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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION

Siman פ״ט · The time of the morning prayer

זמן תפילת השחר — the time of the תפילת שחרית: its ideal mitsva at נץ החמה (יראוך עם שמש), valid from עמוד השחר, its term סוף ד׳ שעות (שליש היום) and בדיעבד עד חצות; then the prohibitions before prayer — greeting (שאילת שלום), eating, working, learning
סימן פ״ט · ח׳ סעיפים
זמן תפילת השחר
🌱 Introductory level · Beginners
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This siman sets the זמן of the תפילת שחרית: its ideal mitsva is to begin with the נץ החמה (sunrise, « יראוך עם שמש »); but it is valid already from עמוד השחר; its term is סוף ד׳ שעות (a third of the day), and בדיעבד עד חצות; after חצות it is forbidden to pray shacharit. It also lists the prohibitions before prayer: greeting (שאילת שלום), eating and drinking, attending to one s affairs, travelling and learning. Hebrew text, fluent English translation and explanation of the ח׳ seifim, with a section of practical cases.

Topic: The time of the תפילת שחרית — נץ החמה, סוף זמן תפילה, and the prohibitions before prayer
Source: שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן פ״ט · ח׳ סעיפים

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

Our Sages taught (ברכות ט׳:): ותיקין היו גומרין אותה עם הנץ החמה — the vatikin would finish the ק״ש at sunrise, so as to join גאולה to תפלה precisely at the נץ, כדכתיב יראוך עם שמש. The siman sets the זמן of the morning prayer: its opening (from עמוד השחר), its ideal (נץ החמה) and its term (סוף ד׳ שעות, and בדיעבד עד חצות), then the prohibitions before prayer. 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 ח׳ seifim — the זמן (séif 1), שאילת שלום (séif 2), אכילה ועסק (séif 3), הצמא והרעב (séif 4), התחיל לאכול (séif 5), לימוד (séif 6), מרחץ ותספורת (séif 7), שעת הדחק (séif 8)
1. Practical case — until when to pray shacharit (נץ החמה, ד׳ שעות, חצות)
2. Practical case — greeting someone before prayer (צפרא דמרי טב)
3. Practical case — drinking before prayer (מים ורפואה)
+ Comprehension questions and going further

A. The time of the תפילת שחרית — the ח׳ seifim

זְמַן תְּפִלַּת הַשַּׁחַר — the time of the morning prayer — the תפילת שחרית was instituted opposite the תמיד של שחר, whose offering began at dawn. Two planes: the זמן of its validity (from עמוד השחר) and of its ideal (with the נץ החמה, « יראוך עם שמש »), which ends at סוף ד׳ שעות (a third of the day) — and בדיעבד עד חצות; and the waiting it imposes before anything else: not greeting, not eating, not attending to one s affairs and not learning, as long as one has not prayed.

Séif 1 — זמן התפלה: from נץ החמה until חצות

זמן תפלת השחר מצותה שיתחיל עם הנץ החמה כדכתיב יראוך עם שמש, ואם התפלל משעלה עמוד השחר והאיר פני המזרח יצא, ונמשך זמנה עד סוף ד׳ שעות שהוא שליש היום, ואם טעה או עבר והתפלל אחר ד׳ שעות עד חצות אע״פ שאין לו שכר כתפלה בזמנה שכר תפלה מיהא איכא. (הגה: ואחר חצות אסור להתפלל תפלת שחרית)
Séif 1: the time of the morning prayer — its mitsva is to begin with the rising of the sun (נץ החמה), as it is written « יראוך עם שמש »; but if he prayed once the pillar of dawn rose (עמוד השחר) and the face of the east grew light — he has fulfilled it (יצא). Its time extends until the end of four hours, which is a third of the day (שליש היום). And if he erred or transgressed and prayed after the four hours until noon (חצות) — although he does not have the reward of a prayer in its time, there is at least a reward of prayer. Rama: and after חצות it is forbidden to pray shacharit.
Three markers. The ideal: to begin with the נץ החמה (the vatikin, « יראוך עם שמש »). The validity: already from עמוד השחר (after the fact, יצא). The term: סוף ד׳ שעות (a third of the day); from there until חצות there remains a שכר תפלה but not בזמנה; and after חצות — per the Rama — one no longer prays shacharit at all.

