaon. But the Rambam seems that he held that it’s more like you say, once, a nice thing, not an obligation. He didn’t make it an obligation. It’s a reading.

V’im anasto sheina

And it seems that the Rambam says, “v’im ne’orar sheina” (and if sleep overcomes him), if it’s already a thought, even the first verse and the first verse and the first verse.

Kriat Shema al HaMitah and Birkat Elokai Neshama

Kriat Shema al HaMitah — Nature of the Obligation

No, now is the obligation, the essential obligation. The essence is there’s an amulet, the essence is there’s an amulet. But it can be understood that the Rambam says one may not make any amulets. One must know it. The Rambam understood this. No, that is perhaps then salvation from the yetzer hara. But the Rambam learned, declaring that the Almighty is the principle of faith. No, he brings the answer from Rav Hai Gaon. The Rambam sees that he held that it’s more like you say, it’s a nice thing, not an obligation. He didn’t make it that it’s an obligation, it’s a leniency.

When One is Very Tired — “Tardeima nofelet alav”

I saw that the Rambam says, “v’im tardeima nofelet alav” (and if deep sleep falls upon him), if it’s already very great, he only reads the first verse of Shema. If he wants, he doesn’t even need to read the first verse, he can read another verse, even one verse of mercy.

One verse. It’s perhaps so, that at bedtime one asks for salvation from the yetzer hara and from bad dreams. And this is the effort for it, just as one must do prayer and also effort. The effort is, like one says for children, you lie in bed, review, or count to thirty, or look at sheep, because if not he starts thinking, I don’t know what. It’s a good thing, one should go to sleep with words of Torah, so there shouldn’t be any yetzer hara-related or any bad dreams. But what specifically are verses of unity, verses of… Okay, there’s the first verse of Kriat Shema, or verses of mercy.

Parallel to the Kohen Gadol on Erev Yom Kippur

Actually what one does for every Jew one does for the Kohen Gadol on Erev Yom Kippur, like in that Mishnah. One reads to him things to distract him from bad thoughts, he shouldn’t have any… Okay, but that’s when he’s not sleeping. Okay, okay… It says, he dozes off somewhere like, but no. No, no, they don’t let him sleep, because that won’t make your day. There they’re literally afraid of the… Ah, that he’ll think? No, and in the morning you’ll think what? The last thoughts that you thought, it will come back to visit right away. It’s because this goes on before and you’ll think not good things. There’s Kriat Shema, it’s installed beforehand that the Kriat Shema should come back to visit.

Question: Why Isn’t There a Parallel Kriat Shema Upon Waking?

I don’t know, I have a question, why isn’t there such a concept of Kriat Shema of Shacharit exactly like there is Kriat Shema of Maariv? In other words, just as I say here, Kriat Shema that one reads at Maariv with the blessings and the whole thing, and then one says extra, one says Kriat Shema right when going to sleep. Seemingly there should be a parallel, like the mirror of this, in the morning there’s Kriat Shema that one reads at Shacharit, there should also be right when one gets up one should say a Kriat Shema, even if one doesn’t go to shul. Yes, but one should say at least one verse when one gets up. We don’t see that there’s such a thing. I think it’s a good custom, anyway.

Practical Halacha — What is the Essential Law

What’s very important, people, in the siddur there’s a very long text of Kriat Shema. One must know what the essential law is, because one doesn’t have strength. The Rama says what one must do is say the blessing of HaMappil, and read the first section if one has strength, if not, only the first verse. Yes? Also very simple.

“Al mitati” — One Doesn’t Need to Wash First

Then when one gets up, one says the continuation of the blessing. Seemingly, “v’al mitati” (and upon my bed) one says still when one is on the bed. The Rama wouldn’t have ruled that one should wash before the prayer. Clearly not, clearly not. The innovation that one should wash was other Rishonim who came up with that innovation. But when the Rama says one must wash before davening, he’s talking about davening, not from the prayer that’s at home, because that’s still part of the night. It’s explicit “al mitati”. This is the law of the Gemara, also the law of the Rama, also the custom of Rabbeinu Eliezer.

So seemingly I would say that all these laws of prayer don’t go with all the conditions of laws of prayer, that one must have a clean place. Certainly not. If the person is in bed and it’s not a clean place, I don’t know, one has children, one says anyway “Elokai Neshama”. Right. So we don’t see that the Rama sees that it’s a concept of prayer that requires the special things. I mean that the Rama says this explicitly in a minute somewhere. I see in the writings of Rishonim. Let’s see, soon we’ll see explicitly I think. The Rama, no, certainly. The Rama says, “afilu ishto yeshena imo” (even if his wife sleeps with him). There’s a text here. I don’t know exactly what comes in here. In any case, it’s clear that one may. I see that he brings such a text. I’ll simply stay with the Rama. I don’t see that one must be careful from all these things. Yes. I don’t see that in the Rama’s text it says it, but I see that the Kesef Mishneh brings such a language. It’s certain that the Rama holds so.

It’s good to remember, this is the custom, the law of the Gemara is so, and so was also the custom of the Arizal. Like the order of Rebbi.

Discussion: Washing Hands in the Morning

But one must also remember that our order also has very much sense, because we actually have a leg to wash the hands, and it’s normal that a person, even just so he should say to his child, “wash your hands in the morning.” No, it’s not so, but it’s for davening washing the hands is a respect, but today the respect is not so… No, again, it’s a different question whether one makes a blessing. There were other questions that are in the Tur, I don’t remember from whom, that he was indeed particular even not to make a blessing on washing the hands, and therefore one called the Elokai Neshama. One said the Elokai Neshama until “ma’asecha”, and later, the Modeh Ani came much much later someone came and said, if so, then there was a new innovation that the Modeh Ani doesn’t have a Name, and if one doesn’t mention God’s Name one may indeed mention it after washing the hands. The whole thing is funny, it means one made a problem, one solved the problem, it’s like one laughs a lot at a lot. If someone wants let him conduct himself decorously.

Also when going into bed the Rama didn’t… The Rama doesn’t say that one should go with the hat and coat, only that one should undress and wash the hands. But the washing the hands today is… One shouldn’t do it, the washing the hands is not obligatory. It’s indeed a concept to thank the Almighty right when you get up. Yes, the washing the hands makes it for a prayer. It’s not a prayer, it’s blessings. One inserted the washing the hands as a basic thing that one begins the day, but it’s not… You’ve already gotten up, you’re already holding at step two.

While you’re sleeping, the halacha is… No, I’m talking now about negel vasser (ritual hand washing). There’s no difference, you’re still holding at step two, you’re still holding at step two, you’ve already gotten up but you haven’t yet washed your hands. You’re already holding at step two, you must already make afterwards another blessing al netilat yadayim, it’s another step.

Order of Modeh Ani and Negel Vasser

The order, this is how one does it, one says Modeh Ani before washing negel vasser, true. Why? Because he understands, the one who made Modeh Ani understands that it comes truly that right away one says a blessing, only he held the stringency, so he made it a new blessing, which also has no source for the answer, if one is already stringent I don’t see that there should be a difference with the Name without the Name. In any case, this is how the custom goes, but the Rama’s halacha and also the Gemara is not certain.

Discussion: Washing Negel Vasser Next to the Bed

No, but in practice it comes out a very nice ruling, the one whose mother or whose wife or whose younger brother prepares negel vasser, wash yourself negel vasser when you’re still lying next to your bed, there’s no great reason why not. Perfect. Yes, there is indeed a great reason why not, I’ll tell you. Even those who prepare themselves, it’s not with any soul. Even those who intend to put negel vasser, they say yes Modeh Ani before that, true? Specifically. Because it comes so, how does it say in the siddur? One says Modeh Ani before that, one says Modeh Ani before the negel vasser, not after the negel vasser. Because the first thing he wants to say a blessing, and if he’s already saying a blessing, he can already say the blessing with the obligation.

Yes, it’s an abbreviation of this. It could be that someone who said Modeh Ani, he should only say the end perhaps of Baruch atah Hashem, which becomes a new question, according to it goes back to the previous short one, that one can say twice the same thing, or one can say the other version. If someone said the short one, let him afterwards say the long one. True, true, a good blessing. I agree. It could be that if according to the Rambam, if someone says Modeh Ani, it’s difficult that all Jews should do so.

Discussion: Baruch HaMavdil Bein Kodesh L’chol

Blessings of the Morning: Elokai Neshama, HaNoten LaSechvi Binah, Malbish Arumim, Oter Yisrael BeTifara

I am in “Baruch HaMavdil bein kodesh lechol” which is said without a blessing because one doesn’t say it over everything, and then one makes Havdalah. Ah, this is not a contradiction, because it could be that yes, yes, there are those who discuss that question. I saw on Yom Tov that there is one who says that it’s a problem, that one cannot do both. And if one says Baruch HaMavdil, one cannot say Havdalah again. Ah, so I saw one who says. Because the Mavdil is as if now until a Mavdil. Coming, it’s now separated with words. I don’t know about that, but he has already said the blessing. A beracha levatalah (blessing in vain), can you say the same blessing twice? Can you say, on wine and on the cup, making it twice? This is on wine and this is on the cup. But if you make it twice… I saw one discussing this and it seems to me. And I don’t know clearly… I have a face, let’s move on…

The Blessing of “Elokai Neshama” — Text and Explanation

There is a text… I also saw that he mentions at the end of his sleep… very important! It’s not simple that if he gets up in the middle of the night he must immediately make…

“At the End of His Sleep” — When Does One Say Elokai Neshama?

If he gets up in the middle of the night he is still tired, and he still wants to sleep, and he doesn’t yet need to make the blessing, the blessing is only at the end of his sleep when he, so says the Kesef Mishneh and Rabbi Menuach, when he stands up properly, so, my God, Creator…

The Ben Yonah, you see he brings the Ben Yonah, you see what he arrived at, the one who says, it says in the Gemara that they made the blessing and said, says ah, the holy Gemara, their hands were always clean. Okay, so what, the hands of a regular person were sometimes dirty? Because I learn the Gemaras, which one learns earlier, and for prayer one must wash the hands, one is obligated, one is obligated. The holy Rav who stands here with his white bekeshe, as if the ba’al hashmua stood there, and went further, the hands are one’s Rabbi’s. But it’s very interesting to see how they inserted the first “Elokai” right before the people who called out and said, “Yes, we weren’t taught to call out, I should say with the Master of the Universe’s name.” The Master of the Universe’s name was placed as the first word. First of all one says “Elokai,” and not “Modeh.”

The Text of Elokai Neshama According to the Rambam

So, how does one say that one cannot say “shenafachta bi tehorah”? No, the Rambam explains, the Rambam’s text is apparently, it doesn’t say tehorah. It means, “Neshama shenafachta bi”, how is it pure? “Atah veratah, ve’atah yetzartah, ve’atah nefachta bi, ve’atah meshamerah bekirbi”. When the soul comes in it is pure. No, no, tehorah means the soul which is “she’hi tehorah”, You created. “Atah veratah, atah yetzartah, ve’atah nefachta bi” a second time. He looks at it as when a person wakes up it’s as if the Almighty has blown into him a soul. When he was sleeping the soul was sleeping so to speak, like in the times when the soul ascended. Or it’s a type of parable. The point is, he gets up and sees that he lives. Still, it could be that it’s also truly in a certain sense, such a kind of consciousness of not sleeping.

Neshama — What Does It Mean According to the Rambam?

