Rav Menashe Klein zt”l, also known as the Ungvarer Rav, was a survivor of the Shoah and served as a communal leader and rosh yeshiva in Boro Park and in Jerusalem. The author of the 17-volume responsa Mishneh Halakhot, as well as many other books, he was renowned for his depth and breadth of knowledge.
In the following teshuvah (Mishneh Halakhot 6:14), Rav Klein discusses a question that arises every Shavuot morning – should someone who stayed up all night learning Torah recite the Torah blessings before davening that we recite every morning? This question is debated already in the Rishonim (not in the context of Shavuot) and its resolution hinges on whether one sees the Torah blessings as mitzvah-blessings or praise-blessings, like all the blessings we say in the morning prior to Psukei diZimra. If they are mitzvah-blessings, they would remain in effect until the person would go to sleep and interrupt the performance of the mitzvah, i.e., his Torah learning. This is the position of Rosh, who states that in such a case that a person is up all night, no new blessing should be made. Rabbenu Tam states, in contrast, that a new blessing must be made, since the Torah blessings are like all the other praise-blessings which we offer each day.
The general practice is in accordance with Rabbenu Tam and following this, those who were up all night would recite the Torah blessings on Shavuot morning. Rav Klein goes further and states that even according to Rosh, one can make the blessings if he specifically intends that the scope of the Torah blessings that he makes on erev Shavuot should not extend into Shavuot morning. This is possible because on the one hand we interrupt our Torah study throughout the day to take care of all our mundane needs, and on the other hand, in principle we should always be involved in or going back to our Torah learning. Because our learning is both made up of discrete units and also continuous, our intention to separate the learning of one day from the next, even if one has been learning all night, is meaningful and defines the learning on Shavuot day as something new.
As we enter into Shavuot, we should reflect on what it means to think of one’s Torah learning as continuous and as discrete units. On the one hand, many of us should be striving for a mindset of continuous Torah learning – that Torah is not something that we have to make special time for during the day, but rather that it defines our day, and it is all the other things – work, shopping, eating – that we need to find time to squeeze in. But this is not possible, and perhaps even not to be desired, of everyone. Jewish society is not, and perhaps should not, be seen as consisting of scholars and would-be scholars. For most people, their primary contribution to a society based on Torah and Torah values comes through the work that they do, the Jewish homes that they build, and the contributions that they make to the larger world.
It is thus significant that on Shavuot, the day commemorating the receiving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai, the custom is to learn all night – reflecting the ethos of continual Torah study – and to make a new Torah blessing in the morning, reflecting the ethos of Torah learning as a discrete activity, one that should take place every day and be integrated into every day, but one that – for most people – is not expected to be a continuous, unbroken activity throughout the day.
On this Shavuot let us celebrate Torah’s centrality to our lives, and appreciate the roles that we all play in living our lives and creating a society based on Torah.
Chag Samayach!
| שו”ת משנה הלכות חלק ו סימן יד
הניעור בלילה וישן ביום שלפניו אם מברך ברה”ת ב”ה ה’ בשבת לס’ עקב התש”ל ברוקלין נ”י יצו”א. מע”כ הב’ ירחמיאל דיימאנד הי”ו. הנה בעצם ההלכה ומחלוקת הרא”ש ור”ת אי מברכין ברכה”ת הישן ביום והניעור בלילה לא רציתי להכניס עצמי בזה דכנראה כבר נהוג עלמא דביום אין מברכין לאחר שינה ואפילו שינת קבע וכי”א בש”ע סי’ מ”ז סי’ י”א וכ”פ האחרונים וספק ברכות להקל ושוא”ת עדיף ואפילו בס”ס כתבו הרבה מהאחרונים שלא לברך הגם דעיין יד מלאכי בכללי הדינים אות תצ”ב בשם התה”ד סי’ ל”ז ובני חייא סי’ שפ”ז ולח”מ פ”ד מה’ ברכות ה”ו ופר”ח א”ח סי’ תפ”ט ס”ז וח’ וכל הני ס”ל דיברך מ”מ דעת האחרונים שלא לברך עיין פרמ”ג יו”ד סי’ י”ח מש”ז ס”ק ט”ז וברכ”י סי’ ז’ אות ג’ וכף החיים סי’ י”ח אות ז’. ומיהו בבקר נהוג עלמא לברך אפילו לא ישן כלל וכדעת ר”ת ואף דלכתחלה מהדרין לשמוע ממי שישן אבל אם אין להם מי שישן מברכין לעצמן והגם דקיי”ל ספק