It’s December 2019 and I just received my first daf yomi volume of gemarra in the mail – Brachot. While Daf Yomi does not officially restart for a few weeks (on January 5) I could not contain my excitement until then.

What time is the correct time you can start saying the Shema at night, and what is the latest time you can say it to fulfill your obligation? A rabbi’s sons went out late drinking, and upon their return, they asked their father this question. Kohanim (priests), erev shabbat, the poor, and Breishit (creation) all play a role in the answer.

Why the Shema?

The shema is the foundational Jewish prayer attesting to monotheism. Translated as: ‘Listen Israel, the Lord our G-d, the Lord is one’, the Shema is accompanied by three paragraphs from the Torah. Traditionally said at the beginning and end of life, and at least twice a day, the Shema is often the first prayer a child learns – an integral part of Judaism.

Why the night Shema first?

As the first full paragraph of the Shema itself states, ‘as you lie down and as you wake up’ (you should say the Shema). Night is listed first, so we deal with the night Shema first. Another explanation is the same source for the Jewish day, from the creation of the world in Breishit: ‘It was evening, and it was morning, the first day.’ Sunset begins creation, begins the Jewish day, and begins the Gemara.

What counts as night-time? Three ideas

For the kohanim (priests): The Gemara explains that kohanim who were ritually impure (tamei) immersed themselves in the mikvah at nightfall in order to become ritually pure (tahor) for the next morning’s sacrifice.

For the poor: When they sit down to eat a plain nighttime meal, with salt. This time is after dark.

For Jews in general: When we sit down for our Friday night meal, in the evening.

Are these three ideas of night-time the same?

After some debate, the rabbis of the Gemara decide that these three ideas of night-time are not the same. Rather than base our obligation on any of these three, we can start fulfilling the obligation of the nighttime shema at sunset, and begin saying it again at dawn.

My two cents:

My idea of a daily routine is different than it was a year ago, five years ago, ten years ago. It’s also different than anyone else’s around me. It’s wildly different than the rabbis of the Gemara. Each person has a different typical day, whatever their role in life.  However as we go about our days, the sun will always set and rise. Just like the rabbi’s sons who were out late, it can be easy to lose track of time. The Shema is a reminder to pay attention to the comings and goings of the sun, as we all look at the same sky.