[Avodah] daven/learn

[Micha Berger]

On Wed, Nov 07, 2018 at 07:25:01PM +0000, Rich, Joel via Avodah wrote:
: I'm told the "minhag haolam" is to get up early to learn and then daven
: (even if that is not the first minyan available). Assuming the learning
: starts after the earliest time for davening, shouldn't the "minhag"
: be to daven first, then learn?

Perhaps it's because of Berakhos 31a:

    Tanu Rabbanan: We do not stand to daven neither from din, nor from devar
    halakhah, ela mitokh halakhah pesukah.

    And what is halakhah besukah like?
    
    Abayei said, like what Rabbi Zeira said.

... and then quoting a settled halakhah that Rabbi Zeira said once.
("benos Yisrael hichmiru al atzman...")

    Rava said, like that which Rav Hoshia said..

But I think you get the idea.

So, maybe people assume 1,600+ year-old discussions in the gemara
qualify.

I don't think that's shitas Rashi, though. Rashi ('halakhah pesuqah")
says the gemara is worried about topics that a person would continue
thinking about during davening. (The Be'er Heitev holds like Rashi.)

But in any case, looking a little more meta: The gemara's assumption
is that one is supposed to learn before davening, and the gemara then
discusses what it is one should be learning. Later on in the sugya:

    Tanu Rabbanan: We do not stand to daven from within sorrow, nor
    laziness, nor silliness, nor chatter, nor qalus rosh, nor devarim
    beteilim ela mitokh simchah shel mitzvah.

Perhaps the learning is indeed seen as a prep for davening. (In addition
to talmud Torah.)

See OC 93. In the SA, that second TR is in se'if 2, and the first, in
se'if 3. Se'if 4 amos, "Ha'oseiq betzorkhei tzibur ke'oseiq baTorah",
because there is similar simchah shel mitzvah.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             When one truly looks at everyone's good side,
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