It fits exactly, the proof you asked earlier whether it fits with the Rambam. It fits very well with the Rambam, because the Rambam holds that the soul, the essential soul, although when the word neshama, the Rambam says that one must be precise that in the Torah it doesn’t say the word neshama even once. Neshama means the life force, the power of life. But if we say that neshama means yes the intellectual soul, as the Ramban says, it fits much better, that when one sleeps, no, when one sleeps, first of all it is pure, also when one sleeps, what goes away? The vital soul? No. The vital soul remains when one sleeps. Only the intellect goes away when one sleeps, and this is a small return to the early.

“Ve’atah Meshamerah Bekirbi”

In any case, “ve’atah meshamerah bekirbi”, “ve’atah” is the second, “ve’atah meshamerah bekirbi”. That a person must have the Almighty’s help, yes, simply, the Almighty makes him live. No, it’s also the language of the Rambam in the Torah, “the cause of giving the soul”, the Almighty gives the soul, He keeps the soul with the person. “Meshamerah”, He guards it, or He holds it. While one lives, He gives it, He holds it while one lives, He makes sure that it remains.

“Ve’atah Atid Litelah Mimeni”

And so also further, “ve’atah atid litelah mimeni”. You will take it from me. It means, he looks at death as the Almighty taking away the soul. Yes, what then is death? The Almighty takes it back. He gave the soul for the body.

“Ve’atah Atid Lehachzirah Bi Le’atid Lavo”

But this is also not yet the end story, “ve’atah atid lehachzirah bi le’atid lavo”. I believe in the resurrection of the dead (techiyat hametim). So you say, so he explains. That you can explain differently tomorrow, it means not every tomorrow night. No, tomorrow night, the midnight of tomorrow night goes away. Every day he goes and begins quietly so, he goes and asks, tomorrow again.

Yes, “ve’atid HaKadosh Baruch Hu lehachzirah le’atid lavo” means for the future. Such a connotation. We’re not going to get into the question of death here, but like forever. “Le’atid lavo” is yes, but it seems like a very long expression. It means a couple of eighty

Morning Blessings: Elokai Neshama, HaNoten LaSechvi Binah, Malbish Arumim, Oter Yisrael BeTifara

The Blessing of “Elokai Neshama” (Continued)

“All the Time the Soul is Within Me I Thank You”

Speaker 1: Perhaps not le’atid lavo tomorrow, because it’s not “lemacharat”. Okay, if not, it means it can’t be tomorrow. Is there a hint to techiyat hametim? I don’t know. The simple explanation is that it speaks of techiyat hametim, one must say the truth. But the Arizal’s siddur has a different explanation. But he says… the Arizal’s siddur also says that every day the soul can come down with a soul of a Jew, or with a soul of a non-Jew. It can actually… I once knew people. Sometimes one gets upset, that’s the explanation. Okay, that’s… But it’s not that one gets upset, that’s the explanation. The soul came down from a non-Jew, he can’t have any complaints against him. It’s not a soul. But he has a soul, and a non-Jew is a soul from a demon which is from Queen Esther. So he is a Jew. That’s what he won’t be a halachic non-Jew. Yes, therefore he is a type of non-Jew. True, yes.

In short, I would say that perhaps this is connected, one finished with a prayer that he shouldn’t have any bad dreams, and no evil encounter, evil inclination (yetzer hara). And this is, the soul wakes up in the morning and he doesn’t have any evil encounter with him.

Innovation: “Tehorah Hi” — Connection to Tefillat HaMappil

If a person wakes up in the morning full of desires, let’s say, or full of sadness, he cannot say “tehorah hi”. He didn’t receive a pure soul. But one who wakes up and he has forgotten, he truly didn’t have any worries at night, he didn’t wake up with any fears. And we unfortunately knew Jews who woke up at night with fears, “behold silver and testimony and the like”. But he can say in the morning “tehorah”. “Tehorah” simply means, it’s a continuation. A simple continuation. It means the life force that I can learn. One can explain “tehorah” as refreshed. Every morning one gets up, if one has slept more or less, but one gets up with a certain clarity. It’s different. It’s like a spring of living water (makor mayim chaim) which purifies a person.

“Master of All Deeds” — Why This Title Specifically Here?

In short, now he says so, what does one do… the Almighty, He gives it and He keeps it and He will take it back. What does one do meanwhile when it’s here? “All the time the soul is within me” I have one thing to do: “I thank You, Hashem my God and Master of all deeds”. Okay, this is one thing I have to do, it’s added. But as long as I live it’s a good opportunity to thank, because this I won’t be able to do le’atid lavo, so simply, yes? As long as the soul is with me, “I thank You, Hashem my God and Master of all deeds”.

When does it say here the soul is an object? Okay, in a minute. I thank You, the Almighty, “Master of all deeds”. It’s a title for the Almighty, what does it come in here? I don’t know. Like the Almighty is like “Director of all deeds”, yes? And master (ribon) means lord (adon), like the same thing, yes? Yes. “Blessed are You, Hashem, Who returns souls to dead bodies”. You return the soul.

Right, that the soul means the power that makes all deeds. Here I thank the Almighty that He is the true “Master of all deeds”, that I’m now going to begin doing thousands of deeds. Without a soul I wouldn’t be able to do anything. But so the Almighty is the “Master of all deeds”, because He gave me the soul with which to do, and tomorrow He will give it to me again, I will be able to do again. With this the Almighty is the “Master of all deeds”. It’s very beautiful. There’s a beautiful Torah on this.

“Who Returns Souls to Dead Bodies” — Connection to “The Sleep of Death”

We finish “Blessed are You, Hashem, Who returns souls to dead bodies”. There he mentions again, as he said earlier, “and I fear lest I sleep the sleep of death”, because perhaps death can spend the night, death will also be in the morning, I won’t wake up. Thank you, Creator, You returned the soul to me.

“Elokai Neshama” is Not from the Same Author as HaMappil

Also, the soul, by the way, an interesting thing, it wasn’t the same Men of the Great Assembly (Anshei Knesset HaGedolah) who made the text. Because if yes, he would have continued with… if the same poet would have had to make the next one, he would have said, “Ah, thank you, Creator, You shone in the light that we discussed earlier.” He would have spoken again about bodies, evil inclinations. He comes from a different… he is a Jew who thought about a soul, he looked at it differently.

Question: Why Doesn’t “Elokai Neshama” Begin with “Baruch”?

I actually think that the two blessings… There are Rishonim who ask a question that a blessing must begin with “Baruch”, yes? Like “HaMa’avir” begins with “Baruch”. What is the explanation that “Elokai Neshama” doesn’t begin with “Baruch”? One places it next to a blessing of the blessings adjacent to their companions (berachot hasmuchot lechavrotehem), because right after going to sleep one said the “Baruch”, and this is a continuation. No, one looks at the text to see that it’s almost exactly the same. But we see in the text that it’s very different. Because the understanding of how one sleeps is very different here. This is the person’s soul a dead body (peger met). What is this? The eyes darken, one turns off.

Speaker 2: And later the blessing of HaGomel chasadim tovim is very similar to Elokai Neshama?

Speaker 1: No, it’s a type corresponding to HaMappil. There it also says “and let not bad dreams and bad thoughts frighten me”. Yes, yes, yes. The same language is there.

Speaker 2: Ah, very interesting. Could it be that it was one poet who made that one and it was cut?

Speaker 1: No, there is a structure. Earlier we said that many small blessings come. But this has to do with the soul of the poet. Yes, one must thank the Almighty, but whether one should now give a blessing, bring in the sun how the Almighty shines in, or the soul that the Almighty gives breath, I don’t know if it’s a matter.

Discussion: Why Soul Before Sun?

But you must consider that the sun we will speak about in Birkat Yotzer. It could be that the theme of the sun is already used up a bit. I mean, it could be that there is one writer who wrote about the sun different poems, and it was divided, and they brought from another author, and it’s not connected. One must think.

It could be that when one gets up the sun isn’t there yet. Could be that’s the explanation. Often people get up a bit before… The order of the day is that one gets up a bit before. One must say… By sunrise one must already say Kriat Shema al HaMitah. That means one gets up a bit before dawn (alot hashachar). Could be because of that the sun isn’t there yet.

Speaker 2: Ah, “awaken my glory, so awaken should be the light of the sun”.

Speaker 1: The sun, even when the sun is there, the soul is already there. It could be that the soul comes earlier. And here it begins, because the end of the blessing is before dawn. Still before it becomes light. It could be that in the course of the order of the day when one gets up in the morning it becomes light. And later by Birkat HaTorah, by one of the blessings it already becomes light.

The Blessing of “HaNoten LaSechvi Binah”

Order of the Blessings: The Rooster Comes Before Light

The next thing is the call of the rooster. But at the call of the rooster it’s not yet light. The rooster knows that it’s going to start becoming light. The rooster crows very early. And which rooster? You know, there’s a Lithuanian rooster and a Chassidic rooster. The Lithuanian is the end of the day, he says mussar. I don’t know which rooster we’re talking about here. From this it became before the giving of the Torah, and from this it became down, down, down, until dawn.

No, I saw that a Jew comes to pray, he says “Elokai Neshama”, “she’asita li kol tzorki”, “HaNoten lasechvi binah lehavchin bein yom uvein lailah”, so a quarter to twelve. A second one comes and tells him, “The rooster that you’re making a blessing on is already in the soup, he’s long dead.”

In short, yes, this came when they inserted the entire siddur at the end, because according to the Rambam one must go by the clock.

Dispute Among Commentators: What Does “Sechvi” Mean?

Now, after this comes “Blessed are You, Hashem our God, King of the universe, Who gives the rooster understanding to distinguish between day and night”. There is a dispute among commentators whether “sechvi” means the rooster, or “sechvi” means the understanding of a person. It’s certain that the blessing is made when you hear the rooster. The question is only whether the blessing is on the rooster, or on the person who knows the difference between day and night, that the person catches the signal from the rooster. It’s an innovation, yes, because a person catches the signal from the rooster, another animal doesn’t catch it. It’s like a whistle when another animal wakes you up.

Speaker 2: I actually wanted to ask, I often hear in the morning I don’t only hear the rooster, I hear the birds.

Speaker 1: Yes, and here it’s already being discussed about hearing the birds. A rooster makes bigger noise.

Speaker 2: Yes, he wakes up early.

Speaker 1: Yes, a rooster is very loud. He lives in a place that says in a garden, one hears him very strongly. But even that, just so are all animals available to wake up and make noise. Okay.

The Blessing of “Malbish Arumim”

The Simple Meaning of the Blessing

After you’ve spoken, he gets dressed. True, we don’t sleep with any clothes. One is accustomed to sleep naked, so goes the order in the Gemara. Or with something almost naked, such a…

Speaker 2: No, it’s not Malbish Arumim.

Speaker 1: Ah, with some pajamas. Okay. Each generation and its righteous ones, what does one sleep in? Yes, that means the pajamas. “Blessed are You, Hashem our God, King of the universe, Who clothes the naked”.

Innovation: HaKadosh Baruch Hu is the First “Malbish Arumim”

Because the Almighty blew into Adam and Chava, and since then it lies in our system that one gets dressed. The Almighty was the first Malbish Arumim (one who clothes the naked).

I also think, when he says “atah nafachta bi”, I thought whether he means to say that the Almighty blew into Adam – it’s the language of Adam HaRishon – He blew into Adam, and since then it’s as if every morning it happens again like? Or when he says “atah nafachta bi”, does he mean me and me single individual?

