[Avodah] Haneitz?

Akiva Miller akivagmiller at gmail.com
Wed Feb 26 04:50:01 PST 2020


R' Micha Berger wrote:
> So haneitz is zerizim maqdimin to be yotzei lekhat-chila.

The importance of saying Shacharis at Haneitz is much more than simply
z'rizin makdimin. I'm even tempted to say that it has nothing to do with
z'rizin makdimin, and the proof is that the same pasuk is used for two
purposes: Shacharis at the very beginning of the day, and also Mincha at
the very end.

Mechaber 89:1 - "The time for Tefilas Hashachar: Its mitzva is that one
should begin with Haneitz Hachama, as it is written, Yira'ucha Im Shamesh."

Brachos 29b - R' Yochanan said, "It's a mitzva to pray when the sun is
red." R' Zeira said, "What's the pasuk? Yira'ucha im shamesh,
v'lifnay yare'ach, dor dorim." (Tehillim 72:5)

Brachos 29b Rashi -  "Yira'ucha im shamesh" - This is Tefilas Yotzer.
"V'lifnay yare'ach" - This is Tefilas Mincha.

Shabbos 118b Rashi - "V'lifnay yare'ach" - Prior to the light of the moon,
while the sun has not yet set.

Brachos 29b Steinzaltz - "When the sun is red" - Tefilas Yotzer with
Haneitz Hachama, and Tefilas Mincha with Shkias Hachama.

Brachos 29b ArtScroll note 11 - These two times (just after sunrise and
just prior to sunset) are the most propitious for reciting the morning and
afternoon Prayers respectively.

Unfortunately, I was unable to find any mention of this in the poskim,
other than a reference to the writings of Rav Kook at Arutz Sheva (
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/24777) which says:
"The best time for the Shacharit prayer is the first opportunity of the day
to pray - "with sunrise." And optimal time for the Minchah prayer is at the
end of the day, as the sun is setting - "before the moon."

I believe that the above is true l'halacha, but in the l'maaseh there is a
very big difference between Shacharis and Mincha, perhaps explained best by
Gemara Brachos 29b, immediately after the line I quoted above. "In the west
[Eretz Yisrael] they would curse someone who davens [Mincha] when the sun
gets red. Why? Because he might miss the zman." In order words, there is no
downside to saying Shacharis at the very earliest time, but there is a very
great danger in delaying Mincha to the very latest time. I suspect that
this is why discussions about the time for Mincha center on "How early CAN
I daven", and not on "When is the BEST time to daven."

Akiva Miller
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