Berachoth, Chapter 4, Halacha 1

Unit 2: Sources

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Sources for Berachoth, Chapter 4, Halacha 1

As is typical in Talmudic literature, the Babylonian Talmud often cites only partial quotes or allusions to earlier sources. It assumes the reader is either already familiar with the full text or has it available for reference while following the discussion. For clarity, we will provide the complete relevant passages here.

Mishna Berachoth, Chapter 4, Halacha 1

תְּפִלַּת הַשַּׁחַר עַד חֲצוֹת; רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: עַד אַרְבַּע שָׁעוֹת. תְּפִילַּת הַמִּנְחָה עַד הָעֶרֶב; רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: עַד פְּלַג הַמִּנְחָה. תְּפִילַּת הָעֶרֶב אֵין לָהּ קֶבַע. וְשֶׁלַּמּוּסָפִים —כָּל הַיּוֹם.

The morning prayer [may be recited] until noon; Rabbi Yehuda says: “Until four time units.” The prayer of Mincha [may be recited] until the evening; Rabbi Yehuda says: “Until half-Mincha.” The evening prayer does not have an established [time]. And for additional [prayers] — the entire daytime.

Although the previous unit emphasized that prayer should ideally take place at the beginning of each noticeable daily period, we are taught that — even if that ideal time has passed — one may still fulfill the obligation by praying at any point until the end of that period.

In the pre-clock era of the Sages, each daytime period was divided into twelve equal time units. As a result, noon always fell precisely at the midpoint — after six units had passed and with six units remaining. Consequently, these temporal time units were significantly shorter in winter than in summer.

Tosefta Berachoth, Chapter 3, Halacha 1

כְּשֵׁם שֶׁנִּתְּנָה [תּוֹרָה] קֶבַע לִקְרִיאַת שְׁמַע, כָּךְ נָתְנוּ [חֲכָמִים] לִתְפִלָּה. מִפְּנֵי מָה אָמְרוּ תְּפִלַּת הַשַּׁחַר עַד חֲצוֹת? שֶׁכֵּן תָּמִיד שֶׁל שַׁחַר קָרֵב עַד חֲצוֹת. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: עַד אַרְבַּע שָׁעוֹת. מִפְּנֵי מָה אָמְרוּ תְּפִלַּת הַמִּנְחָה עַד הָעֶרֶב? שֶׁכֵּן תָּמִיד שֶׁל בֵּין הָעַרְבַּיִם קָרֵב עַד הָעֶרֶב. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: עַד פְּלַג הַמִּנְחָה. כַּמָּה הוּא פְּלַג הַמִּנְחָה? אַחַת עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁעָה חָסֵר רְבִיעַ.

Just like [the Torah] has given a fixed [time] for reciting the Shema, so too [the sages] have given for prayer. Why did they say the morning prayer is until noon? Since the daily morning [sacrifice could be] sacrificed until noon. Rabbi Yehuda says: “Until four time units.” Why did they say the prayer of Mincha until the evening? Since the daily ‘between the evenings’ [sacrifice could be] sacrificed until the evening. Rabbi Yehuda says: “Until half-Mincha.” How much [time] is half-Mincha? Eleven time units minus a quarter (10.75).

In the previous unit, it was explained according Rabbi Shmuel son of Rabbi Nachmani that the “between the evenings” sacrificed was offered at noon, with the grain offering (Mincha) following shortly thereafter. A different opinion is presented here regarding the timing of the “between the evenings” sacrifice, places it closer to evening. According to this view, the grain offering (Mincha) that followed the second daily lamb was offered near evening.

Tosefta Berachoth, Chapter 1, Halacha 2

מֵאֵימָּתַי קוֹרִין אֶת שְׁמַע בַּשְּׁחָרִים? אֲחֵרִים אוֹמֵר: כְּדֵי שֶׁיְּהֵא חֲבֵירוֹ רָחוֹק מִמֶּנּוּ אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת וּמַכִּירוֹ. מִצְוָתָהּ עִם הָנֵץ הַחַמָּה — כְּדֵי שֶׁיְּהֵא סוֹמֵךְ גְּאֻלָּה לִתְפִלָּה, וְנִמְצָא מִתְפַּלֵּל בַּיּוֹם.

From when is Shema recited in the mornings? Acheirim says: “When his friend is at a distance of four cubits from him and he recognizes him.” Its Mitzvah is with sunrise — so that one can adjoin redemption with prayer, and thus be found praying during the daytime.

Background information: Babylonian Talmud sources
Key Idea: Set times for prayer
Background information: Time units
Background information: Reciting the Shema

The Duty to Recite the Shema

The recitation of the Shema is one of the most fundamental daily obligations in Jewish law. It is a commandment derived from the Torah itself, appearing explicitly in the verses that comprise the first and second paragraphs of the Shema. The core declaration is:

Deuteronomy 6:4

שְׁמַע, יִשְׂרָאֵל: יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ, יְהוָה אֶחָד.

