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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION

Siman קנ״ז · The set time for the meal

דיני זמן קביעות לסעודה — when the fourth hour of the day arrives one fixes his meal (כשיגיע שעה רביעית יקבע סעודתו); a תלמיד חכם ועוסק בלימודו ימתין עד שעה ששית; ולא יאחר יותר for it is כזורק אבן לחמת אם לא טעם מידי בצפרא
סימן קנ״ז · סעיף אחד
דיני זמן קביעות לסעודה
🌱 Introductory level · Beginners
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This siman teaches the set time for the morning meal: when the fourth hour of the day arrives, one fixes his meal (כשיגיע שעה רביעית יקבע סעודתו); a talmid chakham absorbed in his study may wait until the sixth hour (ימתין עד שעה ששית) so as not to interrupt his study; but he does not delay beyond that, for eating too late while fasting is כזורק אבן לחמת — like throwing a stone into a skin — אם לא טעם מידי בצפרא. Hebrew text, fluent English translation and explanation of the seif, with a section of practical cases.

Topic: The set time for the meal — שעה רביעית, תלמיד חכם, כזורק אבן לחמת
Source: שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן קנ״ז · סעיף אחד

Compiled by: רב יוסף חיים סממה
DAAT · daattorah.com

This siman sets the right time for the morning meal. The Torah wants the body to be served with measure — neither rushed nor neglected — so that it may support study and the service of G-d. The Choulhan Aroukh gives the usual hour (the fourth hour), the leeway granted to the talmid chakham (until the sixth hour), and the limit not to be crossed (כזורק אבן לחמת). We study here at the level of principle; for personal conduct, one refers to the custom and to the ruling of the Rav.

📑 Study outline

A. The seif — שעה רביעית (the meal hour), תלמיד חכם עד שעה ששית, ולא יאחר יותר (כזורק אבן לחמת)
1. Practical case — the usual meal hour (שעה רביעית)
2. Practical case — the talmid chakham who studies (עד שעה ששית)
3. Practical case — not eating too late while fasting (כזורק אבן לחמת)
+ Comprehension questions and going further

A. The set time for the meal — the seif

דִּינֵי זְמַן קְבִיעוּת לַסְּעוּדָּה — the laws of the set time for the meal — the Torah does not leave the meal to chance: it has an hour. The day is divided into twelve seasonal hours (שעות זמניות), counted from daybreak; the fourth hour is the usual time for the morning meal. One who studies (talmid chakham) is granted leeway — until the sixth hour — but no one should delay too much: the body needs to be nourished in its time.

The seif — כשיגיע שעה רביעית: when the fourth hour arrives

כשיגיע שעה רביעית יקבע סעודתו ואם הוא תלמיד חכם ועוסק בלימודו ימתין עד שעה ששית ולא יאחר יותר דהוי כזורק אבן לחמת אם לא טעם מידי בצפרא.
The seif: when the fourth hour [of the day] arrives, one fixes his meal (כשיגיע שעה רביעית יקבע סעודתו); and if he is a talmid chakham occupied in his study, he waits until the sixth hour (ימתין עד שעה ששית); but he does not delay beyond that (ולא יאחר יותר), for it is like throwing a stone into a skin (דהוי כזורק אבן לחמת) if he has not tasted anything in the morning (אם לא טעם מידי בצפרא).
Three moments. (1) The usual hour — when the fourth hour arrives, one fixes his meal (קובע סעודתו). (2) The talmid chakham's leeway — one who is absorbed in his study may wait until the sixth hour, so as not to cut off his study. (3) The limit — beyond that, one delays no more: remaining fasting too long makes the meal כזורק אבן לחמת — like a stone thrown into a skin — which no longer benefits the body.

The meaning of "כזורק אבן לחמת"

The image is striking. A skin (חמת) is a soft leather flask; throwing a stone into it does not fill it and serves no purpose. So too one who has not tasted anything in the morning (אם לא טעם מידי בצפרא) and eats very late: his body, weakened by the fast, no longer draws benefit from the food. The meal taken in its time nourishes; the meal delayed too far "falls" without benefit. That is why the Choulhan Aroukh sets an hour and a limit.
The siman in one sentence: when the fourth hour arrives, one fixes his meal; the talmid chakham who studies may wait until the sixth hour; but one does not delay beyond that, for eating too late while fasting is כזורק אבן לחמת אם לא טעם מידי בצפרא — a stone into a skin.

Practical cases

Case 1 — The usual meal hour

Situation: at what point in the morning is it right to take one's meal?
Conduct: when the fourth hour (שעה רביעית) of the day arrives — counted in seasonal hours from daybreak — one fixes his meal (יקבע סעודתו). This is the usual time of the morning meal. For the exact reckoning of the hours according to place and season, one follows one's Rav and the timetables.

Case 2 — The talmid chakham who studies

Situation: someone is immersed in his study when the meal hour approaches. Must he interrupt in order to eat?
Conduct: the talmid chakham ועוסק בלימודו is granted leeway: he may wait until the sixth hour (ימתין עד שעה ששית) so as not to cut off his study. The Torah thus honours one who studies. But this leeway has a bound (see the next case). For the application, one follows one's Rav.

Case 3 — Not eating too late while fasting

Situation: may one push the meal off even further, beyond the sixth hour, while remaining fasting?
Conduct: no — ולא יאחר יותר: one does not delay beyond that. One who has not tasted anything in the morning and eats very late makes his meal כזורק אבן לחמת — without benefit to the body. The bound protects health, which is in the service of study and mitzva. For particular cases (a fast, illness, weakness), one follows one's Rav.

Comprehension questions

Check your understanding:
  1. At what hour does one usually fix his meal according to the seif, and how is that hour counted?
  2. What leeway is granted to the talmid chakham ועוסק בלימודו, and why?
  3. How far may he wait, and what does "ימתין עד שעה ששית" mean?
  4. What does the image "כזורק אבן לחמת" mean, and to whom does it apply?
  5. Why should one not delay the meal too much אם לא טעם מידי בצפרא?

Going further

If you wish to deepen this siman:
Continue to the next simanSiman 158 →
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DAAT · רב יוסף חיים סממה

סימן קנ״ז · סעיף אחד · Level 1 — Introduction
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