Speaker 2: Yes, the same, you must understand the measure of conspiring witnesses (edim zomemin), this goes to kingship. The Almighty also gives Himself over, it’s not what for everyone. One sees the same language, the same thing kingship over. Because, is it discussed once for every morning.

Speaker 1: No, what good cereal. Everything the Almighty does is. Every morning?

Speaker 2: Or when… originally, when the Almighty actually didn’t have this with that been?

Discussion: Does HaKadosh Baruch Hu Do It Now or Did He Place It in Nature?

Speaker 1: No, it’s also now. What is beautiful? Who dresses people today? The Almighty! Not literally, the Almighty comes with a miracle, and there’s a difference. The Almighty does, the Almighty does everything. All blessings still say the Almighty does everything.

Speaker 2: I’m saying, but here you have so addressed when the Almighty has placed it in nature?

Speaker 1: I think one just uses the language. First, the one who made it was speaking before Adam.

Blessings of the Morning: Order of the Blessings (Continued)

Speaker 2: I don’t agree. I think that it’s talking about… it’s the language… it’s now. We say it about the Almighty who does everything. All blessings refer to this, but we say it about the Almighty. When does the Almighty bring forth bread, and candles… when people do it… when does He do it… now He does it. When a person makes bread, the Almighty is the ultimate master. It’s the whole cycle of life. It’s the community of people who say together “Baruch Atah Hashem” together with faith, with fear of Hashem, they have a king and the world. Yes.

The Blessing “Oter Yisrael B’tifara”

This Refers to the Head Covering/Hat — A Jewish Symbol

Speaker 1: A good Jew who has beautiful crowns, gentiles go bareheaded, this is something that belongs to the Jews, it’s not for other people. There must be some language, a verse. I haven’t found an appropriate verse, but there are verses. It’s certain that there’s some language in Isaiah, a crown, about it being such a thing. It’s connected with references to that verse.

Regarding this, regarding what the Rav says, to place upon their heads, he doesn’t mean to say clothing. When Jews have clothing. But we’re talking here about the head covering. But the head covering is a symbol that one is a Jew. But the Rav doesn’t necessarily mean a head covering. I know that the hat means a hat. Because it could also be, for example, if a Jew must wear a yellow patch, wherever there’s a Jewish symbol. A yellow patch, not like other nations.

Speaker 2: No, what isn’t with other nations, because it’s a decree.

Speaker 1: But if a Jew has a beautiful shtreimel… a shtreimel. And this is something that distinguishes the Jews from the gentiles. They are “Oter Yisrael B’tifara”. I think that when we spend so much money on beautiful shtreimels on Erev Shabbos when we put on the shtreimel, one should make another blessing on it, it’s worth it. That’s what I hold. It can’t be that you go with a shtreimel, and it’s the essence of Shabbos, and you spend six thousand dollars for it without a blessing.

Speaker 2: I thought something else. When they stand in the shtreimel store…

Blessings of the Morning – Order of the Blessings (Continued)

The Blessing “Oter Yisrael B’tifara”

A yellow patch is not “Oter Yisrael B’tifara”, and if it’s not “Oter Yisrael B’tifara” what is the decree? But if a Jew has a beautiful shtreimel, a shtreimel, this is something that distinguishes the Jews from the gentiles, this is “Oter Yisrael B’tifara”.

I think that, I think that when Jews have spent money on a beautiful shtreimel, Erev Shabbos when one puts on the shtreimel one should make “Oter Yisrael B’tifara”, that’s what I hold.

Buying a shtreimel for a whole shtreimel, this is the essence of Shabbos, one spends six thousand dollars for it and no blessing? I once thought this way, that when they stand there, the shtreimel store, they stand like this and look in the mirror, and they look in the mirror… the only time when one needs to look in the mirror is by “Oter Yisrael B’tifara”. If they are so excited with their mirror shtreimel, let them go to the mirror and thank the Almighty “Oter Yisrael B’tifara” for the beautiful shtreimel.

The Blessing “Hama’avir Sheina Me’einai U’tnuma Me’af’apai”

Now! After this it goes like this, the order is like this, and after this is “Hama’avir sheina me’einai u’tnuma me’af’apai”, what does this mean? A person gets up, he does something like this. Not “Hama’avir sheina me’einai”, but he wakes himself up.

Like the Rambam says, “Rochetz panav yadav v’raglav”? No, no, we’re not holding there yet, we’re holding he’s still in bed, remember? He’s still holding by getting up from bed. All these blessings one makes in bed, he has put on his clothes, yes, does he want to go out of bed naked? He puts on his clothes, puts on his head covering or his hat, I don’t know what it is, and he rubs his eyes, he does like this.

Different Orders

It could be that here is a person who does one thing before the other, there are people who are a “ma’avir sheina” before putting on clothes. He knows a different order, they make the blessings according to a different order. Yes, here is approximately what people do at the time of day. It works, but the blessings were indeed established with a certain sequence.

So, I think that apparently it was indeed made that according to the one who made the blessing, he made it that presumably this is how the order goes. What is actually the matter of “Hama’avir sheina me’einai”? But I don’t do it in the morning, but I see that children do it. Does this help? Does rubbing the eyes help something?

The Blessing “Pokei’ach Ivrim”

One begins to do, there’s a blessing for this. It’s “Pokei’ach ivrim”, and it could be when it’s dark and one wakes up here and everything is still sleepy, rubbing the eyes helps one to be able to see better? It’s like this, usually the eyes become a bit dirty, I don’t know. Dirty perhaps.

I think that one needs to, today when many people go, put on glasses, they need to make then the blessing “Pokei’ach ivrim”. It’s “Pokei’ach ivrim”, yes. I think that this is what the blessing comes on.

The Blessing “Matir Asurim”

Yes. After this when he stands up from his bed, no, he sits up on his bed, meaning he sits up. He’s not lying anymore, he makes a blessing “Matir asurim”, that he can move, his limbs are open. Yes?

One can’t skip over mitzvos, that’s simple, because every mitzvah here one also demonstrates. Like “ma’avir einayim”, “matzah einayim”, yes, he says here, the eyes that You have given me, with the power of my eyes, the bed, matir asurim.

Principle: The Blessing Comes on the Action

The blessing comes on the action, and not the action comes because of the blessing. No, first comes the eyes, yes, he says, you know about the eyes, and he says “Pokei’ach ivrim”. The order is like this, certainly the order is like this. I’m not lying, I don’t rub my eyes.

Digression: Checking Missed Calls

When we wake up, we check a bit the missed calls, phone calls, because we want to prepare ourselves. Ah, then one certainly needs to make perhaps, which Jews ask questions, and what are the new questions that came in during the night. This is a blessing, this is another blessing that one needs to make. First one needs to make “Birkas HaTorah”, and on this one needs to make “Divrei Torah”.

Discussion: One Engaged in Community Needs – Exempt from Blessings?

If he is engaged in community needs he is exempt from prayer, we learned earlier all together. But perhaps one should require actually making one of the blessings. He is exempt from blessings, perhaps he is exempt from blessings. On the contrary, he is even more exempt, because he doesn’t do all these things. He wakes up and he is immediately… he is a ba’al teshuva, or he is a servant of Hashem. Okay, standing. Very good.

Return to the Order of Blessings

Let’s go back. When he stands up in bed, he makes “Matir asurim”. That means, he sits up, right? He’s not lying. After this, when he puts down the… how am I holding here? When he sits up, “Matir asurim”. What does it mean at night one can’t sit up? When one lies, one lies. Okay, good. When one is up, one can make a whole change in position. It’s good, the bonds of sleep that have tied him, that have bound him, as it were.

Explanation: “Shekvar Amad Al Raglav”

He says, “Shekvar amad al raglav”, this means before he has stood. It’s not the simple meaning that he sits up. First he was lying, and now he’s holding by getting up. He sits on his bed.

Okay, the clothes lie somewhere on the floor next to the bed. The clothes he has already put on before, according to the order here. No, but the clothes somewhere lie… ah, the clothes, this goes to the closet. Here the person is still lying in bed and he has already dressed, he has already put on a head covering. It lies on the bed next to the… on the floor next to the bed. That’s how it looks.

The Blessing “Roka Ha’aretz Al Hamayim”

And after this he goes further on the… and after this he sits up more. He sits, puts his feet on the ground. He stands up, he’s already standing. “Kshe’meni’a raglav al hamita u’mani’chan al ha’aretz”, this is a stage, he puts his feet on the ground, he makes a blessing “Roka ha’aretz al hamayim”. This is further a blessing on ma’aseh bereishis, that the Almighty made that the earth should be on the water. To drink, one doesn’t sink into the water.

Discussion: Understanding the Matter of “Roka Ha’aretz Al Hamayim”

After this when he stands up, ah, he’s still on the bed, he stands up, he makes “Zokef kfufim”, that he can stand straight. After this he washes his hands. You see all this that it’s clear that this is all before netilas yadayim, he hasn’t yet made any netilas yadayim.

After this, think about it, people used to be on ships a lot, yes? On a ship you can lie, but when you stand up it begins to become… it rocks now on the ship. A person stands up, he wakes up early, and he can give himself a stand up, a sit up, the earth doesn’t begin to rock more.

The Gemara says that the earth is somehow surrounded by water. You say an interesting halacha that when one is on a ship one makes shehakol nihiyeh bidvaro, I don’t know. Okay, then one thanks for the stability of the ship. This is one who prays tefilas haderech. I don’t know.

It’s an interesting blessing “Roka ha’aretz al hamayim” exactly when one stands up. What happens? Okay, when he stands up…

Novel Idea: The Simple Meaning is Reversed

I think that the simple meaning is reversed. They wanted to make such an order of prayer where one thanks the Almighty for everything, so they set it up in this order. It’s not the simple meaning that one needs to remember that one needs to thank the Almighty for the earth. It’s reversed, do you understand what I’m saying? One wants to make the order, and when I say the order it actually comes together l’chatchila. One makes it each thing according to the order that the Rema says, but it’s made on the minhago shel olam, as it says in other Rishonim.

General Prayer

It’s a general prayer. A person thinks, you imagine if I were a fish, I would never be able to really sleep, because there’s no sleeping in water, my whole time I would be busy. The Almighty made me, I am in a place that is “Roka ha’aretz al hamayim”. It comes in here for me. It would have been before the second day of ma’aseh bereishis everything would have been water.

When Yonah Hanavi came home, I’m certain he says this blessing with great kavana. Okay, if you say, when he goes down from the ship, then he needs to make the blessing. He went down from the ship. No, he was in the water, it didn’t suit him. Now he is “Roka ha’aretz al hamayim”.

The Blessing “Zokef Kfufim”

Okay, I said, when he washes his hands, then he makes “Zokef kfufim”. No, I didn’t say that here. Yes, ah, I stand corrected. When he wakes up, he says “Zokef kfufim”. He makes straightness, it’s not that a person should be like a snake, bent over. A person should be like a snake or like a bear. A person stands on two feet.

The Blessing “Al Netilas Yadayim”

And after this he washes his hands, he makes a blessing on the mitzvah. It’s very interesting. Asher kidshanu b’mitzvosav v’tzivanu, which mitzvah is this to wash the hands? And this is one of the mitzvos to pray, “v’tzivanu” is one of the five things that prevent prayer, that you need to be pure to pray.

But one washes the hands for the other things, one of the things is for praying, but at night when the hands are not necessarily clean, now comes all the halachos of being clean.

Question: Which Mitzvah is Netilas Yadayim?