ברכות להקל והי’ להם ג”כ שלא לברך ומיהו כיון דנהוג עלמא לברך כה”ג לא מקרי עוד סב”ל… וכ”ש בצירוף שיטת הפוסקים דספק ברכות להקל אמרינן להקל ולברך עוד הפעם במצות ורק בברכת הנהנין אמרינן שלא לברך… אלא דלפענ”ד הי’ נראה לחדש לפמ”ש המג”א א”ח סי’ מ”ז סקי”ב דמהאי טעמא מברכין על ברכה”ת בכל יום לפי שלא הי’ דעתנו אלא לפטור ליום ולילה כיון שקבעו חז”ל ברכה זו בכל יום וכו’ ע”ש ולפ”ז נלפענ”ד יסוד חדש לפ”מ דקיי”ל ברכות צריכות כוונה ועכ”פ סתמן לשמן אבל מי שיש לו היפוך כוונה ודאי אינו מועיל והכי קיי”ל במי שמברך ודעתו על כל מה שיש לפניו יצא ואם לאו הו”ל נמלך ומברך על כל מין בפני עצמו וא”כ נראה לומר דמי שמברך ברכת התורה ומתנה שלא לצאת בברכה זו אלא זמן ידוע נראה דכשבא זמן הזה צריך לחזור ולברך דכבר אזדה לה ברכתו הראשונה אלא כדי שלא להרבות בברכות אנו מברכין רק פעם בכל יום היינו יום ולילה… ולפ”ז אומר אני שאפשר שיתנה אדם דבכל לילה שלא ישן שלא יפטור לימוד התורה אלא של אותו יום ולילה עד זמן ידוע עלות השחר או סמוך לו וא”כ כשיגיע הזמן הזה לכ”ע יתחייב לחזור ולברך דאפילו להרא”ש דא”צ לחזור ולברך היינו דוקא בסתם אבל אם התנה בפי’ שלא לצאת גם הרא”ש מודה שלא יצא לכל ימי חייו אפילו לא ישן כלל וא”כ שפיר יש תקנה בליל שבועות או בכל לילה שברצונו ללמוד כל הלילה ואפ”ה יכול לברך ברכה”ת לכ”ע בלי שום ספק שיתנה כן בשעת הברכה ואולי אפילו לא יתנה רק פעם אחת בתנאי גמור שבכל פעם שלא ישן בלילה כוונתו רק עד עלות השחר או שעה מיוחדת ואז יכול לברך לכ”ע וזה לפענ”ד דבר חדש ונכון לעשות כן. אלא דבעיקר דברי המג”א הקשה דו”ז דנראה דבריו סתורים דהכא כתב לענין ברכה”ת דאם הוא ניעור כל הלילה דמברך דלא הי’ דעתו רק לפטור יום ולילה וכ”כ עוד בסי’ תצ”ד ובסי’ תרל”ט סקי”ז תמה על הב”ח דאטו מי שיש לו ציצית ויכוין שלא יפטרנו בברכתו אלא עד חצות וכי יחזור ויברך בחצות הא ודאי ליתא וא”כ הכ”נ אמאי פוטרתו ומיהו מרן בב”ש א”ח סי’ ל”ב השיב לו דהחלוק גדול דהתם בציצית או סוכה מיירי כשלא הפסיק כלל מעשיית המצוה כגון שלא פשט הטלית ולא יצא מן הסוכה ורוצה לחזור ולברך שפיר כתב המג”א דלא מהני דעתו שלא יפטר בברכה זו דדעת שוטים הוא זו שרוצה לברך ברכה לבטלה כיון שבירך אמצוה זו ולא הפסיק כלל ואיך יברך שתי ברכות אמצוה אחת שהוא נמשכת יותר אבל בברכת התורה הלא באמת מפסיק הוא בלימודו בעסקיו ואכילה ושתיה והליכה לביה”כ ותפלה וכדומה והי’ ראוי באמת לברך בכל פעם שהוא מפסיק וחוזר ללימודו אלא דכיון דכל שעה מחויב ללמוד אינו מייאש דעתו ולכן א”צ לחזור ולברך כמ”ש תוס’ ור”י ורא”ש ברכות י”א ועיין טוש”ע א”ח סי’ מ”ו נמצא דהא דא”צ לחזור ולברך הוא רק מפני שהי’ דעתו לפטור הכל ושפיר כתב המג”א דאם לא הי’ דעתו לפטור רק ליום ולילה שוב צריך לברך באמת דהא הי’ הפסק וחייב לחזור ולברך מדינא ע”ש עוד תי’ אחר… ובזה הנני ידידו דושה”ט וי”ר שיזכה ללמוד תורה מתוך יר”ש המברכו בברכת התורה צלח ורכב על דבר אמת בלב ונפש. מנשה הקטן | Mishneh Halakhot 6:14
One who is up all night but slept during the day beforehand, does he make birkat ha’Torah in the morning? 1970, Brooklyn. To his honor, Rabbi Yerahmiel Diamond. I am writing with regard to your question about those who customarily remain awake on the night of Shavuot, some of whom sleep during the day beforehand in order to be able to learn all night. You ask what they should do regarding birkat ha’Torah. Now, it is explicit in SA that one who sleeps during the daytime should not recite the blessing of birkat ha’Torah when he arises. The practice is that those who also remain awake all night don’t recite the blessing either, based on Shulkhan Arukh OH 47. Nevertheless, the opinion of R’ Akiva Eiger, cited by Mishneh Brurah, and according to all opinions, is that one who sleeps during the daytime but remains awake all night afterwards is required to say birkat hatorah. Because of this (according to all opinions), these people would be able to recite the blessing on Shavuot morning as well… However, this leads to a failure to say birkat hatorah at the proper time, since those who are awake are continuing to learn without reciting a brakha, waiting for those who are sleeping wake up, which doesn’t happen until the morning hours… I do not wish to enter into the very heart of the dispute between Rabbenu Tam and the Rosh about whether one who sleeps during the day and stays awake all night should recite birkat hatorah, as it would appear that the established practice is to not recite a blessing after sleeping during the day, even after a sound slumber. This follows the opinion cited in SA OH 47:11, and this is the consensus opinion of the aharonim. Moreover, the principle is that we do not recite a blessing when there is any doubt in the matter, and even when it comes to a double-doubt, many of the aharonim have written that one should not recite a blessing. However, see Yad Malakhi, Kelalei