Birchot HaTorah: Difference between revisions

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Before one learns Torah one must recite the Birchot HaTorah, praising God for giving us, the Chosen Nation, His Torah, and beseeching Him to make it sweet for us and our descendants.

# One should be very careful to say Birchot HaTorah before learning.<Ref>Shulchan Aruch 47:1</ref> The brachot should be said with great [[Simcha]] (happiness) for being fortunate enough to be chosen and be privileged with the Torah.<ref>Mishna Brurah 47:4 </ref>

# There is a dispute whether it is forbidden to learn Torah without brachot hatorah when one can't otherwise recite brachot.<ref>Rav Nevinsal in Mishna Brurah 47:28 quotes Rav Shlomo Zalman and Chazon Ish who held that it is permitted to learn when one can't recite the brachot because of safek brachot lehakel. See Minchat Shlomo 91:1 s.v. agav.</ref>

## ''Baruch Atta Hashem… Asher Bachar Banu Mekol HaAmim… Baruch Atta Hashem Noten HaTorah''<ref> Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 47:5 </ref>

# One has to make Birchot HaTorah for any learning including Torah, Midrash, Mishna, and Gemara.<ref> [[Brachot]] 11b, Shulchan Aruch 47:2, Yalkut Yosef 47:2 </ref>

# Writing Torah even without reading, if one understands what one is writing, is considered learning for which one has to make Birchot HaTorah.<ref> Shulchan Aruch 47:3 based on Avudraham (Birchot Hashachar beginning). Magen Avraham 47:1 adds that one has to understand what one is writing in order for it to be considered learning, but just copying over text is not learning. This is also the opinion of Biur Heitev 47:2. </ref>

# According to Ashkenazim, because of a dispute one should not think Torah before making Birchot HaTorah, however it is permissible to do a Mitzvah even though it will cause one to think about the laws of the Mitzvah.<ref>Mishna Brurah 47:7 because of the Gra who argues on Shulchan Aruch. </ref> However, according to Sephardim thinking words of Torah does not require Birchot HaTorah and so it is permissible to think Torah before Birchat HaTorah.<ref> Shulchan Aruch 47:4 based on Shabbat 151a, Agur 2, and Tosfot 20b s.v. VeRav Chisda. This is also the opinion of Yalkut Yosef (vol 3 pg 81) that it is permissible to think Torah before Birchat HaTorah. </ref>

# According to many poskim one may perform mitzvot without reciting birchot hatorah.<ref>Gra 47:10 writes that one may perform mitzvot without reciting Birchot Hatorah since thinking about them isn't done with the intention to learn. Mishna Brurah 47:7 follows the Gra. However, the Bikkurei Yakov 644:1 writes that before shaking the lulav one should recite birchot hatorah. (See Agur siman 1 cited by Bet Yosef 47:11 who writes that observing halacha in the bathroom prevents one from having an interruption for one's brachot hatorah since that is like learning. That implies observing halacha and certainly mitzvot is like learning. But the Biur Hagra 47 s.v. vhu hadin writes that the Agur is incorrect because observing mitzvot isn't learning. Also, see Biur Halacha 588:2 s.v. shma who suggests that thinking about mitzvot is like learning Torah with respect to learning in the bathroom.)</ref>

#If one forgot to say [[Birchot HaTorah]] and remembered in middle of [[Pesukei DeZimrah]] one should say it between the paragraphs in [[Pesukei DeZimrah]].<ref>Mishna Brurah 51:10 </ref>

#If one forgot to say [[Birchot HaTorah]] before [[davening]] and only remembered afterwards and did not learn right after [[davening]], one should not say [[Birchot HaTorah]] because there is a doubt amongst poskim as to whether one fulfilled one’s obligation.<ref>Sulchan Aruch 47:8 </ref>

#One should say [[Birchot HaTorah]] prior to saying any pesukim as [[tefillah]].<ref>Shulchan Aruch 46:9, Mishna Brurah 46:27 </ref>

# The brachot can be said standing or sitting.<ref> Yalkut Yosef 47:15 pg 94 </ref>

# Some say that one can interrupt between the brachot and the learning, but it is correct not to do so, and so the practice is the say the Parshat [[Birkat Cohanim]] right after the brachot.<ref> Shulchan Aruch 47:9. Tosfot Brachot 11b s.v. Shkevar in name of the Ri, Rabbenu Yonah 5b, and Mordechai 31 hold an interruption is not a problem. Rambam (as understood by Bet Yosef) holds one may not make an interruption. Magen Avraham 47:8 says that one can say these psukim even before daylight unlike the Maharshal who says one does not read psukim of [[Birkat Cohanim]] at night. </ref>

==Interruptions That Would Require New Brachot==

* Rivevot Efraim 5:43 quotes Rav Chaim Kanievsky, Rav Chaim Dovid Halevi, Halichot Bayta p. 20, and Halichot Bat Yisrael p. 118 who say that who do not need to make new brachot hatorah multiple times a day. Minchat Chen 1:4 and Halichot Shlomo 1:4 agree. Rav Shlomo Zalman explained it based on the fact that the women are cognizant of halacha all day.</ref>

# The night goes after the day with regards to Birchot HaTorah; therefore, one does not make new Birchot HaTorah when night begins. However, if one goes to sleep at night, one will need to make new Birchot HaTorah when one wakes up.<ref> Shulchan Aruch O.C. 47:12, Mishna Brurah 47:28 </ref>.

# If one woke up before [[Olot HaShachar]] (after [[Chatzot]]) and wants to learn, one should make Birchot HaTorah even if one will go to sleep afterwards. If one does go back to sleep Shinat Kevah during the night, there is what to rely on to make Birchot HaTorah a second time. <Ref> Mishna Brurah 47:29,30 </ref>

* Aruch Hashulchan 47:23 agrees with only saying it once but presents a compromise to determine when to say it. If a person woke up before Chatzot and is going to go back to sleep he shouldn't recite Birchot Hatorah, but he is woke up after Chatzot and is going to go back to sleep he should recite Birchot Hatorah. Aromemcha Elokay Hamelech p. 87 quotes Rav Tzvi Weber who agrees with the Aruch Hashulchan.</ref>

# See the [[Waking_up_in_the_middle_of_the_night|Waking up in the Middle of the Night]] page.