ועוד נסתפקנו על מה ששנינו בברכות, תפלת המנחה עד הערב, אם ר"ל עד שקיעת החמה או עד צאת הכוכבים. דיש למידק ממלתי' דר"י דאמר עד פלג המנחה וקס"ד עד פלג האחרון ובעי בגמרא עד ועד בכלל או דלמא עד ולא עד בכלל וקאמר אי ס"ד עד ועד בכלל מאי איכא בין ר"י דאמר עד פלג האחרון שהוא עד י"ב שעות ובין רבנן דאמרי עד הערב, והשתא משמע עד הערב דאמרי רבנן הוא עד סוף י"ב שעות והוא זמן צ"ה כדאיתא בריש מתניתין, וע"ז שאלתי אם ע"י אונס ראש או ע"י אונס אחר יוכל להתפלל תפלת המנחה עד צ"ה:
We were also unsure regarding the statement in the Mishnah, "The afternoon prayer may be recited until evening" (Berachot 4:1). Does this refer to sunset, or to the time when the stars become visible? For when reading the words of Rabbi Yehuda carefully, he claimed that the prayer could be recited until 'plag hamincha'1a point in the day ten and three-quarter hours after sunrise. In the Talmudic discussion (Berachot 26b:15), they ask whether this word 'until' includes the whole last portion of the day, or means up until that point of time. They then argue that if 'until' includes the last portion of the day until the twelfth halachic hour, then Rabbi Yehuda would not be in disagreement with the other rabbis [which he seems to be]. Therefore, it seems that when the rabbis say 'until evening', they also mean until the twelfth hour, which is the time that the stars are visible in the sky2 according to the understanding of the Talmud in Berachot 2b:4. Regarding all this I asked [in my dream] whether, in the case of a headache3meaning of Hebrew unclear or in other extenuating circumstances, one could recite the afternoon prayer until the time the stars are visible?4The Talmud finishes its discussion of the correct time for the afternoon prayer inconclusively (Berakhot 27a:14), yet the question here assumes a normative practice of finishing it early, before 'plag mincha', and is asking about extenuating circumstances. R. Hai Gaon quotes the contemporary practice in the Babylonian academies to recite the afternoon prayer up to nightfall when necessary (Shibbolei Haleket 47). The 12th-century provençal work Sefer Hashlama writes that people were not consistent, and sometimes said the afternoon prayer late or the evening prayer early (cited in Beit Yosef Orach Chaim 233). The contradiction between these two practices is discussed in Tosafot on Berakhot 2a:1.
2
והשיבו גם לי גם לך לא יהיה גזורו, ופירשו לי בתוך המראה גם כדברי המיקל גם כדברי המחמיר לא יהי', גזור את השעה שהוא משקיעת החמה עד צ"ה וזהו חצי בין השמשות דר"י:
They responded: "It shall be neither yours nor mine; cut it in two!" (I Kings 3:26), and within the vision they explained that it shall follow neither the stringent ones nor the lenient. Rather, the time between the setting of the sun and the appearance of the stars should be divided in two, and this point is the midpoint of twilight referred to by Rabbi Yehuda5cf. Shabbat 34b:3.
ועוד נסתפקנו על מה ששנינו בברכות, תפלת המנחה עד הערב, אם ר"ל עד שקיעת החמה או עד צאת הכוכבים. דיש למידק ממלתי' דר"י דאמר עד פלג המנחה וקס"ד עד פלג האחרון ובעי בגמרא עד ועד בכלל או דלמא עד ולא עד בכלל וקאמר אי ס"ד עד ועד בכלל מאי איכא בין ר"י דאמר עד פלג האחרון שהוא עד י"ב שעות ובין רבנן דאמרי עד הערב, והשתא משמע עד הערב דאמרי רבנן הוא עד סוף י"ב שעות והוא זמן צ"ה כדאיתא בריש מתניתין, וע"ז שאלתי אם ע"י אונס ראש או ע"י אונס אחר יוכל להתפלל תפלת המנחה עד צ"ה:
We were also unsure regarding the statement in the Mishnah, "The afternoon prayer may be recited until evening" (Berachot 4:1). Does this refer to sunset, or to the time when the stars become visible? For when reading the words of Rabbi Yehuda carefully, he claimed that the prayer could be recited until 'plag hamincha'1a point in the day ten and three-quarter hours after sunrise. In the Talmudic discussion (Berachot 26b:15), they ask whether this word 'until' includes the whole last portion of the day, or means up until that point of time. They then argue that if 'until' includes the last portion of the day until the twelfth halachic hour, then Rabbi Yehuda would not be in disagreement with the other rabbis [which he seems to be]. Therefore, it seems that when the rabbis say 'until evening', they also mean until the twelfth hour, which is the time that the stars are visible in the sky2 according to the understanding of the Talmud in Berachot 2b:4. Regarding all this I asked [in my dream] whether, in the case of a headache3meaning of Hebrew unclear or in other extenuating circumstances, one could recite the afternoon prayer until the time the stars are visible?4The Talmud finishes its discussion of the correct time for the afternoon prayer inconclusively (Berakhot 27a:14), yet the question here assumes a normative practice of finishing it early, before 'plag mincha', and is asking about extenuating circumstances. R. Hai Gaon quotes the contemporary practice in the Babylonian academies to recite the afternoon prayer up to nightfall when necessary (Shibbolei Haleket 47). The 12th-century provençal work Sefer Hashlama writes that people were not consistent, and sometimes said the afternoon prayer late or the evening prayer early (cited in Beit Yosef Orach Chaim 233). The contradiction between these two practices is discussed in Tosafot on Berakhot 2a:1.
והשיבו גם לי גם לך לא יהיה גזורו, ופירשו לי בתוך המראה גם כדברי המיקל גם כדברי המחמיר לא יהי', גזור את השעה שהוא משקיעת החמה עד צ"ה וזהו חצי בין השמשות דר"י:
They responded: "It shall be neither yours nor mine; cut it in two!" (I Kings 3:26), and within the vision they explained that it shall follow neither the stringent ones nor the lenient. Rather, the time between the setting of the sun and the appearance of the stars should be divided in two, and this point is the midpoint of twilight referred to by Rabbi Yehuda5cf. Shabbat 34b:3.