Hadinim 292 in the name of Terumat Hadeshen 37 and Benei Hiyya 387, Lehem Mishneh to Hilkhot Berakhot 4:6, Pri Hadash OH 489:7-8. All of the above hold that one should recite a blessing in a case of a double-doubt. Nevertheless, the opinion of the aharonim is to not do so even in such a case. See Peri Megadim, Mishbetzot Zahav YD 18 no. 16, Birkei Yosef 7:3 and Kaf Hahayyim 18:7. However, following the position of Rabbenu Tam, the common practice is to make the blessing in the morning even if one has not slept at all. Only as a lekhathila matter do we try to hear the blessing from someone who has slept, but if that is not possible, people who have not slept can make the blessings for themselves. The general principle is that one should not recite a blessing if there is ever any doubt, nevertheless, since it is the common practice to recite the blessings, this principle [to not recite blessings in doubt] no longer applies here… This is all the more so true when one includes the position of those authorities who rule that we are lenient to not recite a blessing ‘in doubt’, which applies only to blessings on food, but in the case of a mitzvah, one should actually make the blessing, even in doubt. It seems, in my humble opinion, that here one can make a novel argument. Magen Avraham OH 47 no. 12 writes that the position of Rabbenu Tam is that one should recite the blessings every day, even if he has not slept the night before, because one’s intention is concerning only that day the blessing was said and the following night [and no more], as instituted by the Sages to recite the blessings every day. I think there is an additional concept at play here. We hold that blessings require intention, and that we assume a person has the correct intentions while blessing in order to fulfill their recitation. So to, if one makes the blessings with the incorrect intention, the blessing would be incomplete. Therefore one who makes one blessing on all the foods in front of himself [with the correct intention] need not make individual blessings on each different type of food he will eat. But if he intends to only eat one type of food and makes the blessings on food accordingly [with that intention] but then changes his mind, and desires to eat other types of food at the same meal, he must then make a new blessing on each new type of food. Thus, one who makes the blessing of birkat hatorah with the explicit intention that it apply only for a certain amount of time would then be obligated to repeat the blessing at a later time [each time he wants to learn Torah throughout the day]. The only reason we do not do this, and make the blessing once a day instead, is so we bless excessively throughout the day… Thus, I say the following: a person can stipulate regarding their Torah blessings, that if there is ever a time that he does not sleep during the night following his making of the blessing, that his blessing should not extend until the next day, and should only exempt his Torah learning of that day and the night on which it was made. Then, when the next day arrives, he will be obligated to make a new Torah blessing according to all opinions. For even Rosh states that one is not obligated to make Torah blessings if they were up all night – which is only true in standard cases, but if the person explicitly stipulates that the blessing should not carry over once the new day arrives, even Rosh would agree that they would no longer fulfill their obligation based on yesterday’s blessing. This is a good solution to the night of Shavu’ot, or any other night when one wants to stay up learning. One can thereby say birkat hatorah according to all opinions without any doubt, provided he explicitly stipulates [sets his intention] when he makes the blessing (that it should not apply to the following day). Perhaps it even suffices if one just makes this stipulation once with a clear and explicit articulation that any time one stays up all night that the blessing applies only until dawn or some specific time, and then he can make the blessing according to all opinions. This is my opinion, which is a new idea, and would be proper to do. However, my uncle, who is my elder, raised a difficulty regarding Magen Avraham’s original statement – that the Torah blessings are only effective until the next day because that is his assumed intention – which would seem to contradict himself, but in OH 639:17 he critiques a position of