- Halacha
- When Awakening
102
Question
Dear Rabbi,
Can you please explain to me when to say Birkat Hatorah? I am very confused.
Lets say someone gets up at Dawn and say Birkat Hatorah study throughout the day,
Then they go to sleep from 7 pm to a little before Chatzot, in current timing 12:30 am.
Case 1) If they want to study after Chatzot(12:45 am) for couple of hours, then go to sleep(3 am) and get up at Dawn, do they make the blessing?
Case2) What if they stay up after Chatzot and study till Dawn?
I really appreciate it if you can answer my question ASAP. Thank you so much
Answer
Shalom,
Thank you for your question. The laws of Brikat HaTorah can be found in the Shulchan Aruch, Orech Haim, chapter 47. Of particular interest in relation to your questions are laws 11 and 12 ibid.
In law 12 it states that the evening is considered as a continuation of the day when it comes to these blessings. So, someone who said Birkat HaTorah in the morning, is “covered” when it comes to learning in the (follwing) evening, and does not need to say another bracha. However, this is only true as long as they have not gone to sleep. The law changes once they have a proper sleep (that is, getting into pyjamas [or whatever a person normally sleeps in], and into bed – there is some discussion as to how long is considered a “proper sleep”, but half an hour, in bed, would certainly count). After a proper sleep at night the previous days’ bracha “ends”, and a new bracha is needed.
So, we can already rule that in the case of your questions, a person who went to sleep at 7pm, and then awoke later would need to say birkat hatorah. It makes no difference at what hour they awoke, as long as the sleep they had was a “proper sleep”.
Now we can adress the two different situations you asked about (if I have understood your question correctly). Someone who slept at the start of the night, then awoke and plans to stay awake – they say the Birkat HaTorah when they awaken (after washing their hands etc), and that covers them until they go to sleep again the following evening. (If they go to sleep in the daytime, there is much discussion as to whether they need a new bracha when getting up from their daytime nap – but the current practice is not to say a new bracha – see law 11 ibid).
Someone who slpet at the start of night, learns for a few hours, and then goes back to sleep before getting up in the moring:- The Mishna Brurah (29 ibid) rules that the birchat hatorah said when first getting up in the evening will suffice even after the second sleep as “we can assume that the intent was that the blessings should cover him until going to sleep again the following night”. He then quotes a second opinion that holds that the second sleep would create a new obligation to say the brachot again when awakening the second time, and rules that someone who follows such a stringincy would “not loose out”. There is much debate in amongst the Rabbis as to how to act in such a case, and which opinion to follow.
It would seem to me that in practice, that it would depend on whether the second sleep was planned and a normal part of the person’s day, or whether they just got too tirted and needed a second sleep. In the latter case, one should not say a new bracha, as the intent of the first bracha was that it cover them until the following night. But in the first case, where when saying the brachot a person already intended to return to sleep that night after a few hours, there is more room to say that one should in fact recite the brachot again (a second time) after awakening in the morning.
I hope this answer is of some help – and if you have any more questions about this (or any other topic) please feel free to write to us again.
Blessings.

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