I don’t understand clearly, which mitzvah is it to wash the hands in the morning? Even here, let’s say that there’s a takanas Ezra, which is perhaps a mitzvah, which mitzvah? “Asher kidshanu b’mitzvosav v’tzivanu al netilas yadayim”? Because this is a condition in prayer, so this is a condition in prayer, one begins with this.

Perhaps this is what distinguishes between the prayers that one says less formally, that one can be with dirty hands, and from the other prayers? It doesn’t look like that, because after this come more blessings. No, no, no, not at all. But what? It’s netilas yadayim. It’s netilas yadayim for… I don’t know, not netilas yadayim. The hands are in tumah, that’s the whole thing.

Answer: Purity of Hands – One of Five Things That Prevent Prayer

But first of all, there’s perhaps a mitzvah to wash the hands, I don’t know which mitzvah it is, I don’t understand clearly. Ah, the Rambam has in the laws of prayer we also learned that there is “Ein omdin l’hispalel ela kshehu rochetz panav”. Here it is. No, that’s a different thing. Both netilas yadayim and rochetz panav, is this the rochetz panav from before praying.

I don’t agree. No, no, no, I don’t agree. Why? I don’t understand that it’s the same. It could be the face is… what, here comes in netilas yadayim and rochetz panav, both things, one after the other. Again, which mitzvah is it to make netilas yadayim? I still don’t know which mitzvah it is.

It’s a mitzvah d’rabbanan that is in the laws of prayer, that the Rambam counted in the five things that prevent prayer, purity of hands. Purity of face, tell me, I want to shout “tell me”. Okay.

Washing the Face

So, “Ksherochetz panav” is… this is netilas yadayim. After this he washes his face, okay? A very important thing, a Jew should wash his face in the morning, and this is corresponding to waking up. It’s not really because it’s dirty, it’s because he’s waking up. Like he says after the blessing one makes that from this he wakes up.

This is a different thing, these are the easy mitzvos that one opens the sink. Once one had to send a water-carrier specially to wash, no one washed their hands. Why? What does he do like this? He says because the hands and the face are different things, one puts on clothes, one remains clean. The face, not because it’s dirty, it’s because of sleepiness. It’s not a disgusting thing, a face is dirty. The main matter is to take away the sleepiness from the eyes.

Prayer: “Al Targileni Lidvar Aveira”

And therefore one needs to make a blessing. Earlier one made a blessing on when one sleeps, one should have good thoughts, good dreams. Now one makes a blessing, a prayer, that when one is up one should have good deeds. We’re not yet talking about any sacrifices.

So first is “Al targileni lidvar mitzvah”, there should be a habit to do mitzvos, that one shouldn’t have any yetzer hara, and so on. “V’al targileni lidvar aveira”, it shouldn’t become a habit to do sins. Because once one becomes habituated, one does again and again the thing. Habits make a person, and a person becomes accustomed. So he asks the Almighty that he should have good habits, he should do mitzvos. And if one has good habits, one has a yetzer tov, one has good middos, and further and further.

Discussion: Connection to Free Will

It’s another thing, I don’t know. “Al targileni lidvar mitzvah, v’lo lidvar aveira”, this is actually… the Rambam in the laws of teshuva said that the prayer that one asks that one should do mitzvos doesn’t go on the… because one has free choice. A person has free choice, he can’t ask the Almighty to force him.

But they have learned that if a person has good habits, or this, or he is in a good environment, and he has good habits, it goes easier for him, this is the natural way. And if not, he has difficulty doing teshuva. So he asks that he should have good habits, does the yetzer tov mean good habits? I don’t know.

It’s like the kabbalists say, “Al targileni lidvar aveira”. That the bad comes to visit you. Now he doesn’t have any novel self-sacrifice from the kabbalist, but he has I think a bad yetzer hara. A good will, or a good power, or a great power. Later we’ll see more, we need to talk more about this before we go into the kabbalist.

Morning Blessings: Grace and Mercy, Good Kindnesses, and Laws of the Bathroom

“To Be for Mercy in Your Eyes and in the Eyes of All Who See Me”

But yetzer tov is like the kabbalists say, the reincarnations of generations, that the bad comes to visit you. Yetzer tov is not a fearful innovation from the kabbalists, yetzer tov means a bad desire. A good will or a good power or an evil power. Later we’ll see more, what does one need before one goes into the communal sacrifice? What is connecting? I think it means the first or second thing.

And another important thing, when one gets up in the morning, “to be for mercy in Your eyes and in the eyes of all who see me”. A person gets up, during the day he has to deal with people, at night he has to deal with bad dreams and so on. During the day he has to deal with people, so it’s better that the person should be pleasing to people. But no, wait a minute, think about it, “in the eyes of all who see me”, all who see me. A person only needs to worry about the people who see him. The people who live in another city, they won’t think about you, they should say “oh, good grace, merciful for peace.” No, you need to worry that the few people with whom you are around should have grace and kindness toward you.

The language of Rabbeinu Yonah is, “one who does not find favor in the eyes of those who see him, his life has no honor, and his death is better than his life”. The person whom no one can stand, he is the bad corpse that one cries over the bad corpse, it’s no way, it’s no life. You need to be a pleasant person, people should enjoy being with you.

I think that we’re also talking here, he’s now going to begin the day, Creator, help me that the davening should go well, the mitzvos that I’m going to do during the day should be good, and then here we’re already talking about going to work, that we can go out and have success. “In the eyes of all who see me”, have mercy and compassion on me, I should have livelihood.

“Good Kindnesses” — The Double Language

Let us give good kindnesses, “good kindnesses”. There are also kindnesses that are not good. This is a Hasidic phrase, “good kindnesses” is a double language. Let there be good kindnesses. Then, blessed are You, Hashem, who bestows good kindnesses. Interestingly, the blessing is precisely on the last piece, who bestows good kindnesses. So, who bestows good kindnesses. The simple meaning says to His people Israel, and this is what the Rambam doesn’t hold, who bestows good kindnesses goes for non-Jews as well.

Um, yes. It’s an awesome thing, because not only do you pray for life and kindness and mercy that you should be the best of the bunch, but everyone prays for it. It will be an awesomely good world, a world where there is enough and more for everyone.

Laws of the Bathroom — “Be Honored, Honored Holy Ones”

Now, there is a law, it’s now in order, but also always when one does it one must do the same thing. Every time a person goes into the bathroom, before he goes in he says this, an amazing thing. What’s the wonder? Should someone say that there’s such a thing that it’s simple? It’s an amazing thing, but we don’t know how much discussion there is about this wonder. Be honored, honored holy ones, servants of the Most High, and guard me, guard me, until I enter and exit, for this is the way of human beings.

The Rama MiPano’s Explanation: Good Thoughts Accompany the Person

So let me say what I think he’s saying, what the Rama MiPano says, that a person thinks good thoughts, the good thoughts come back to think about him. He is engaged in Torah, he previously learned tractate Chagigah, tractate Sukkah, and so on, and this accompanies the person. The person thinks the whole time about learning, he thinks about… not bad dreams and bad thoughts, but good thoughts, he thinks about the Almighty, he thinks about learning.

When one goes into the bathroom there is a mitzvah that one should not learn any Torah, one should not say any Shema in the bathroom. When one is in the bathroom one is focused on the body, there is a matter with health, just as a person should focus on the body every day, somewhere. When one is engaged in bodily functions, all other times one thinks about the Almighty, one thinks about the good. Therefore one separates from the intellectual power of the person.

Honored ones, Abaye and Rava are here, and here is the Rambam with the Arizal, all the words of Torah that one is in the middle of thinking, one says to them, be honored, honored holy ones, servants of the Most High, the Torah of which he speaks, or the good thoughts from which he receives, I don’t know what, guard me, guard me, wait for me, until I enter and exit, because now I’m going to go away from you. The whole time one thinks about them, at night one dreams about them, during the day one thinks about them. One says, wait for me outside, because when one goes into the bathroom it’s the only time when the king goes alone. When he goes into the bathroom, he is sunken in his thoughts. First of all one must know that one must go when it’s respectful. Okay. I don’t know if it’s for the angels, for the good thoughts, they become angels, and when you think the whole time about angels… I know, I saw he was bombarded. But the simple explanation is that the person turns with angels.

Two Families of Companions

So if one goes with angels, go back a bit. We prayed about the evil inclinations. There are two pieces of advice. There are either good thoughts and thoughts of Torah, dreams and thoughts are one type of family. Then the evil inclination and good inclination is the other type of family of angels. Perhaps one can connect all the blessings at once. This is indeed every day the whole time. When during both, when one comes out one also says a similar apology. So one says that when one goes into the bathroom, it’s not appropriate, a person feels that he’s going into the bathroom. He says, let the angels wait for me, because this is how I want to do this thing in the manner of man.

Why People Don’t Practice Saying It

The later commentators say that people don’t practice saying it, because people think they don’t turn with angels. But it’s not true, one still turns with angels. I think one should still have it. We’re talking about the same hand that we previously said the soul You placed in me. When one slept one didn’t have the… why is it bad that you have it the whole time? Why do you already equal the angels? Because now for a few minutes one is going to put down the soul, Torah, good thoughts.

The Dispute Between the Sadducees and Pharisees

You know that Josephus says that there are three major disputes in outlook between the Sadducees and the Pharisees. One of them is that the Sadducees don’t believe in angels, and the Pharisees believe in angels.

Discussion: The Rambam and Angels

So, I want to say why the Rambam… The Rambam brings the Gemara. Even if it doesn’t match what’s written in Foundations of Torah, he didn’t worry about it, because he has his way of putting it in. The Rambam says in many places, he says it explicitly. Does the Rambam say in Foundations of Torah that there are no angels? Does it occur to you? No, there are indeed angels. There are specifically indeed angels. But the angels accompany the person. That a person needs to communicate with the angels, we’ve seen in Laws of Idolatry. No, no, stars, not for angels. No angels appear in Laws of Idolatry. Stars.

Certainly angels accompany the person. How do they accompany them? Whether it’s with wings, or whether it’s in a more abstract manner, that’s not the topic here. Also the Almighty doesn’t place the soul in with a blow. When one learns the Rambam, then he blows Torah, he asks you, must one say apology to the angels. Certainly, certainly, certainly. The angels, certainly. Certainly they are not… they are not heavier than a person.

Chavrusa A: No, that’s not yet the answer. Listen for a second. No, that’s not yet the answer. Listen for a second. What you said, you said this, “and all forms of images for every possessor of form through an angel”, it’s written in Laws of Foundations of Torah. But does the person have communication with the angels? I’m asking you a question, one minute, one minute, one minute, one minute. Not once, I’m asking you a question. One minute, listen, listen, listen for a second.

What people think that it doesn’t match, that’s not true. It’s written explicitly in Laws of Foundations of Torah that everything, every form that exists in the world, comes turned through angels. Now, do you still want to know how he gives it? He gives it because the angel stands with a little wing by your ear, or not? That’s already a detailed topic. Just as you also understand, you have no problem saying “You breathed”, the Almighty doesn’t have a mouth with which He blows in souls. It’s a parable, it’s a parable for whatever. The same thing here.

But the angels don’t come in when a person is in the bathroom, he is not engaged, he is not connected with the angels. What does it mean the forms and image forms, what in all the actions that a person goes with angels? So is the fact, everything that a person does goes with angels the whole day, it’s written in Laws of Foundations of Torah in the Rambam. In the bathroom it’s not appropriate that the angels should go in, therefore one tells them it’s not. Do you want to know if they actually stand outside or inside? That’s already a certain visualization, just as all blessings and prayers are a certain visualization. There’s nothing wrong, there’s no other explanation. It’s no different than all other blessings. Just as one says “You breathed”, so one says “be honored” etc. There is no difference whatsoever.

