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    Chapter 1 · Me'eimatai

    Blessings Before Torah Study

    Lesson 11 of 64 26 min

    The discussion connects Shema’s blessings with Torah study. Track the order: study before recitation versus study afterward. The sugya continues by examining which forms of study require a blessing and its wording; this lesson does not decide every detail of practical custom.

    Lesson goals
    • 01Compare study before and after Shema.
    • 02Identify the blessing cited as fulfilling the requirement.
    01

    Source and decoding

    Berakhot 11b
    אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל: השכים לשנות, עד שלא קרא קריאת שמע — צריך לברך. משקרא קריאת שמע — אינו צריך לברך, שכבר נפטר ב״אהבה רבה״.

    Rav Yehuda reports in Shmuel’s name: One who rises early to study before reciting Shema must bless; after reciting Shema, no further blessing is needed, since Ahava Rabba has already fulfilled that role.

    The discussion connects Shema’s blessings with Torah study. Track the order: study before recitation versus study afterward. The sugya continues by examining which forms of study require a blessing and its wording; this lesson does not decide every detail of practical custom.

    02

    Building the reasoning

    1. 1Compare study before and after Shema.
    2. 2Identify the blessing cited as fulfilling the requirement.
    Practice

    Return to the source and compare study before and after Shema. Then explain how the central distinction follows from the excerpt. Mark what is explicit and what is explained by the surrounding discussion.

    Lesson wrap-up

    The discussion connects Shema’s blessings with Torah study. Track the order: study before recitation versus study afterward. The sugya continues by examining which forms of study require a blessing and its wording; this lesson does not decide every detail of practical custom.

    Check your understanding

    Test yourself before marking the lesson complete.

    Question 1 of 1

    Which blessing does Shmuel’s statement name as fulfilling the requirement?

    Previous lessonPosture and Time in Shema
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