“Hear (— Shema), Israel: HaShem is our God, HaShem is One”

This constitutes an acceptance of HaShem as our God, and affirming his singular nature and uniqueness. The full Shema consists of three paragraphs: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (the first paragraph, which includes the commands to love God, study Torah, and teach it to one’s children), Deuteronomy 11:13-21 (the second paragraph, which speaks of the consequences of observance or neglect of the commandments and the Mitzvah of Tefillin), and Numbers 15:37-41 (the third paragraph, which commands the wearing of Tzitzith and recalls the Exodus from Egypt, when our nation became HaShem's loyal subjects).

This obligation is fulfilled by reciting the Shema twice each day — once in the morning and once in the evening. The Torah states, “when you lie down and when you rise up”*Deuteronomy 6:7, which the Sages interpreted as the times corresponding to bedtime and arising. The evening recitation begins after nightfall and can be recited until dawn, but ideally before midnight. The morning recitation should ideally be said shortly before sunrise, or barring that, within the first quarter of the daytime. These fixed times ensure that the Jewish people renew their acceptance of HaShem and his commandments at the natural transitions of the day.

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Extra Material

Discussions
Additional Ideas

The timing of the afternoon prayer (Mincha) is connected to several interpretive disagreements.

The Torah describes two daily lamb offerings in the Temple: one in the morning and the second “between the evenings”, with the grain offering (Mincha) brought shortly thereafter, as explained in the previous unit. The Paschal offering is likewise commanded to be slaughtered “between the evenings”*Exodus 12:6. The Torah further specifies the timing of the Paschal sacrifice as “in the evening, as the sun passes”*Deuteronomy 16:6.

Targum Onkelos interprets these phrases in a literal sense, pointing toward evening and nightfall. He renders “between the evenings” as בֵּין שִׁמְשַׁיָּא — “between the suns”, understood as the twilight period between sundown and the emergence of the stars. He translates “in the evening, as the sun passes” as בְּרַמְשָׁא כְּמֵיעַל שִׁמְשָׁא — “in the evening, as the sun sets.” Here, בְּרַמְשָׁא refers to nighttime, while כְּמֵיעַל שִׁמְשָׁא indicates the sun’s actual setting or entry into the horizon. This places the second daily lamb, the accompanying Mincha offering, and the Paschal sacrifice close to nightfall.

In contrast, the Mishna elsewhere*Mishna Pesachim 5:1 understands these terms as referring to the period shortly after noon. It rules that the second daily lamb is normally slaughtered at 8.5 time-units of the day and offered at 9.5 time-units (2.5 to 3.5 time-units after noon). On the day of the Paschal lamb, it is advanced to 7.5 and 8.5 time-units respectively (1.5 to 2.5 time-units after noon). If that day falls on a Friday (requiring preperation for Shabbath), the Tamid is processed at its earliest time, at 6.5 to 7.5 time-units (0.5 to 1.5 time-units after noon), with the Paschal offerings handled immediately afterward.

For that Mishna, “in the evening” and “between the evenings” denote the time after the sun has passed its zenith and begun its westward descent — that is, the division between the two halves of the day — rather than literal nightfall. “As the sun passes” is understood as the sun’s movement past midday, not full sunset.

The difference stems from practice during the Second Temple period. While the Torah commands the priests to engage in the primary service throughout the day, they advanced the second lamb which concludes the daily public offerings to an earlier time so that they would not have to work the entire afternoon.

The grain offering (Mincha) that accompanies the second lamb is supposed to be the ideal time for the afternoon prayer. According to Mishna Pesachim, this aligns with when the priests completed their primary labors — shortly after noon. By contrast, the timing here in Mishna Berachoth aligns with the time of Targum Onkelos’s view, near sunset.
Points to Ponder

It is impossible for Rabbi Yehuda to have literally said that the time for the Mincha sacrifice is at “half-Mincha,” as that would be a self-referential and circular statement that makes no logical sense. Clearly, he must have referred to some other, lesser-known reference point. This point was later adapted or aligned with the Sages' definition of Mincha, which itself included its own “half-Mincha.” Therefore, the question arises: How did Rabbi Yehuda actually refer—in his own words—to the time that corresponds to the Sages' “half-Mincha”?
Further Reading
- Mishna Berachoth Chapter 4
- Tosefta Berachoth Chapter 1
- Tosefta Berachoth Chapter 3
- Tosefta Kifshuta - Order of Zeraim
- The Formation of the Babylonian Talmud - David Weiss Halivni
- Tradition and the Formation of the Talmud - Moulie Vidas