Bach and states that it is unthinkable that if someone intends when he is reciting the blessing over tzitzit that the blessing should only be effective until midnight, and that such a person should be obligated to make another blessing come midnight. Given that, the same should be true in our case, and why is the person’s intent effective to obligate him to make a new Torah blessing come morning? Be that as it may, our teacher B”Sh (OH 32) responded to him that there is a major distinction between the two cases. When it comes to tzitzit or sukkah, we are dealing with a case where there is no interruption in the performance of the mitzvah act – the person in question has never removed the tallit and did not exit the sukkah – and now, based on his intent when making the blessing, that the blessing should only be in effect until a certain time, wants to make another blessing. In such a case, Magen Avraham correctly responds that his intent does not limit the effectiveness of the blessing, because having such an intent is nonsense, for its purpose is only to make an unnecessary blessing, given that he has already made a blessing on this mitzvah and has not interrupted its performance even once. How can we think that a person should be able to make two blessings on one mitzvah that takes place over a continuous period? But when it comes to the blessings over Torah study– behold, the truth is that a person does interrupt his Torah learning to take care of his various needs: eating, drinking, going to synagogue, prayer, and the like. Thus, it would actually make sense to require a person to make new Torah blessings every time he interrupts his Torah learning and then resumes it. However, since he is obligated to learn Torah every moment, we say that even when he is involved in other pursuits, his thoughts are never fully disconnected from the Torah learning to which he needs to return, and it is for this reason that he does not have to make another blessing when he returns to his Torah learning, as Tosasfot (Berakhot 11a) writes. Therefore, the only reason that he does not make a blessing a second time when he returns to his learning is because his intent was that his blessing should extend to all the periods of learning during the day, even if they are interrupted with other things. Magen Avraham thus writes correctly that if a person’s intent was only to apply the blessings to that current day and the following night, then he does indeed have to make new blessings come the next day (since there were interruptions in his learning, which should on their own obligate new blessings were it not for his intent otherwise). Your friend, May you merit to study Torah out of fear of heaven. Menashe Klein |
All of the content in The Lindenbaum Center for Halakhic Studies is released with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. It is open for reuse with the following attribution: "Authored by [name of author] from The Lindenbaum Center for Halakhic Studies at YCT.
Rabbi Dov Linzer is the President and Rosh HaYeshiva of YCT Rabbinical School. Having served as YCT’s Rosh HaYeshiva for over 20 years, Rabbi Linzer became its President in 2019 and assumed both the institutional and Torah-based leadership of YCT. In this dual capacity, Rabbi Linzer has set the vision for YCT as a Center of Torah and Torah Leadership, and, with an amazing team of colleagues and partners, oversees its growth, reach, and further development. An acclaimed Torah and halakha scholar, Rabbi Linzer has been a leading rabbinic voice in the Modern Orthodox community for over 25 years. He has published over 100 teshuvot (responsa) and scholarly Torah articles, and hosts a number of highly popular Torah podcasts. In his capacity as a mentor, Rabbi Linzer provides religious guidance to the yeshiva’s students and the over 150 YCT-ordained rabbis who are serving in the field. He answers hundreds of halakhic questions from YCT rabbis and broader community each year, which are available to the public on his blog, psak.yctorah.org.
Rabbi Avram Schwartz learned at Yeshivat Hahesder Yerucham in Israel and received semikha from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School in 2017. He and his wife Britany live in Richmond, VA.
3700 Henry Hudson Parkway, 2nd Floor
Riverdale, NY 10463
Phone: (212) 666-0036
Fax: (212) 666-5633
Email: office@yctorah.org
Click here to sign up to receive updates from YCT straight to your inbox.
