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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION
Siman א׳ · Conduct upon Rising
Din Hashkamat haBoker — to discover and understand
סימן א׳ · ט׳ סעיפים
דין השכמת הבוקר
🌱 Introduction Level · מתחילים
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A first approach to the 9 seifim: vocalized Hebrew text, fluent translation, pedagogical explanations, and the great yesod of שִׁוִּיתִי ה' לְנֶגְדִּי תָמִיד, with a section of practical cases.
Topic: The Jew's conduct upon rising and the order of the morning
Source: שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן א' · ט׳ סעיפים
Compilation: רב יוסף חיים סממה
DAAT · daattorah.com
📑 Study plan
1. Rise like a lion — and the yesod שויתי ה' לנגדי תמיד
2. Rising early to supplicate: the hours of the mishmarot
3. Grieving over the 'hourban of the Beit haMikdash
4. A little with kavana is better than much without
5. Reciting the parshiyot: Akeda, Mann, Ten Statements, korbanot
6. The parshiyot of the korbanot: by day only
7. The Yehi Ratson after the parshat haOla
8. The verse "ve-cha'hat oto" with the korbanot
9. The minhag: Kiyor, Terumat haDeshen, Tamid and Ketoret
10. Practical cases and comprehension questions
1. Rise like a lion
Original text (Seif 1)
יִתְגַּבֵּר כָּאֲרִי לַעֲמוֹד בַּבֹּקֶר לַעֲבוֹדַת בּוֹרְאוֹ, שֶׁיְּהֵא הוּא מְעוֹרֵר הַשַּׁחַר. הגה: וְעַל כָּל פָּנִים לֹא יְאַחֵר זְמַן הַתְּפִלָּה שֶׁהַצִּבּוּר מִתְפַּלְּלִין (טור).
Translation
Let him strengthen himself like a lion to rise in the morning for the service of his Creator — so that it is he who awakens the dawn, and not the dawn that awakens him. Gloss of the Rama: in any event, let him not delay the time of prayer at which the tsibbour prays.
"Awakening the dawn" (מְעוֹרֵר הַשַּׁחַר) — from the verse "עוּרָה כְבוֹדִי... אָעִירָה שָּׁחַר" (Tehilim 57): the righteous one rises before daylight to serve Hashem, as though he himself were rousing the dawn, instead of waiting for it to wake him.
The great yesod — שויתי ה' לנגדי תמיד
The Rama continues with what is, in his own words, a great principle of the Torah and a quality of the righteous who walk before God:
הגה: שִׁוִּיתִי ה' לְנֶגְדִּי תָמִיד הוּא כְּלָל גָּדוֹל בַּתּוֹרָה וּבְמַעֲלוֹת הַצַּדִּיקִים אֲשֶׁר הוֹלְכִים לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים, כִּי אֵין יְשִׁיבַת הָאָדָם וּתְנוּעוֹתָיו וַעֲסָקָיו וְהוּא לְבַדּוֹ בְּבֵיתוֹ כִּישִׁיבָתוֹ וּתְנוּעוֹתָיו וַעֲסָקָיו וְהוּא לִפְנֵי מֶלֶךְ גָּדוֹל... כָּל שֶׁכֵּן כְּשֶׁיָּשִׂים הָאָדָם אֶל לִבּוֹ שֶׁהַמֶּלֶךְ הַגָּדוֹל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֲשֶׁר מְלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ עוֹמֵד עָלָיו וְרוֹאֶה בְּמַעֲשָׂיו (מורה נבוכים ח״ג פ׳ נ״ב).
"I place Hashem before me at all times" is a great principle of the Torah and one of the qualities of the righteous who walk before God. For the way a person sits, moves and conducts his affairs when he is alone in his home is not the same as when he stands before a great king; nor is his speech with his household the same as his speech in the assembly of the king. All the more so when a person sets to his heart that the great King, the Holy One blessed be He, whose glory fills the whole earth, stands over him and sees his deeds — at once there comes upon him awe, submission and shame before Him always (Moreh Nevuchim III, ch. 52).
The heart of the whole siman: שִׁוִּיתִי ה' לְנֶגְדִּי תָמִיד — the constant awareness of standing before the King. Not a feeling of the morning alone, but the orientation of the entire day: to act, in private as in public, as before the One who sees all.
In practice (Seif 1): as soon as he wakes, let him rise with zerizut (alacrity) for the service of his Creator, let him not be ashamed before those who would mock him, and — even while lying on his bed — let him know before Whom he lies.
