BSD

Brochos 8b (3) – 9a

Iyar 4, 5786. 04/21/2026

Some brief notes:

1- The topic of when exactly the Halachic day begins and ends.

The consensus is, briefly:

In regards to all מצוות , the day begins at עמוד השחר which is approximately 90 minutes before sunrise and ends at צאת הכוכבים.

The חכמים enacted a תקנה, since עמוד השחר is difficult to calculate, that one should wait until נץ החמה.  OC 58, 2.

2- Our גמרא discusses that קריאת שמע however, may be different because the commandment does not say ‘day’ nor ‘night’. Rather, it says when people are sleeping (or going to sleep) and when people are awake (or awakening).

That implies the time for קריאת שמע is when the custom is to go to bed and sleep and when people awaken.

Therefore, there are opinions that one may קריאת שמע of night after עמוד השחר – although it is, in regards to other מצוות, daytime.

להלכה, this is only when one was an אנוס and was unable to say קריאת שמע earlier in the evening. OC 235.

3- The above idea of saying קריאת שמע של ערבית after עמוד השחר, (when technically it is already daytime) is the opinion of רבי שמעון בר יוחי.

The גמרא says that this unique minority opinion of רשב”י can be followed only בשעת הדחק (as above – אנוס).

וכדאי הוא רבי שמעון לסמוך עליו בשעת הדחק. 

Rabbi Shimon is worthy to be relied upon in a time of pressing need.”

“…I know that , but I’m telling you, now we need Rabbi Shimon!”

4 – In כתבי האריז”ל we find this saying by extension to the גלות when it is indeed a שעת הדחק that we can rely on the רשב”י in whose merits we will be redeemed from גלות.

The Rebbe often quoted this idea.

“כדאי הוא רבי שמעון לסמוך עליו..”

See here from תשכ”ג.  LS 3, 1002, end.

From תשמ”ג

5 – תוספות  here mentions Reb Shimshon of קוצי with the title השר מקוצי. We all encountered the fascinating story as told in Marcus Lehman’s novel The Count of Coucy. (See Shiur Beitza 13a)

Is it true? Was he a count or prince? Maybe.

6 – The חיד”א suggests that his name was written as ר”ש, HaRash, meaning Reb Shimshon. However since רש also implies ‘poverty’ or destitution, they changed it to הש”ר מקוצי , meaning HaRav Shimshon.

בשם הגדולים מערכת גדולים אות ש [לה] כתב: רש”י הוא רבינו שלמה יצחקי בזה”ל: רש”י. מצאתי כתוב בקונטרס ישן נושן שקראוהו רש”י והוסיפו יו”ד לרמוז שם אביו ר’ יצחק כדי שלא לומר ר”ש. וכן נזהרו לכתוב על רבינו שמשון הש”ר משאנץ וכן הש”ר מקוצי כדי שלא לכתוב ר”ש עכמ”ך.

I found in a very old manuscript that Rashi רש”י whose name is Rabbi Shlomo, a letter יו”ד is added to his name, and not simply ר”ש, [because ר”ש implies ‘poverty’.]

Similarly, regarding our teacher  שמשון of Coucy, France, we are careful to write  הש”ר מקוצי ‘Ha-Sar’ meaning the Rov Shimshon from Coucy and not ר”ש.

Perhaps this is the source of the tale about him being a שר – count/prince.

7 – As an introduction the the next part in our גמרא which discusses the opinions of the time when one needs to be done with eating the קרבן פסח, (midnight or morning) we mentioned an interesting idea from the ראשונים.

The reason given as to why we say איזהו מקומן של זבחים each morning is to fulfill the מצווה of learning תורה by saying a פרק משניות.

The רבנן chose this פרק in particular because there is no מחלוקת in the entire פרק! It’s a good lesson to start the day with.

However, asks the ריטב”א, as we will see in our גמרא, there is actually a מחלוקת on one item of the last משנה.

הפסח אינו נאכל אלא בלילה, ואינו נאכל אלא עד חצות  ואינו נאכל אלא למנוייו, ואינו נאכל אלא צלי.

Some say that the פסח may be eaten until morning. So what is the meaning of ‘here is no מחלוקת in the entire פרק’?

Answers the ריטב”א that the idea is that although there is a מחלוקת, it is not mentioned in this פרק.

Now that is a good lesson to remember every morning…. There are arguments of course…but why talk about it?

8 – Last week we mentioned the famous Reb Chaim Tzvi Kruger, a Crown Heights resident who was a member of the Agudas HaRabonim and in charge of writing גיטין in NY for many years.

מים שלנו – ה’ ניסן תשמ”ט –  4/10/1989

The story of when he gave ‘advice’ to a בחור during מים שלנו, and the בחור’s response….

See here the letter the Rebbe wrote to him upon receiving an invitation to his son’s Bar Mitzvah.

9 – MR discovered an online account detailing his experiences during World War II and the זכות (merit) he earned by helping to save many lives.

Middle; Rabbi Eliezer Silver. Right; Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Krieger.

The Krieger (also pronounced Kruger) family story is fascinating:

Rabbi Krieger escaped Bordeaux, France with the assistance of de Sousa Mendes and he persuaded de Sousa Mendes to issue visas the Jews of Bordeaux as well:  

https://sousamendesfoundation.org/family/kruger

 See photos, and comments from his grandson at bottom confirming that this is the same Krieger.

https://kevarim.com/rabbi-chaim-tzvi-krieger/