Two Times When the Body Works and the Soul Rests

I’ll go further and say this, that the two times when the body does its work more and the soul does nothing, is when one sleeps or when one is in the bathroom. In both times the body is very active. Yes, at night it digests the food, whatever the body does, and the soul is as if sleeping. The soul, that is the power of choice of the person, the power of understanding of the person, sleeps. In the morning the power of understanding wakes up, and one says “my God, the soul”, one greets the divine soul that is within us. And now one puts it back to the same stage as when one sleeps, that the body is now going to do its thing, and the soul doesn’t belong there.

What does it mean the soul doesn’t belong there? The soul is bound up with the angels. You don’t want to say angels, don’t say angels. One doesn’t say angels, one says “be honored”.

Chavrusa B: No, the Rambam also doesn’t say what you meant. He means the intellectual power of the person. He is only explaining that an angel is not a physical thing, an angel is an intellectual power. But certainly he also means the angels.

Chavrusa A: No, no, it’s not, it’s not. I don’t know why, I have no idea why, all people have heard that there’s such a thing called Rambamists, they think that the Rambam doesn’t believe in angels. The Rambam believes very much in angels. He is only explaining that an angel is not a thing with wings, just as the Almighty is not a thing with wings, so an angel is also not an angel of a spiritual thing, an intellectual thing. But certainly there are angels, and certainly the angels lead the person the whole time. There are verses in Chazal and in Torah that the angels lead the person the whole time. And even, as the Rambam himself says elsewhere, even when one says this truly “guard me”, he doesn’t only translate “wait”, they guard me, but another level up, not directly.

Chavrusa B: Rabbi Yitzchak, on the contrary, wait, I didn’t think that there are no angels. I only thought that the angels have more control and are also in the mind of the person. Not only… the angels are constantly… not only… the angels are still here.

Chavrusa A: That’s what the commentators say, that’s what the commentators say that it’s not the custom today, because we don’t consider ourselves such righteous people that angels should turn around in our house. I told you, it’s not our house, it’s written in great halachic authorities. The later authorities say that people don’t practice saying this because we are not established that angels should turn around. But by the way, the Arizal said that one should indeed say it, and there’s no… the angels still go on, they haven’t stopped.

It’s not a level, this doesn’t mean that there’s a level of a person that angels turn around. That’s how the world works, that angels lead the person. It’s not a level. I don’t know who said from the later authorities that it’s for levels, it’s not for levels.

Chavrusa B: And why does one send them away before one goes into the bathroom if they go outside?

Chavrusa A: I just told you, because it’s not appropriate for the angels to go into the bathroom. But truly, truly…

Chavrusa B: And again, I would say that they didn’t even go, even you don’t part from them.

Chavrusa A: Certainly not. Just as… certainly, certainly not. This doesn’t mean… when I go into the bathroom, they wait outside. They wait outside, they’re not even… it’s only a… it’s not physical that they wait outside, but they’re not relevant to that place. Certainly not. I told you, also the Almighty, I can’t go into the bathroom and say “blessed are You, Hashem” in the morning. All these blessings are so that a person should remember, so that a person should… the spirituality is not for the Almighty and not for the angels.

The Blessing of “Asher Yatzar” — The Wisdom in the Creation of Man

The Function of Blessings — For Whom Are They?

Speaker 1:

All these blessings are so that a person should remember. The blessings are not for the Almighty, not for the angels. The blessings are for you. The King does His thing anyway, that’s not the question. The question is for you, you know. And therefore the later authority that one says, the person who doesn’t say “who sanctified us with His commandments”, for him indeed no angels go in his subject, he doesn’t grasp it. But certainly the King goes on.

Just as when a person says… my narrative is a better narrative. No, my narrative is very simple. The person wakes up, then the Almighty shines in the soul, that is the power of life, the power of choice, the powers of the person, and he gives thanks. Also it’s not true. Just as not true as that. And when the person doesn’t do these things, what is the person? When the soul is not real, is his body more real. His body goes around thinking, and the body digests the food, and so on. And now one is going to explain to him, he’s going to deal with the body. And when he finishes one makes a blessing on the body. “Who sanctified us with His commandments” is on the body. Now one goes back to the mind with the body, and speak words of Torah, “who does great mighty deeds” and so on. Here one dealt with the body. And then when one dealt with the body, we said there “excuse me soul, power of life”.

Angels vs. Soul — A Fundamental Difference

Speaker 1:

Not soul, angel! Do you know a difference between a soul and an angel? A soul belongs to you, an angel doesn’t belong to you. An angel. Why should you insert soul? It says an angel. Why do you need to exchange the angel for a soul? What bothers you that there’s an angel? Why should you be against the angels? Because there’s a perfect story without it. But that’s not true, and in the verse it says an angel. And you are obligated to acknowledge that there’s an angel. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High”, certainly. Ah, we haven’t arrived yet. Wait, wait. We thank the Almighty for all these things, haven’t we thanked that we give a blow? Just as one goes to the toilet one says “ah, such I connect”. Certainly, certainly it’s an obligation. Certainly it’s an obligation. All the great ones say that the two greatest foundations of faith is to know that there is the Almighty and that there are angels.

Discussion: Did People Know About Angels Before?

Speaker 2:

What does it say in the Midrash? Certainly it’s an obligation. Whoever doesn’t remember that there are angels is almost not a Jew. What’s the question? But it’s very interesting that the only place where we have started learning, from the beginning Foundations of Foundations the Light of Hasidism, yes, no, it’s not true. So the Ramach. Not correct, not correct, two chapters, it’s later that it’s answered that the angel accompanies us, one must…

Speaker 1:

You didn’t read well, you didn’t read well, you didn’t read well. Laws of Foundations of Torah, Foundations of Torah explicitly states two whole chapters that he was about the angels that lead us.

Speaker 2:

But Laws of Foundations of Torah is not statements that he says to say, he doesn’t say Shalom Aleichem, he doesn’t say Shalom Aleichem, he says a prayer when he came… he accompanies him the whole week, he accompanies him when he goes into the bathroom, then is the person…

Speaker 1:

Certainly! No! Here you got confused here, because you didn’t grasp it. You didn’t learn Laws of Foundations of Torah well, you thought it’s not written there. It’s written there a whole thing about angels, here are indeed details how one goes with the three prayers, blessings, that one says.

Speaker 2:

There are angels, they are invisible and they haven’t yet seen them until Laws…

Speaker 1:

Not correct, they did indeed see them! They saw them in the Torah, there one speaks about prophets and the matter that happened in the upper worlds, this is that I have a relationship with an angel. Before I go into the bathroom I must tell him “be honored, honored ones”.

Speaker 2:

That’s not true, that’s not true. They did see it there, it was stated explicitly, it was stated explicitly in Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah that the conduct of man comes from the angels, it was stated explicitly. It’s not true that he didn’t see it, it was seen, it was properly written about the upper worlds, it was stated that it directs this world.

Speaker 1:

All these prayer formulations here are anthropomorphism in a certain sense, because even the Almighty is not obligated from above to become a loaf with His hands, that’s not the problem, exactly so, but it’s not a novelty. It’s not true that we’ve now discovered that there are angels, we have now discovered, we, people who haven’t thought about what was written before. Okay, enough, let’s move on.

Discussion: Can One Communicate with Angels?

Speaker 2:

We exist… to deny that we communicate with an angel is a novelty? Yes, I deny it! It’s stated explicitly in Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah… one cannot communicate! It’s stated! One cannot communicate with him and he answers back. One can also with a tzaddik, one can also…

Speaker 1:

You are forgetting, one can also communicate with the Almighty! That’s not the point! All communication is only from our side! One cannot communicate with the Almighty! It’s not stated! It’s not stated! It’s stated in Hilchos Tefillah that one can speak with the Almighty, it’s not stated… it’s not stated.

This is actually prayer, this is understanding what prayer means, how prayer works, that it works exactly the same way to the angels as it works for the Almighty, what’s the difference? It’s all a parable how one understands it. Certainly yes, certainly not, “shomreini shomreini”… certainly yes, certainly yes, it’s the same thing. Why is this not a problem with the halachah? There is no such halachah, the Rambam says such a halachah, the Ramban said such a halachah, the Rema didn’t say such a halachah.

Speaker 2:

“Lo levadcha titpalel,” ah, it’s not the same thing, it’s not the same thing, it’s not the same thing.

How does the Rambam say it?

Speaker 1:

He doesn’t say. The Rambam says yes about being mitpalel. And the next avodah zarah that is stated is stated about being mitpalel to angels? It’s stated about serving angels. Nothing is stated about being mitpalel. It’s not stated being mitpalel. Where is it stated that the Rambam said that one may not be mitpalel to angels? It’s stated explicitly in the Rambam that one may not, one must be careful from being mitpalel to angels.

Speaker 2:

“Shomreinu shomreinu” is a prayer? Are we asking the angels or are we asking the Almighty?

Speaker 1:

It’s a request. “Shomreinu” – guard me. “Kedoshei meshartei elyon” – I don’t understand. Where does it say in the Rambam that one may not say “Shalom aleichem malachei hashareis”? It says that the Rambam says yes.

Come, we need to finish, hello? It’s already late.

Interpretations of “Shomreinu Shomreinu”

Speaker 2:

“Shomreinu shomreinu,” perhaps it’s because there are harmful spirits in the bathroom, and you need to have the good force, the meshartei elyon should wage war with them.

Speaker 1:

I think he didn’t speak. Simple meaning, simple meaning “shomreinu” is from the language of “over veshav al haderech,” wait for me. That’s what I think the simple meaning is, not guard me.

Speaker 2:

Or there are harmful forces in the bathroom, and you go in with various matters, and you ask the kedoshei meshartei elyon that the harmful spirits should be defeated, the angels should be stronger than the harmful spirits.

Speaker 1:

But you’re going to say that harmful spirits one needs to know… harmful spirits I don’t know. Angels are certainly there, and they are always active in our actions. Angels yes, harmful spirits no. And you take the good that you receive, you will bring it into holiness. Okay.

Speaker 2:

Rabbi Yitzchak really loves beautiful angels. We learned at the Melava Malka, there it wasn’t stated that there are harmful spirits. It was stated that there are angels.

Speaker 1:

But I told you, “shomreinu” means wait for me, not means guard me. Simple meaning. “Shomreinu ad she’ekanes va’etze,” wait for me. “Shomreinu keshe’ani beveit hakisei,” simple meaning, I think so. I think that simple meaning means wait for me. “Hatnu li,” yes.

The Blessing “Asher Yatzar” — The Wisdom in Creation

Speaker 1:

Anyway, after he comes out of the bathroom he makes a blessing, yes? What is the blessing that he makes after he goes out? Yes? But it’s interesting that we speak a little. There is here a whole person who is the narrator, and that person is not the soul. Just interesting, you throw it in. It’s not a contradiction at all. And now I still have for the soul. The soul waits outside. And one doesn’t say to the soul! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels! Angels “asher yatzar es ha’adam bechochmah”… the Almighty made man with a beautiful… the engineering of man, so says Rabbeinu Menuach, that the person who is a machine is wonderfully made. Ah, not that He gave man wisdom.

Discussion: What Does “Bechochmah” Mean?

