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Hilchos Tefillin 44-45 (page 146)
מסימן מה סעיף ב עד סימן מו אמצע סעיף א כשחוגר חגורו
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Why Birchos Hashachar Are Said
Some of the Passages Recited Prior to Davening
The Different Chambers of the Bathhouse
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 Why birchos hashachar are said
Every morning we recite
birchos hashachar in recognition of the material and spiritual goodness and pleasure that Hashem put into this world. Chazal instituted that we recite these
berachos when we first benefit from these pleasures each day, as it is forbidden to take from the world without thanking Hashem (via a
beracha). Whoever benefits from the world without a
beracha is considered as one who has stolen from
hekdesh (Hashem). According to some Rishonim, these
berachos were not established to acknowledge any individual's personal benefit from the world, as in the case of
berachos over food or drink, but instead are intended to be praise and thanksgiving for the good creations and pleasures of the world in general.
(
סימן מו, ס"ק א; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 2)
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Some of the passages recited prior to davening
There is an ancient custom to recite the verse
va'ani brov chasdecha when entering a shul before
shacharis. Reciting this verse is a request for permission to enter Hashem's abode to
daven. There is a custom to recite the poem
Adon Olam before
davening. According to some authorities, it is recited before
shacharis, the
tefila that Avrohom Avinu established, since it speaks of Hashem's lordship over the world, a message that Avrohom Avinu proclaimed and spread. It is said in the name of the Geonim and Rishonim that the
Saton does not interfere with the
tefilos of anyone who recites this poem with the proper focus.
(
סימן מו, הקדמת המשנ"ב; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 1)
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The different chambers of the bathhouse
Ancient bathhouses were designed with three chambers: an outer room where everyone was dressed, a middle room where people dressed and undressed, and an inner room with a bath where everyone was undressed. The halachos pertaining to such a structure are as follows: In the innermost chamber where everyone is undressed,
tefillin are not permitted to be worn and it is forbidden to speak
devarim shebekedusha. Speaking
devarim shebekedusha is forbidden in the middle room too, and ideally one should not don his
tefillin there either. In the exterior room where everyone is dressed, it is permissible to wear
tefillin and speak
devarim shebekedusha.
(
סימן מה, סעיף ב וס"ק ד-ו)
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- It is forbidden to sleep or even nap while wearing tefillin. If a person falls asleep with tefillin, one is required to wake him.
- As long as one is wearing tefillin, it is forbidden to take one's mind off them (hesech hada'as); this is in order to make sure that the wearer will behave as befits their dignity. According to some, when the wearer is meisiach da'as, he does not fulfill the mitzva.
- It is forbidden to enter within four amos of a grave or dead body while wearing tefillin. Doing so is like teasing the dead that they can no longer fulfill mitzvos (loeg l'rash).
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- Reciting one hundred berachos a day
- The minimum number of berachos recited daily
- The variations in the beracha "shelo asani goy"
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