Study Berakhot folio 3A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
The previous baraita cited R' Meir’s opinion that the time for the recitation of Shema begins when the priests immerse before partaking of their teruma. In the Tosefta, it was taught that R' Meir holds that one begins to recite Shema from when people enter to eat their meal on Friday. One opinion of
So too, the opinion of R' Eliezer cited in the Mishnah contradicts the opinion of R' Eliezer cited in the baraita. In the Mishnah, R' Eliezer holds that the time for the recitation of Shema begins with the emergence of the stars: From the time when the priests enter to partake of their teruma, while
The Talmud responds: There are two possible resolutions to the apparent contradiction in R' Eliezer’s opinion. Either two tanna’im expressed different opinions in accordance with R' Eliezer’s opinion, or if you wish, say instead that the first clause of the Mishnah, according to which we begin to re
In the Mishnah, we learned that R' Eliezer establishes that one may recite the evening Shema until the end of the 1st watch. These watches are mentioned in the Bible as segments of the night, but it must be established: Into precisely how many segments is the night divided, 3 or 4? Moreover, why do
What does R' Eliezer actually hold? If he holds that the night consists of 3 watches, let him say explicitly that one recites the evening Shema until the 4th hour. If he holds that the night consists of 4 watches, let him say explicitly until the 3rd hour.