Séif 2 — שאילת שלום: greeting before prayer

כיון שהגיע זמן תפלה אסור לאדם להקדים לפתח חבירו ליתן לו שלום משום דשמו של הקב״ה שלום, אבל מותר לומר לו צפרא דמרי טב, ואפי׳ זה אינו מותר אלא כשהוצרך ללכת לראות איזה עסק, אבל אם אינו הולך אלא להקביל פניו קודם תפלה אפי׳ זה הלשון אסור.
Séif 2: once the time of prayer has arrived, it is forbidden to go early to one s friend s door to greet him (to give him « shalom »), for the Name of the Holy One blessed be He is « Shalom »; but it is permitted to say « צפרא דמרי טב » (good morning, my master). And even this is permitted only when one needed to go out to see to some matter; but if one goes only to greet him before prayer — even this phrase is forbidden.
One does not place a person s honour before Heaven s: to give the שלום — which is one of Hashem s Names — before praying is like placing him before Him. One may still say « צפרא דמרי טב » (not « shalom »), and only when already going to a matter; going on purpose to greet before prayer is forbidden even in this phrase.

Séif 3 — אכילה ועסק: eating, drinking, work

אסור לו להתעסק בצרכיו או לילך לדרך עד שיתפלל תפלת י״ח, ולא לאכול ולא לשתות, אבל מים מותר לשתות קודם תפלה בין בחול ובין בשבת ויום טוב, וכן אוכלין ומשקין לרפואה מותר.
Séif 3: it is forbidden for him to attend to his affairs or to set out on the road before he prays the prayer of eighteen (י״ח, the Amida), nor to eat or drink; but it is permitted to drink water before prayer, both on a weekday and on Shabbat and Yom Tov, and likewise foods and drinks taken as a remedy (לרפואה) are permitted.
Before the Amida one begins neither work, nor the road, nor the table: prayer comes first. Two exceptions to the prohibition of eating/drinking: water (מים), which has no flavour of pride, permitted even on Shabbat and Yom Tov; and whatever one takes לרפואה (as a remedy), food or drink.

Séif 4 — הצמא והרעב: the thirsty and the hungry

הצמא והרעב הרי הם בכלל החולים, אם יש בו יכולת לכוין דעתו יתפלל, ואם לאו אם רצה אל יתפלל עד שיאכל וישתה.
Séif 4: the thirsty one and the hungry one are in the category of the ill — if he has the ability to concentrate his mind (לכוין דעתו), let him pray; and if not, if he wishes, let him not pray until he eats and drinks.
Intense hunger and thirst prevent כוונה; they place a person among the חולים. The rule therefore depends on him: if he can concentrate, he prays as he is; if he cannot, he is permitted to eat and drink first, then pray with a settled mind.

Séif 5 — התחיל לאכול: if he began to eat

ואם התחיל לאכול קודם עלות השחר צריך להפסיק, וי״א שאינו צריך להפסיק.
Séif 5: and if he began to eat before the break of dawn (עלות השחר) — he must interrupt; and there are those who say he need not interrupt.
The meal he began before עלות השחר began permissibly; when dawn rises and the זמן תפלה arrives, the Shulchan Aroukh rules that he must interrupt so as not to let the time of prayer pass. The יש אומרים hold that, having begun permissibly, he may finish. For conduct, one follows one s Rav.

Séif 6 — לימוד: even learning is forbidden

אפי׳ ללמוד אסור משיגיע זמן תפלה, והיינו מי שרגיל להתפלל בבית מדרשו ואינו רגיל לילך לב״ה, אבל מי שרגיל לילך לב״ה מותר, ואם הוא מלמד לאחרים אפילו אם אינו רגיל לילך לב״ה מותר כיון שהשעה עוברת דזכות הרבים דבר גדול הוא.
Séif 6: even learning is forbidden once the time of prayer has arrived — and this concerns one who is accustomed to pray in his study hall and is not accustomed to go to the synagogue (בית הכנסת), for there is concern that he may become absorbed in his learning and let the time of the ק״ש and of prayer pass; but one who is accustomed to go to the synagogue — it is permitted; and if he teaches others, even if he is not accustomed to go to the synagogue — it is permitted, since the hour is passing, for the merit of the public (זכות הרבים) is a great thing.
The prohibition targets the lone learner who might « lose himself » in study and miss the זמן. Two permissions: one accustomed to go to the synagogue (he will be carried along with the ציבור); and one who teaches others, for interrupting the זכות הרבים would deprive them of their study — and that prevails.

