Sha'ashuei Ha-Daf - Brachos 2a

Since Baruch Hashem so many Yidden are fired up about daf-yomi and I am fired up about Yidden, I am thinking of having a weekly post about an inyan in that weeks daf. IF people are interested and tell me so - it will continue. I write not for my own entertainment [only, although I must admit that I DO entertain myself:-)] but for the edification and enlightenment of my holy readers.

I also encourage the daf yomi learners to try to expand their horizens beyond the daf as time allows. A good place to start [for the advanced student] is with the Mesivta gemara which enables you to get a good hold on the simple meaning of the gemara, Rashi and Tosfos in addition to the basic shittos ha-rishonim and acharonim all in one neat volume. I also recommend the sefer Daf-Al-Daf  [Rav Dovid Mandelbaum] or for those with a strong chassidic bent Margaliyos Hashas [Rabbi Aharon Perlow].

We already quoted the beautiful preface to the mesechta written by Rabbi Steinzaltz, so we will proceed to the first mishna.

The first mishna starts with a discussion of the time of Krias Shma. The gemara explains that the actual mitzva to read Shma in the first place is known from a pasuk [as the gemara says תנא אקרא קאי which may ALSO be translated as "The Tanna was standing on a pumpkin". I don't give a daf yomi shiur because there is no time for all of my jokes, AHHHHHHHH!].

We see from here the importance of doing things in the proper time. Torah she-beal peh opens with a halacha about kabbalas ol malchus shomayim which is ALWAYS a good thing but if done outside of the context of its proper time it doesn't count for much.

In the כי לעולם חסדו tefilla for shabbos morning we say את השמש לממשלת ביום כי לעולם חסדו. Then we say את הירח וכוכבים לממשלות בלילה כי לעולם חסדו. So we first praise Hashem for the sun and then for the moon and the stars. The problem is that before we mentioned the sun and moon explicity we already said לעושה אורים גדולים כי לעולם חסדו which is a praise for the sun, moon and stars [the "great lights"]. Why then the repetition? Explains Maran HaRav Hutner - First we praise Hashem for the sun, moon and stars. Then we praise him that the sun shines DURING THE DAY [ביום] and that the moon and stars shine at NIGHT [בלילה]. It is SOOO important that everything be done in its proper time.

Why does is the first mitzva in the mishna, krias shma? One reason is that we when we learn mishna we are fulfilling the mitzva of talmud torah ושננתם לבניך. However, from this same pasuk we derive the mitzva to say Shma. That is why Rebbe Yehuda Hanasi openned with this mitzva. [Meromei Sadeh 2a]

Also, explains the Chiddushei HaRim, the first mitzva a bar mitzva boy fulfills as an adult is krias shma shel arvis [although if he lives in Israel the first mitzva he fulfills is living in Israel..] so it is appropriate to start the mishnayos with this mitzva

Rebbe Menachem Zemba Hy"d added that according to one opinion in Tosfos one may read Shma before the stars come out. If that is the case it would mean that the first mishna [that says that one must read after nightfall] is not li-halacha! However, since we are talking about a newly minted bar mitzva boy he in fact must wait to read Shma until nightfall when he officially comes of age.