2. Rising early to supplicate
Original text (Seif 2)
הַמַּשְׁכִּים לְהִתְחַנֵּן לִפְנֵי בּוֹרְאוֹ, יְכַוֵּן לַשָּׁעוֹת שֶׁמִּשְׁתַּנּוֹת הַמִּשְׁמָרוֹת, שֶׁהֵן בִּשְׁלִישׁ הַלַּיְלָה וּלְסוֹף שְׁנֵי שְׁלִישֵׁי הַלַּיְלָה וּלְסוֹף הַלַּיְלָה, שֶׁהַתְּפִלָּה שֶׁיִּתְפַּלֵּל בְּאוֹתָן הַשָּׁעוֹת עַל הַחֻרְבָּן וְעַל הַגָּלוּת רְצוּיָה.
One who rises early to supplicate before his Creator should aim for the hours when the mishmarot change (the celestial "watches") — namely at the first third of the night, at the end of two thirds, and at the end of the night — for the prayer said at those hours over the 'hourban and the galut is favorably received.
Mishmarot (מִשְׁמָרוֹת) — the "watches" that divide the night. At the hours of their change, the world is more receptive to the prayer of mourning and supplication (the basis of tikkoun 'hatsot, said at midnight).
3. Grieving over the 'hourban
Original text (Seif 3)
רָאוּי לְכָל יְרֵא שָׁמַיִם שֶׁיְּהֵא מֵצֵר וְדוֹאֵג עַל חֻרְבַּן בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ.
It befits every God-fearing person (יְרֵא שָׁמַיִם) to be distressed and to grieve over the 'hourban of the Beit haMikdash — the destruction of the Temple.
The morning avoda is not only personal: it also bears the sorrow of the people. To keep at heart that we are still in galut, and to long for the rebuilding, is part of yirat Shamayim.
4. A little with kavana
Original text (Seif 4)
טוֹב מְעַט תַּחֲנוּנִים בְּכַוָּנָה מֵהַרְבּוֹת בְּלֹא כַּוָּנָה.
Better a little supplication with kavana (intention, focus of the heart) than much without kavana.
Quality before quantity. Better to say less, but with understanding and a true turning toward Hashem, than to multiply words with the mind elsewhere. This is the foundation of avoda she-ba-lev, the service of the heart.
5. Reciting the parshiyot
Original text (Seif 5)
טוֹב לוֹמַר פָּרָשַׁת הָעֲקֵדָה וּפָרָשַׁת הַמָּן וַעֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת וּפָרָשַׁת עוֹלָה וּמִנְחָה וּשְׁלָמִים וְחַטָּאת וְאָשָׁם. הגה: וְדַוְקָא בְּיָחִיד מֻתָּר לוֹמַר עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת בְּכָל יוֹם, אֲבָל אָסוּר לְאוֹמְרָם בְּצִבּוּר (תשו' הרשב"א סימן קפ"ד).
It is good to recite the parshat haAkeda (the binding of Yitzchak), the parshat haMann (the manna), the Ten Statements (Aseret haDibrot), and the parshiyot of the korbanot: Ola, Mincha, Shelamim, 'Hatat and Asham. Gloss of the Rama: and it is precisely be-yaḥid (in private) that one is permitted to say the Ten Statements every day, but it is forbidden to recite them be-tsibbour (publicly, in the congregation) [Responsa of the Rashba, siman 184].
Why the Ten Statements only in private? So as not to give grounds to those who would claim that only the Ten Statements were given at Sinai. In public one therefore avoids fixing them in the tefila; in private each person may say them.
| Parsha | Content |
|---|---|
| הָעֲקֵדָה — Akeda | The binding of Yitzchak — recalling the merit of the Avot and self-devotion |
| הַמָּן — Mann | The manna — strengthening trust that parnassa comes from Hashem |
| עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת | The Ten Statements — only be-yaḥid |
| קָרְבָּנוֹת | Ola, Mincha, Shelamim, 'Hatat, Asham |
6. The korbanot — by day only
Original text (Seif 6)
פָּרָשִׁיּוֹת הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת לֹא יֹאמַר אֶלָּא בַּיּוֹם (וְעַיֵּן לְעֵיל סִימָן מ"ז סָעִיף י"ג).
The parshiyot of the korbanot, one should recite only by day (see above, siman 47, seif 13).
Why by day? Because the sacrifices themselves could be offered only by day. Since reciting the korbanot stands in place of their offering — "וּנְשַׁלְּמָה פָרִים שְׂפָתֵינוּ", "we shall render the bulls with our lips" — one preserves the time of their avoda. The cross-reference is to siman 47.
7. The Yehi Ratson after the Ola
Original text (Seif 7)
כְּשֶׁיְּסַיֵּם פָּרָשַׁת הָעוֹלָה יֹאמַר יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ שֶׁיְּהֵא זֶה חָשׁוּב וּמְקֻבָּל כְּאִלּוּ הִקְרַבְתִּי עוֹלָה, וְכָךְ יֹאמַר אַחַר פָּרָשַׁת הַמִּנְחָה וְהַשְּׁלָמִים מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהֵם בָּאִים בִּנְדָבָה.
