Shulchan Arukh Orach Chayim · Siman 47

Shulchan Arukh Orach Chayim 47 — English translation

Translation: Sefaria Community Translation. Section numbers match the Hebrew text above.

1. 1One must be very diligent to say the Blessing of the Torah.
2. 2It is necessary to bless [before], whether [one is learning] Mikrah [scripture], or Mishnah, or Gemara. Rem"a: and for Midrash [Tur]
3. 3One who writes words of Torah, even though he doesn't read them, he must bless.
4. 4One who thinks words of Torah does not need to bless. Rem"a: And this is the law of one who can rule on the law without giving a reason for one's words [Ran: Chapter 1 of Shabbat and Chapter "All images" - he wrote that it is like thinking]
5. 5The Blessings of the Torah [are]: "...who makes us holy with His commandments and commands us regarding words of Torah", and "...please make sweet..." etc. and "...who chose us..."
6. 6One says "and please make sweet" with a vav. Rem"a: And there are those who say [to say it] without a vav, and so they have practiced. [Rambam: Laws of Prayer Chapter 7 and Rashba in the name of the Ma-or and Abudarham]. But it is better to say it with a vav.
7. 7The blessing of Ahavat Olam exempts [one from] the Blessing of the Torah if one learned immediately [afterwards] without an interruption.
8. 8And there is reason to doubt whether one fulfills [one's obligation] by reading the recitation of the Sh'ma adjoined to it [i.e. Ahavat Olam] immediately without an interruption, and therefore there is reason to be diligent to bless the Blessing of the Torah prior to Ahavat Olam.
9. 9There are those who say that if one interrupted between the Blessing of the Torah and one's study, it [i.e. the blessing] does not amount to anything. But the correct thing is to not interrupt between them, and such is the practice to say the section of the Priestly Blessing adjoined to the blessing of the Torah.
10. 10If one was interrupted from studying and gets involved with one's activities, since it was in one's head to return and study, this is not an interruption. And this is the law for sleep or the bathhouse or the outhouse, that it is not an interruption.
11. 11A routine sleep during the day in one's bed: it is an interruption. And there are those who say it is not an interruption, and so they have practiced.
12. 12Even if one learned at night, the night comes after the day that passed, and there is no need to go back and bless [again] as long as one did not sleep.
13. 13Those who wake early, before the light of day, to study bless the Blessing of the Torah and there is no need to go back and bless [again] when one goes to the synagogue. Those who wake early before the light of day bless the entire order of blessings other than the blessing of "who gives the rooster understanding" and the section of the daily offering [see above, Chapter 1, Section 6]; in that one waits to say them until the light of day. (Gloss: ab initio, one washes one's hands prior to blessing for study, but if one did not have water, one can learn and bless without washing as with the rest of blessing that one blesses before washing as above, Chapter 46 [Agur])
14. 14Women bless the Blessing of the Torah

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