Is eating permitted after midnight?

A person may not eat before davening. According to many Rishonim, even if he began to eat before alos hashachar, he must stop when alos arrives. According to the Zohar, a person who was sleeping may not eat if he wakes up after midnight. Nonetheless, it is recorded that one of the great masters of Kabbalah ate and drank upon arising (before alos) when he was weak. The Achronim explain that the Zohar only forbids eating for pleasure, not eating to sustain the body for avodas Hashem.


סימן פ"ט ס"ק כ"ח





Is learning Torah permitted before davening?



One of the activities which is forbidden before davening is Talmud Torah. There is a concern that one may become so engrossed in his learning that he will forget to daven. Shulchon Aruch rules that the prohibition begins from alos hashachar, while others say that it begins close to sunrise. The prohibition only applies to a person who is not planning to go to shul to daven with a minyan. A magid shiur who is teaching Torah to a group of people is also excluded from the prohibition. If Talmud Torah was forbidden for him at that time, he would lose the opportunity to teach those who wish to learn.


 סימן פ"ט ס"ו ס"ק ל, לב, לה




Is showering permitted before davening?


According to some opinions, a person may not take a haircut or enter a bathhouse to take a bath from a half an hour before the time for Mincha. Before Shacharis there is no such prohibition, but these activities are forbidden from daybreak until after davening. Contemporary poskim debate whether showering is permitted before davening. Some are lenient if one needs to wash himself before going to the mikvah. Others are lenient if one showers without soap. Some say that if it is difficult to daven without showering, then showering is permitted.


ס"ז ס"ק לו ביאורים ומוספים דרשו 42

  • It is forbidden to tend to one’s household and business needs or to go on a trip before davening Shacharis. Some hold that saying brochos counts as davening with respect to this halacha. One should be stringent and wait until after Shemoneh Esrei. Simple tasks such as transferring a load of laundry or taking out the trash are permitted.


  • Eating and drinking are also forbidden until one davens Shemoneh Esrei. One may drink water, tea, or coffee. Earlier poskim disagreed about whether adding milk or sugar to the tea and coffee is permissible. Contemporary poskim say that since it has become a standard to add milk and sugar to coffee and tea, one may do so before Shacharis.


  • Eating before davening is only forbidden if one is eating for pleasure. Eating for health reasons is permitted. If one is hungry or thirsty to the extent that it disturbs his concentration, he may also eat.




  • Is one ever permitted to daven out of order?









  • Why is it forbidden to daven while standing on a high place?









  • Where should the chazon stand in shul?
PLEASE NOTE:  The information in this email is for learning purposes only. Please review the Mishna Berura and Biurim U'Musafim before making a halachic decision. Hebrew words are occasionally transliterated to enable a smoother reading of the text. Common Ashkenazi pronunciation is generally used in these cases.
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