When he finishes the parshat haOla, he says a Yehi Ratson: "May it be Your will that this be deemed considered and accepted as though I had offered an olah." Likewise he says it after the parshiyot of the Mincha and the Shelamim — because they come as a freewill offering (nedava).
One says the Yehi Ratson only for the korbanot that can come be-nedava (as a freewill gift): Ola, Mincha, Shelamim. One does not say it for the 'Hatat and the Asham, which come only to atone for a specific transgression — one does not wish to be liable for them.
8. "Ve-cha'hat oto" with the korbanot
Original text (Seif 8)
יֹאמַר עִם הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת פָּרָשַׁת וְשָׁחַט אוֹתוֹ עַל יֶרֶךְ הַמִּזְבֵּחַ צָפוֹנָה לִפְנֵי ה'.
He says, with the korbanot, the verse "וְשָׁחַט אוֹתוֹ עַל יֶרֶךְ הַמִּזְבֵּחַ צָפוֹנָה לִפְנֵי ה'" — "he shall slaughter it on the north side of the altar, before Hashem" (Vayikra 1:11).
This verse specifies the place of slaughter — to the north (צָפוֹנָה) — a requirement of the korban Ola. By adding it, one recites the offering in its complete form, "before Hashem", faithful to the yesod of the siman: everything is done לִפְנֵי ה'.
9. The minhag of the Kiyor and the Ketoret
Original text (Seif 9)
יֵשׁ נוֹהֲגִין לוֹמַר פָּרָשַׁת הַכִּיּוֹר, וְאַחַר כָּךְ פָּרָשַׁת תְּרוּמַת הַדֶּשֶׁן, וְאַחַר כָּךְ פָּרָשַׁת הַתָּמִיד, וְאַחַר כָּךְ פָּרָשַׁת מִזְבֵּחַ מִקְטַר קְטֹרֶת וּפָרָשַׁת סַמָּנֵי הַקְּטֹרֶת וַעֲשִׂיָּתוֹ.
Some have the custom to recite, in order: the parshat haKiyor (the laver), then the parshat Terumat haDeshen (the removal of the ashes), then the parshat haTamid (the daily offering), then the parsha of the altar on which the incense was burned, and the parsha of the components of the ketoret and its preparation.
These additional parshiyot are a minhag ("some have the custom"), following the order of the daily Temple service. They complete the "seder ha-korbanot" that many recite at the beginning of Shacharit.
10. Practical cases
Case 1 — Rising with zerizut
Situation: the alarm rings, the bed is comfortable, and the time for tefila be-tsibbour is still distant. How does one live out Seif 1?
Conduct: rise like a lion, without lingering, recalling that this is a service of the Creator. And even one who prays alone should not delay the time at which the tsibbour prays (Rama). The strength of the morning sets the tone for the whole day.
Case 2 — שויתי ה' לנגדי in everyday life
Situation: at work, alone before a screen, no one is watching. A word, a glance, a choice may go unseen by people.
Conduct: recall that a person's conduct alone in his home should not differ from his conduct before a great king — and all the more so before the King of kings, "whose glory fills the whole earth" and who sees his deeds. This is the great yesod of the siman, lived not in the Beit haKnesset alone, but everywhere.
Case 3 — Reciting the korbanot and the Ten Statements in the morning
Situation: opening the siddur in the morning, one finds the Akeda, the parshat haMann, the korbanot — and wonders what to say and when.
Conduct: it is good to recite the Akeda, the Mann and the parshiyot of the korbanot, by day only (Seif 6). The Ten Statements may be said every day be-yaḥid (in private), but not be-tsibbour (Rama). And one keeps quality before quantity: better a little with kavana (Seif 4).
Comprehension questions
Check your understanding:
- What does "מְעוֹרֵר הַשַּׁחַר" mean, and what does the Rama require "in any event" concerning the time of prayer?
- Explain the yesod שויתי ה' לנגדי תמיד: what is the difference between a person alone in his home and one standing before a great king?
- What are the three hours of the mishmarot, and what kind of prayer is favorably received at them?
- What does "טוב מעט תחנונים בכוונה" mean? Why is it a foundation of the service of the heart?
- Why are the Ten Statements said be-yaḥid and not be-tsibbour?
- Why are the parshiyot of the korbanot recited by day only?
- For which korbanot does one say a Yehi Ratson, and why not for the 'Hatat and the Asham?
To go further
If you wish to delve deeper into this siman:
📖Join the khavroutha
- 📚 Level 2 — Lamdan: for the pilpoul, the שיטות ראשונים and the Acharonim's nuances on שויתי ה' and the recitation of the korbanot
- ✨ Level 3 — Synthesis: for review and quick memorization
- 👑 Level 4 — Daat HaRav (the Alter Rebbe): the shitah of the Shulchan Aruch HaRav on the conduct upon rising