Speaker 1:

And also one shouldn’t learn that He created the world, like “bechochmah bara alma,” according to a plan… This means simply, one looks at the body. It should have a plan, it should have intelligence. It’s not just randomly there are holes, here a hole for a nose, with an order. As for the simple explanation, he says, he translates differently. “Besechel shebo yakir,” meaning is the Yosef version of the world. Such a beautiful Yosef is also a blessing for the intelligence. No, no. Let’s read because, let’s learn. He translates the other interpretation, that man has wisdom, but then he says that it’s not another interpretation. He asks a question, that if so the whole world is wisdom. What specifically is a person? He has no question. But now we’re speaking about the person, therefore it’s already difficult. He stands up said, he says that this means translated given to man, wisdom. But I understand, but I can sense why he thought so. Because, we just hung up the wisdom on the hanger outside…

Speaker 2:

Not correct! We didn’t say the wisdom! We spoke about the conduct. Yes yes yes, yes. Continue, correct, correct. Yes, you see here that there is an interaction with the body, with speech. My fault is to have continued until now.

Speaker 1:

No, it’s simple. When one comes out and says thank you, what does it mean that He gave man wisdom? One had to call the Almighty, and one tells Him that it’s actually not appropriate to have gone to the bathroom. But You made the whole system, and the system was made with wisdom. It was made. Why was it made with wisdom? Because if one has “shaumi bezos hamachon,” one needs to praise. That’s basically the wisdom. It’s wisdom. It’s made with wisdom the system, that it works.

“Nekavim Nekavim Chalulim Chalulim”

Speaker 1:

It is “baruch atah Hashem rofei chol basar umafli la’asos,” it is the Almighty who is rofei chol basar. “Rofei” doesn’t mean He heals illness, “rofei” means He keeps healthy, something that needs to be translated. “Kulam nekavim chalulim chalulim” means the internal plumbing system that carries out the waste, and further you see it’s somewhat appropriate. One sees that there are “nekavim” and “chalulim,” like the link is an inflated thing, there are things holes that carry through liquids and things, that if they should even slightly get blocked or the system should break there people cannot live. So the blessing reminds a person that this is the great power of the body. When one thanks the Almighty for this, you know in general it’s a blessing on the body one can say, or if the body has a problem… It’s a healing! It’s the essence of healing! True, but it’s not prescribed that one thanks the Almighty for the great power of the blessing. It’s more felt prescribed in the blessing. It’s more saying, you are after all made with a wondrous healing. It’s the end of the process that begins with “pokeach ivrim” and continues. That’s the meaning. Before going out one says “shomreini” just! It’s not a science lesson now! It’s wisdom! It’s wisdom! Not everything! After you’ve been in the bathroom, and the lungs should be ours, and the kidneys should be ours, and the liver should be ours. All, the internal, the rabbinically practical part.

The System is Well Made

Speaker 1:

It’s well made, I tell you, it’s well made, that’s the point. It’s well made the system, it’s very well made the system. “Kol asher bashamayim uva’aretz” is all created. The whole system is well made. The wisdom, the divine wisdom…

Birchos Hashachar: Order of Blessings, Obligation of Blessing, and Custom

The Blessing “Ozer Yisrael Bigvurah” — Putting on the Gartel

The Rambam doesn’t say. Okay, fine. The Rambam, I said, “borei refuos” means that the Almighty should create once the whole “plumbing system.” “Mafli la’asos” means that He makes it work all the time, that the “liquid” should actually flow through, and the lungs should do theirs, and the kidneys theirs, and the liver theirs. I hear. The internal, the master of all deeds part.

It’s well made. It’s well made, that’s the point. It’s well made. The Almighty made the system, it’s very well made the system. A power and abundance, abundant thousands and abundant. It’s a very good… the wisdom, a wonder. A wonder of wonders.

Okay, so he went, he put on the undergarments, he put on the pants. Okay. Now one puts on… the gartel is the outer garment, ah, now he’s going out. But now he turned and went into the bathroom with the undergarments, with the pants. Okay.

Now he puts on the gartel. Ah, he puts on the gartel, he makes a blessing “ozer Yisrael bigvurah.” What is this? A belt is when a person goes, he goes up on his mission. He goes… the belt is like what? Belt is… on the gartel he puts on his whole. “Chagor charbecha al yerech gibor hodecha vehadarech.” On this he puts on his sword. On the belt one puts what one has, the sword or the work tools. It’s a “masculine” thing, it’s a thing that has to do with work.

He brings a Chassidic interpretation, the Bnei Menucha, that when one goes with a belt, one goes on the pants, it’s unfortunately the nakedness. So he is “gover al kovesh es yitzro,” and already, he’s Torah-like.

The Blessing “She’asah Li Kol Tzorki” — Putting on Shoes

Okay. “Sheloveish mana’alim mevarech”… I’m more confused than him. “Sheloveish mana’alim mevarech,” one goes to the King of the world “she’asah li kol tzorki.” What is the meaning? Why with the shoes are you already completely organized? I mean, a simple interpretation, that with the shoes one can go do all needs. He’s going out now, he’s going in the street, he can turn on all kinds of “floors.”

“Kol tzorki” doesn’t necessarily mean the shoes. I said that “kol tzorki” is the greatest need that one needs to have shoes. It can be “kol tzorki” that with the shoes he can now go walking.

The Three Blessings Before Going Out

I said that all three blessings are a blessing for going out. In the tent there is merchandise everywhere on the “floor,” there are rags on the “floor,” and it looks… and now one prepares to go out. First one puts on the weapons, the sword or the work tools, he already went to the bathroom, he’s already ready. One puts on the shoes, so that one can go out in the snow, and the path, and one goes out, the last thing is a war with them the gentiles, now I have the step, there is the motivation to go out, I have at least fulfilled the sort “she’asah li kol tzorki,” the Almighty made everything I need, that even if my feet are not so suited for this and that weather, there are shoes.

And so the Almighty made it through people who invented the shoes, everything the Almighty made through people, that’s the point. It’s not from Parshas Bereishis way, who was the first who made the shoes, it’s not the knowledge, there are still all the blessings’ way, and the Almighty made for going out with a sword, now one goes out from the work, and one goes a walk to the market. It’s more than a blessing of providence, the Almighty leads a person to go in the right place, and now, and one is outside for livelihood, one looks at the classes of people who are there.

The Blessings “Shelo Asani Goy,” “Shelo Asani Eved,” “Shelo Asani Ishah”

Who turns in the market? And a Jew is in Eretz Yisrael, it’s in a good place, he’s the Jew, he’s not a slave, and he’s the man who turns in business, and he goes with the belt and with the shoes.

“Umevarech adam bechol yom,” so says our Rabbeinu Menuach, he meets a gentile about Hashem and your work, one thinks he’s a slave among them. I hear, one makes a blessing “shelo asani goy,” but the Rav doesn’t say that there’s a time for this, he says “bechol yom.” This is a blessing that comes every day, this one can better make earlier later, and no difference when.

When One Makes the Blessings

It’s interesting one can think here, that if a person belongs to some certain elite, this is the place to thank the Almighty. “Shelo asani goy,” so I met this tzaddik, I learn this the Shulchan Aruch of the Rambam, and after the praise him forever, of my teacher, student of the Shulchan Aruch of the Rambam. When a person feels that this is his true rabbi, when a person feels for example… let’s say that we today made easy blessed, and he says thank the Creator for placing me in America, which is the strongest land, or… because I belong to a strong nation. There are certain others can my virtues, that I’m not a second-classer in the… within is the essence. What is a God it’s not the… or… a second… that one shouldn’t be any lashon of idols.

Help Jews, that’s the purpose of prayer, help Jews. But the same language of help Jews said… That can be, but the Rambam didn’t have the blessing, because it doesn’t make sense that someone has a deficiency and wants to make a blessing on it. You have a deficiency, and having a deficiency is a pain, a pain one accepts.

“Shelo Asani Ishah” — The Question of Deficiency

But again, news, I want to say news, there is a question, there are three types of people. Well, the woman is also better than the slave. Can I say everything “shelo asani goy” and “shelo asani eved”? True, a slave can say “shelo asani a minor,” he can, but it doesn’t make sense. A slave is a slave, he doesn’t make. Yes, okay. Just, the Almighty made a slave, well blessed. Okay, let’s move on, let’s move on.

Okay, the draft… I mean, it’s also a custom. It’s not stated in the Rambam “mevarech bechol yom shelo asani a minor.” A later custom, that the women innovated, I don’t know who. Okay, I need to move a bit, so let’s perhaps go a bit quickly.

Halachah 7: Order of Blessings — Eighteen Blessings

After this, now the Rambam says the law of the eighteen blessings. It would be good, here eighteen, is very interesting. Just as there are eighteen blessings of Shemoneh Esrei, there are eighteen blessings of Birchos Hashachar. Yes, including “al netilas yadayim” and “asher yatzar.”

“Shemoneh esrei berachos eilu ein lahen seder,” that means you don’t have to go in order. But one makes each one of them “al davar shehaberachah bishvilo uvish’ato,” and the Rambam gives the examples. “Keitzad, harechitzah chagorah vehamalbush.” That means, he goes a whole order, he makes “ozer Yisrael” after one has gotten out of bed and one puts on the gartel.

The Blessing is Said at the Time of the Action

But everyone should note, the Rambam says here, the blessing is said when one does the thing, when one puts on the gartel one says so. He explains himself, he says if someone puts on the gartel already in bed, he’s still in bed, he’s in his place, it’s not the order of this Rambam. The Rambam is going to speak about this, if he goes in the bed, he already puts on his gartel, it’s not just the order here that says he puts on the gartel only later, he already makes then “ozer Yisrael.” Can he say from then, or he will say, blessed “ozer Yisrael,” he doesn’t do it again.

Just as “shama kol tarnegol” afterward, then he says “hanosen lasechvi vinah.” Even though he already said “shelo asani goy,” he already said everything, when he sees the sun, I mean when he hears the voice of the rooster, then he says “hanosen lasechvi vinah.”

A Blessing One is Not Obligated In

And Any Blessing That One Is Not Obligated In

And any blessing that one is not obligated in, if one did not see the thing, he did not hear the rooster’s call, or he did not put on a belt, one should not say a blessing.

The last Gemara says, for example, let’s say a person sleeps in pajamas, he doesn’t have a belt, he doesn’t have shoes, he doesn’t have socks, he will still be obligated. Someone who goes without shoes, someone who goes without shoes on Yom Kippur and Tisha B’Av, someone who gets up early, someone who doesn’t need to go to the bathroom, the Rambam says immediately, immediately a question arises, so it comes out that on Yom Kippur and Tisha B’Av one doesn’t say “she’asah li kol tzorki” (who has provided me with all my needs).

Discussion: Yom Kippur and Tisha B’Av

He doesn’t say about not saying “she’asah li kol tzorki” on Tisha B’Av, but one can say that there it’s more about the mitzvah, because it’s not a mitzvah of washing as such, rather it’s a “ha’avarat shinah” (removal of sleep), you see, a “ha’avarat shinah” one says yes even when one doesn’t wash the face, remember? Yes.

That on Yom Kippur and Tisha B’Av one doesn’t say “ha’avarat shinah”, that’s interesting. A whole pilpul (dialectical analysis) in a blessing of getting up, and getting up one gets up on Yom Kippur and Tisha B’Av too. But the Rambam wouldn’t have said that on Yom Kippur one doesn’t go “yachef” (barefoot) because one puts on some piece of shoe, one just doesn’t put on leather shoes, what one does put on is because essentially one does go “yachef”. It could be so, I don’t know.