Séif 7 — מרחץ ותספורת: bath and haircut

מותר להסתפר וליכנס למרחץ סמוך לשחרית, שלא גזרו אלא סמוך למנחה שהוא דבר המצוי.
Séif 7: it is permitted to get a haircut and to enter the bathhouse (מרחץ) close to shacharit, for they only decreed (the prohibition) close to מנחה, which is a common matter.
The concern « he may forget to pray » applies to what is common at that hour. Getting a haircut or going to the bath in the morning is uncommon — so they did not decree. It is specifically close to מנחה (the afternoon), when these occupations are common, that the Sages forbade beginning them.

Séif 8 — שעת הדחק: the pressing case

בשעת הדחק כגון שצריך להשכים לדרך יכול להתפלל משעלה עמוד השחר, וימתין מלקרות ק״ש עד שיגיע זמנה, ואף על פי שאינו סומך גאולה לתפלה הכי עדיף טפי שיתפלל בביתו מעומד ממה שיתפלל בזמנה והוא מהלך.
Séif 8: in a pressing case (שעת הדחק), for example if he must rise early for the road, he may pray from the time the pillar of dawn rose (עמוד השחר), and he shall wait to recite the ק״ש until its time arrives; and although he does not then join גאולה to תפלה — this is better: that he pray at home standing (מעומד) rather than pray in its time while walking.
For one who must set out on the road and has no leisure to wait for the נץ, it is permitted to pray the Amida already from עמוד השחר (the validity of séif 1). The principle: better an Amida standing and settled at home than a prayer « in its time » recited while walking. The ק״ש itself will be read at its time.
The siman in one sentence: the תפילת שחרית — ideal mitsva at נץ החמה (« יראוך עם שמש »), valid from עמוד השחר, term at סוף ד׳ שעות (בדיעבד עד חצות, after חצות forbidden); and before praying one does not greet (but צפרא דמרי טב), does not eat or drink (except מים ורפואה), does not work or travel, and even learning waits — except one who goes to the synagogue or teaches the public.

Practical cases

Case 1 — Until when to pray shacharit

Situation: he woke late, and the first four hours of the day have already passed. May he still pray shacharit?
Conduct: the ideal is the נץ החמה; validity runs until סוף ד׳ שעות (a third of the day). After that until חצות he still prays: he does not have the שכר תפלה בזמנה but שכר תפלה מיהא איכא. After חצות, per the Rama, one no longer prays shacharit — one prays מנחה (with a תשלומין where applicable). For the reckoning of the hours (שעות זמניות) and borderline cases, one follows one s Rav.

Case 2 — Greeting someone before prayer

Situation: on his way to the service he meets an acquaintance. May he say « hello, שלום » to him?
Conduct: he does not go on purpose to greet his friend before praying, and he does not say the word « שלום » (one of Hashem s Names). If he is already going to a matter, he may say « צפרא דמרי טב ». Many add that one whom he meets on the way may be answered with this phrase so as not to slight him. For local customs, one follows one s Rav.

Case 3 — Drinking before prayer

Situation: before the service he is thirsty, or he must take medicine. Is it permitted?
Conduct: water (מים) is permitted before prayer, even on Shabbat and Yom Tov. Likewise a remedy (רפואה), food or drink, is permitted. Coffee or tea (with sugar/milk) are a discussion of the Acharonim — many are lenient when it aids כוונה; this is a common conduct one settles with one s Rav.

Comprehension questions

Check your understanding:
  1. What is the ideal moment for the תפילת שחרית, and whence is it learned (séif 1)?
  2. Until when is the prayer בזמנה, and what remains until חצות (séif 1)?
  3. Why does one not say « שלום » before prayer, and what may one say instead (séif 2)?
  4. Which drinks are permitted before prayer, and why (séif 3)?
  5. Why may one who teaches others continue learning after the time has arrived (séif 6)?

Going further

If you wish to deepen this siman:
Continue to the next simanSiman 90 →
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DAAT · רב יוסף חיים סממה

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