And if he didn’t go into the bathroom, the Rambam says, someone who doesn’t need to say “asher yatzar” (who formed [man]), one doesn’t say it. But all these blessings one should only say when one is obligated, so says the Rambam. That means these blessings are only “hana’ah” (benefit) blessings.

Halacha 9: The Custom Against the Rambam

But the custom is, what is there a custom, because in most of our cities, mevarkhim berakhot elu kulam zeh achar zeh bebeit haknesset (they bless all these blessings one after another in the synagogue). People come to the beit hamidrash (study hall), say “mechadesh hashem” (who renews), and go into the world, and the congregation answers amen. Two things, first one says them all in the synagogue, and second one says them bein yashan bein lo yashan (whether one slept or didn’t sleep).

Even if he didn’t hear the rooster, even if he didn’t put on a belt, the Rambam says “veta’ut hi bideihem ve’ein ra’ui la’asot ken” (this is an error on their part and it is not proper to do so). Not proper to do so. Why? The Rambam goes and says, this is because the law is “lo yevarekh adam berakhah ela im ken nitchayev bah” (a person should not say a blessing unless he has become obligated in it). A person should not say a blessing unless he has become obligated, and here one has not become obligated, because he didn’t put on the belt, he didn’t get up.

The Position of Other Rishonim

But we don’t rule this way, today in other words the other Rishonim (early authorities) argue that no, the blessings are essentially on the custom of the world. Precisely in the Gemara it says that it’s nicer to say in order. Which is not exactly a blessing on the thing, because the custom of the world, or the position of other Rishonim, is that one does make the blessing even according to our obligation.

Although there are those who are stringent, that a thing like Yom Kippur and the like, because there is our obligation, because he didn’t put on something like a belt. But we take here that the thing happened, he got up on his feet and he can say “rokeh al hamayim” (who spreads the earth upon the waters), but it didn’t happen now, it happened an hour ago.

The Rambam Agrees That One Can Say Later

He agrees that one can say, he agrees that then it’s not a transgression. That means, if someone became obligated and he does it later, not ideally, but the Rambam agrees that one may. The Rambam’s objection is to making a blessing that one didn’t become obligated in at all, he didn’t have a belt and the like.

He says, there are two things: one proof is that it’s not proper to do in order, but what one should certainly not do is make a blessing that one didn’t become obligated in.

Practical Law

But the main law, the main law that the Acharonim (later authorities) rule is that one does make the blessings even according to our obligation. This is according to the Rambam. If one should know, in practical law one does conduct oneself yes, one should be in the synagogue, this one may do even according to the Rambam, but the custom is that one says it in the beit hamidrash.

But it’s also the custom that one does it even according to our obligation, except, the Rambam is concerned that one mentions a complete name of Hashem, and the others say that one says it with a certain, according to the orders of prayers of the… because essentially, because then it has lost the thing, it’s not blessings, it’s prayer. Prayer is already there, you already have Shemoneh Esreh (the Eighteen Benedictions). It’s not a blessing on a mitzvah, it loses the whole… But this is what we do, this is what many Jews do, here you go.

Halacha 10: Blessings on Torah for Learning at Night

The Rambam says further, more blessings that one makes further. We learned earlier in the laws of Kriat Shema (reciting the Shema), that when one wakes up one reads Kriat Shema. But if a Jew wants to conduct himself like David HaMelech (King David), getting up in the middle of the night and learning Torah before Kriat Shema, blessings on Torah, the Rambam said that one should unite night with day, right? The Rambam said that there’s a mitzvah to learn by day and by night.

But he uses a good time, he thinks it through once, and he sees that he gets up before alot hashachar (dawn), before the time of Kriat Shema, before sunrise, and he learns Torah shebikhtav (Written Torah), Torah shebe’al peh (Oral Torah), notel yadav techilah (he washes his hands first), one washes the hands, as you said before, that you have a new washing of hands. Why is it new? Because before you washed the hands

Blessings on Torah – Order of Rising Early

Blessings on Torah Before Learning

Speaker 1: Ah, he says that there’s a mitzvah to learn by day and by night, but not the whole day. There’s a good time. He thinks he got up once, and he can say at that one time… ah, the points he can now say. But you mean that he should say it before all these things, before he says Kriat Shema, right? Before sunrise?

Speaker 2: Yes, yes. “Yivchar beTorah shebikhtav, yivchar beTorah shebe’al peh” (he should choose Written Torah, he should choose Oral Torah). Yes. “Notel yadav techilah”, washing the hands, as we said before. So you said, a new washing of hands. It’s not new, it means before… “Notel yadav techilah”, he should wash his hands. I don’t understand why.

Speaker 1: No, he got up early, he hasn’t yet done all the order even. He wants to take a Gemara into his bed, he hasn’t yet done all the order even. Why does he need to do netilat yadayim (washing hands)? For the blessing? For the Torah? Why?

Speaker 2: For Torah, yes.

Discussion: Why Netilat Yadayim Before Learning Torah?

Speaker 1: It’s not clear. Before it said clearly that one can make the blessings before netilat yadayim. There are those who say that perhaps blessings on Torah one does need netilat yadayim. Perhaps he simply means to say that this is the order, this is what one should do. Perhaps it’s not implied that one is obligated to do so. Perhaps simply so, that it makes sense, wash the hands. Put on a belt he doesn’t need yet, but wash his hands he should. I don’t know, it’s not clear. Lo barur li (it’s not clear to me).

Speaker 2: You understand why he should wash his hands? Is this to do with the learning or with the blessing?

Speaker 1: On learning is there an obligation that one may not learn with dirty hands? Is there such a law? Let’s try to remember. I always need to think that I know. I don’t remember such a law. On prayer, on Kriat Shema, not on Talmud Torah (Torah study). On Talmud Torah it said that one may not learn with dirty hands?

Speaker 2: Lo barur (not clear).

Speaker 1: “Umoshe yada” (and Moses knew). What does Rabbeinu Manoach say? He doesn’t say. Let’s see. I didn’t see that he says. He doesn’t speak about this. He’s not in this version. Perhaps here he does speak about this. He says here, he discusses here about the text of what we say, the verses of… one minute, we haven’t yet come to this. Which is an error. Nothing is said about washing hands. No.

Speaker 2: Ah, you see, by the way, he brings, there were those who argued that one only says “shelo asani goy” (who has not made me a gentile) when one actually sees a gentile. But the Rambam implies no, that he says it every day. Interesting.

Speaker 1: It could be that washing the hands has to do with the fact that one of the things one says is “ha’oseh yeshuot” (who performs salvations). No. That’s already much later. I don’t know what’s relevant to washing hands.

It says in the Gemara that Rav moshi yadei vehadar metzali (Rav washes his hands and then prays). Ah, the Rambam likes to bring Rav. The Rambam is a devotee of Rav. Yes, so says the language in the Gemara. I don’t know why one needs to do so. Perhaps the simple meaning is not clear. He needs to pray first. “Lo tehi tefilatekha butzina delisa” (your prayer should not be like a flickering lamp) says the Gemara, that learning needs to have purity. No, I don’t agree. It means it needs to have clarity, it means good words, I know what that is. I don’t know.

It could be that simply he’s going to make his own order. He’s going to pray afterward, so he needs to learn first, something in the details of the Rambam is not clear.

Text of Blessings on Torah

Speaker 2: Okay. He says so, he makes three blessings. Yes, he washes his hands, he makes three blessings, and then he can learn, and even before that he can learn Torah. What are the three blessings? It’s like this: “Barukh atah Hashem Elokeinu melekh ha’olam asher kideshanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu al divrei Torah” (Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning words of Torah). On the mitzvah of words of Torah. In our siddur (prayer book) it says “la’asok bedivrei Torah” (to engage in words of Torah), it’s perhaps the same thing.

And here comes a prayer: “Veha’arev na Hashem Elokeinu et divrei Toratekha befinu uvefifiyot amkha beit Yisrael” (Please make sweet, Lord our God, the words of Your Torah in our mouths and in the mouths of Your people, the house of Israel), all Jews should find the Torah sweet. It’s interesting, also “in life and kindness”. No, it doesn’t say for one person. “Uvefifiyot amkha beit Yisrael”, all Jews should love the Torah. Not that I should be the great scholar, but I should give for the Torah a hoe. “Venihyeh anachnu vetze’etza’einu vetze’etza’ei amkha kol beit Yisrael” (and may we and our descendants and the descendants of Your people, all the house of Israel) should be “yodei shemekha” (knowers of Your name). Because the Torah, “Torah kulah shemotav shel HaKadosh Barukh Hu” (the entire Torah is the names of the Holy One, Blessed be He) as it says in the holy Zohar. Or because when one knows the Torah one knows the ways of the Holy One, Blessed be He. “Velomedi Toratekha lishmah” (and students of Your Torah for its own sake), one should merit the level of Torah lishmah (for its own sake). Apparently Torah lishmah is the same thing as veha’arev na. Simply, when he learns the Torah, not in order to receive reward, but because it is sweet to him, because he understands the goodness of the Torah itself, he learns the Torah lishmah, not for honor. Yes, makes sense.

Speaker 1: “Shem” (name) and “yodea hashem” (knowing the name) come from the same root. Yes, but it’s not “yodea hashem” that repeats, but “lishmah” and “leshem haTorah” (for the sake of the Torah). It’s a connection, but it doesn’t mean the same thing. I don’t know.

Speaker 2: “Barukh atah Hashem noten haTorah” (Blessed are You, Lord, who gives the Torah). Afterward he makes a third blessing, “asher bachar banu mikol ha’amim venatan lanu et Torato” (who has chosen us from all peoples and given us His Torah), the same ending. Okay, he says three blessings on the Torah. Very interesting. It’s clear that afterward there’s no reason to say “shelo asani goy”, because he already said “asher bachar banu mikol ha’amim venatan lanu et Torato”. Eh, that’s on the Torah. I don’t know. It’s not clear to me why there are so many blessings on the Torah. There are very many blessings. Before it and after it, and one rejoices with it.

Obligation of Blessings on Torah Every Day

Speaker 2: In short, and so says the Rambam. The Rambam says afterward, first he said, very interesting, that simply only one who gets up early, he needs to say the blessing on Torah before praying, because he’s going to learn before he goes to say the blessings of Kriat Shema. Afterward the Rambam says, no, “bekhol yom chayav adam levarekh shalosh berakhot elu” (every day a person is obligated to bless these three blessings). And if so, he needs to learn a bit, one can’t say a blessing on nothing. He needs to learn. I don’t know why. Why does he need to do so? What is the obligation every day? Because if not, will he officially say in advance, “today I’m not going to learn”? No, he’s going to learn after praying. It’s not a problem. Simply, what’s the problem with learning after praying? I can say to myself, I’m going to learn after praying. The original only says “hamashkim likrot” (one who rises early to read) needs to make the blessings. Why does one need to make the three blessings every day?

There’s a new principle, just as the Sages said that prayer needs to be at certain times, so too must Torah be. There’s an enactment of Torah at the time of prayer, just as after Kriat Shema and prayer there should be study of words of Torah. This is not after Kriat Shema, this is before. The Rambam doesn’t say when. He says he gets up.

I don’t know. It’s not clear to me why one should need to do it every day. Where is the other Rambam that he brings? What does he say about other things? Do you understand why? I don’t know why. Ah, he explains why: before he reads Kriat Shema. But if one reads Kriat Shema, one already says in the blessings of Kriat Shema “ahavah rabbah” (great love) with the blessing on Torah. Yes, yes. The Rambam doesn’t say it so clearly, but that’s how it sounds. But he does say, before he reads Kriat Shema he began there. Before he said so, the Rambam says that one needs to do it every day. I don’t understand. Ah, once it was said one needs to do it every day, there are officially two times for blessings on Torah, because now there was a different order. If he doesn’t read Torah now, let him at least learn, let him indeed learn, and I’ll catch the blessings for him. Before it sounded like there are two options, only at the time when then one needs to. Here it sounds like one needs both. I have no idea why.

What One Learns After Blessings on Torah

Speaker 2: Okay. And he says, the Rambam, which… one needs to say a piece of Torah afterward. The custom is that one says Birkat Kohanim (Priestly Blessing). Why? It’s a nice piece of Torah. It’s in the two verses he reads “tzav et benei Yisrael” (command the children of Israel), that is the korban tamid (daily offering), right? It’s something that is every day. And there are those who say both, and there are those who also say… Birkat Kohanim probably has the advantage because it’s both a prayer and it’s both a mitzvah. They want to learn a mitzvah from the Torah. For the Kohanim (priests) it’s a mitzvah. Prayer? Laws of prayer, Birkat Kohanim? No, but it’s a piece of words of Torah, it’s a mitzvah from the Torah. The essence of the mitzvah of Birkat Kohanim. Why is this a piece of Torah? It’s a mitzvah. I mean to say, there are many mitzvot. No, but it’s also a prayer. They wanted to say “yevarekhekhah Hashem” (may the Lord bless you), it’s a good way to start the day, to say a short prayer. It’s a beautiful prayer, a prayer that the Almighty commanded to say. It’s not a prayer, it’s a blessing. “Yevarekhekhah Hashem veyishmerekha” (may the Lord bless you and keep you), “tzav et benei Yisrael”. There are those who also read “tzav”, we can always do the sacrifices, but the Rambam also brings “tzav”. Not the sacrifices, one portion. It’s korban tamid. Yes.

And there are those who say both? “Eizehu mekoman” (what is their place) says both, both Birkat Kohanim and “tzav”. And there’s also, not there’s also, perhaps the opposite, each one… “Perek eizehu mekoman” is a Mishnah and a Baraita. He also says here a bit of Mishnayot. This is apparently what one also says “eizehu mekoman” chapter… a Baraita of “elu devarim she’ein lahem shi’ur” (these are things that have no measure), and afterward one says “eizehu mekoman” with… later. Yes, one doesn’t say “elu devarim”, yes. That’s a Mishnah. Ah, good. It’s a Baraita? Ah, “elu devarim she’ein lahem shi’ur”. We say “elu devarim she’ein lahem shi’ur”. And a Baraita? There are those who say that one can say both. The Rambam speaks further… I need to go with my baby.

Zemirot – Pesukei DeZimra

Speaker 2: So, we learned about blessings on Torah. We’re still at the order. We’re still here. Yes. He says that… one says blessings on Torah. Afterward he says, with with with the Torah. Veshivchu chakhamim harishonim lemi shekore zemirot misefer tehilim (and the early Sages praised one who reads songs from the book of Psalms). It seems that it’s a continuation of this. Do you understand what I’m saying? But he calls it zemirot (songs). He says that zemirot is a thing in itself and it’s without a blessing of bless… I don’t understand! I don’t know! It’s all something like verses that one says. More verses! Apparently. Newer. What is preparation, I don’t know what. One then says zemirot is finished to understand the Torah, all kinds of words of Torah, now enter one thing, the source of zemirot book of Psalms. If someone wants to do the custom of the Sages it’s a nice thing, he doesn’t want songs of the sick. The Sages didn’t have a belly for one who does so. Yes… as I said, ah, he has a custom of verses to learn others. Besides the Psalms of David it’s night to say the verses to learn others status… He’ll see that he’s going to say a part of the verses or later, will see in the additional machzor (prayer book).

Order of Individual Prayer — Summary of the Complete Order

Zemirot — Continuation of the Clarification

Order of Individual Prayer — End of Chapter 7 of Laws of Prayer

Kedushah of Yotzer for an Individual — Dispute Between Mechaber and Rema

Speaker 1:

So the Rambam says, ah, it turns out that there’s a place where the prayer of an individual and the prayer of the congregation are not the same thing.

And we skip, we don’t say any kedushah from the first blessing before it. The Rambam says, we skip the kedushah from the first blessing before it, that is, from where we begin the main part of the congregation. We say kedushah in the second blessing, by Mechayeh Hameisim. Ah, he’s talking about the blessings of Shema now. In the blessings of Shema, in the blessing of Yotzer, we say kedushah. We don’t say all the matters of the angels, Kadosh Kadosh Kadosh. The Rambam says that we don’t say it as an individual, because an individual doesn’t say any kedushah, that’s the rule. We also conduct ourselves this way, but only regarding the kedushah of Shemoneh Esrei. But the Rambam says that an individual also doesn’t say kedushah, the Ofanim and Chayos Hakodesh, all these pieces, the kedushah of Yotzer. How does it come out, there’s a dispute. The Mechaber rules like the Shulchan Aruch, that we indeed don’t say kedushah, and the Rema says that we may say kedushah even as an individual.

Semichas Geulah L’Tefillah — Foundation and Meaning

Speaker 1:

But when one finishes Ga’al Yisrael, the second blessing, he should immediately stand so that he can connect redemption to prayer. Here the Rambam brings the mitzvah, that everyone who prays should connect redemption to prayer. And he prays immediately when he finishes the prayer he should ask for redemption. This is the proper place to ask or to thank for redemption. Redemption is the second blessing. The point is only that he, that he, that he, not that essentially the laws of prayer and the laws of Shema are two different things, but there is a matter that makes the whole thing one entity.

Discussion: What Does “Geulah” Mean in “Geulah L’Tefillah”?

Speaker 2:

But what is redemption, is there a hint? What is redemption? I understand that it’s redemption. The Gemara doesn’t say about… just the language. No, it’s just a redemption language. There’s a verse about this. But actually, I don’t know what it says.

Speaker 1:

Okay, I need to finish it simply. Yes, continue.

In short, I’m just bringing out, Geulah L’Tefillah is a novelty, but one must combine the blessings of Shema. Essentially they are two different mitzvos that have no connection. Yes, which can be done at other times. One can do it differently today as well. Yes, yes.

The Gemara says a parable, a Rabbi Salmi… okay, let’s move on. Rabbi Salmi brings a parable, an animal when a king comes, and the king comes out and asks him what do you need? And he’s already gone. Certainly, he asks him what do you need? And he’s already gone.

Speaker 2:

I don’t agree with Ga’al Yisrael. Redemption is the… redemption is… Ga’al Yisrael means the Exodus from Egypt. Redemption is the mention of the Exodus from Egypt. Redemption is the prayer… wait, what should that mean? No, but what, Ga’al is still like how is redemption explained in the redemptions in Egypt.

Speaker 1:

Yes, the point is only that one can look at it as the continuation of praise, one is arranging the praise of the Omnipresent, and afterwards prays. And afterwards prays, so one also adds this to the prayer, and then comes prayer.

Um… so now is a good time to pray for one’s own needs. He prays standing as we said, everything we’ve learned. Very good. He stands up. Now he stands up. Very good. Ah, the Rambam says he should stand already at Ga’al Yisrael. It’s implied that he should stand earlier, so he can immediately… so that the beginning of prayer should be exactly.

Order After Shemoneh Esrei — Nefilas Apayim and Supplications

Speaker 1:

And when he finishes, he sits down, and he does nefilas apayim (falling on the face) and tachanun (supplications), which we learned earlier. The Rambam calls this hishtachava’ah (prostration), right? When he completes, he prostrates and falls on his face and supplicates. Here comes the techina (supplication) that comes with nefilas apayim. As it seems, after nefilas apayim, one stands up, and one says again a bit of tachanun and tachanun, as one says again Yehi Ratzon, Tehila L’Dovid, again Tehila L’Dovid, and he supplicates according to his ability, and again he prays according to his ability. What’s missing again? One has already prayed twice, and he is dismissed to his affairs, and he should go do what he has to do. Yes, good. He is dismissed, he says goodbye, and he goes further, he goes to work.

The Order of Mincha Prayer

Speaker 1:

Afterwards at mincha, he begins again Tehila L’Dovid sitting. One knew that one must sit at mincha before Ashrei, because one doesn’t conduct oneself in such a way that one must pray again the mincha prayer, this is a grabbed thing. Yes, about the number of mincha prayers. The Lithuanians who go to a Lithuanian minyan should be able to see this, one sits down before Ashrei.

Afterwards when he finishes, he continues everything the same thing, “Al tehi rasha bifnei atzmecha” (Do not be wicked before yourself), this is still an end of the tachanun from after the prayer above. Yes, you must say Tehila L’Dovid, he says again.

The Order of Maariv Prayer

Speaker 1:

Maariv the same thing, first he says Krias Shema and its blessings before it and after it, the same thing again prayer, he prays standing, when he has someone to answer Amen, and he is dismissed. Ah, one must sit a bit, Nishmas Kol Chai, one must sit after the Amidah of the eighteen blessings. Ah, not to say any nefilas apayim at maariv, this the Rambam said.

But he sits down. The Rambam didn’t have there any Kaddish with any Aleinu, but he speaks here of an individual, the prayer of an individual. Tomorrow at the next chapter we will see individual and Kaddish.

Following after maariv prayer, this is praiseworthy. Ah, this the Rambam said that there are individuals who say tachanun at maariv, the Rambam says here that this is praiseworthy.

Discussion: Hashkiveinu and Semichas Geulah L’Tefillah

Speaker 2:

The Rambam asks, from where do you say that at shacharis semichas geulah l’tefillah (juxtaposition of redemption to prayer), you say again afterwards, what is the meaning? The answer is, semichas geulah l’tefillah, but now there is another blessing that needs to be juxtaposed to the prayer. In short, the Gemara says that it could be like I say, or what could be like you say.

Does geulah l’tefillah mean the blessing of “Ga’al Yisrael” (Who redeemed Israel) specifically, or does it mean the redemption itself from the blessing? Specifically the blessing itself is the stringency. The possibility works out according to my way, that geulah l’tefillah, means Ga’al Yisrael with Hashkiveinu, that is semichas geulah l’tefillah. Not correct, the Gemara simply says that now that the Rabbis established Hashkiveinu as a long redemption, what does “like a long redemption” mean?

Speaker 1:

The point is, I hear, you’re saying a good explanation, according to my way it’s a good explanation. I always thought that it’s Pesukei D’Zimra, because with it. They added another blessing. It’s still part of the answer.

Speaker 2:

Do you mean that the word “geulah” in “geulah l’tefillah” means about the word “Ga’al Yisrael”?

Speaker 1:

No, it means the blessing is the splitting of the Sea of Reeds. Not clear. I hear, I don’t know. It’s not reasonable on such a serious matter that you might have a point. Perhaps. But I never thought that this is the meaning of the point. I thought that the meaning is, just as everything is sovereignty and guidance. After the siddur stands… One learned a few things. If the siddur has already made the enactments, one goes with the siddur, it’s not a problem.

Conclusion

Speaker 1:

Okay, anyways, until here, we’ve been going very long, two hours this shiur. Until here is chapter seven of prayer. Good.