keep your mind on your shema!
Wow...those rabbis of the Talmud certainly had an understanding of the male mind (imho)...see:
(from the Mishnah...16a)
"a groom who marries a virgin is exempt from the recital of the Shema from the first night of his marriage (it was customary to marry on Wednesday) until the departure of the Sabbath if he did not yet perform the act of intercourse."
Why? Because he couldn't possibly recite the Shema with the proper kavanah (intention) until after he had bedded the girl....his mind would be completely distracted! Once he had sex with her, however, the exemption no longer applies (even if it's before Shabbat)...and if he hasn't had sex with her before the end of Shabbat (shame on him), his obligation returns anyway because by then he will be more comfortable in her presence (and therefore less likely to be distracted by her!)....
Interestingly enough, the rabbis later clarify this (in the Gemara) that it is because the groom is preoccupied with the carrying out of a mitzvah (commandment) -- the mitzvah of procreation -- that he is exempt. Other examples of ways to be preoccupied are brought up (like being on a sinking ship...go figure, maybe you'd be a bit distracted?) and rejected as rationale for reciting Shema because they don't involve another mitzvah (um, staying alive anyone?)...
And also, Rabban Gamliel recited Shema on his wedding night, we are taught, and his students questioned him on this behavior -- basically, he said that he is "above" being distracted. His poor wife!
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Side note: Today's Daf concludes with the "additional prayers" recited at the end of the Shemonah Esrei....a whole host of prayers offered by pious men....a little like a sampling so that we can then put our own prayers together, or if we like, adopt their prayers. Almost like a "how-to-speak a prayer" manual. Very useful for those who feel inadequate during that "silent meditation" period of the service.
(from the Mishnah...16a)
"a groom who marries a virgin is exempt from the recital of the Shema from the first night of his marriage (it was customary to marry on Wednesday) until the departure of the Sabbath if he did not yet perform the act of intercourse."
Why? Because he couldn't possibly recite the Shema with the proper kavanah (intention) until after he had bedded the girl....his mind would be completely distracted! Once he had sex with her, however, the exemption no longer applies (even if it's before Shabbat)...and if he hasn't had sex with her before the end of Shabbat (shame on him), his obligation returns anyway because by then he will be more comfortable in her presence (and therefore less likely to be distracted by her!)....
Interestingly enough, the rabbis later clarify this (in the Gemara) that it is because the groom is preoccupied with the carrying out of a mitzvah (commandment) -- the mitzvah of procreation -- that he is exempt. Other examples of ways to be preoccupied are brought up (like being on a sinking ship...go figure, maybe you'd be a bit distracted?) and rejected as rationale for reciting Shema because they don't involve another mitzvah (um, staying alive anyone?)...
And also, Rabban Gamliel recited Shema on his wedding night, we are taught, and his students questioned him on this behavior -- basically, he said that he is "above" being distracted. His poor wife!
-----
Side note: Today's Daf concludes with the "additional prayers" recited at the end of the Shemonah Esrei....a whole host of prayers offered by pious men....a little like a sampling so that we can then put our own prayers together, or if we like, adopt their prayers. Almost like a "how-to-speak a prayer" manual. Very useful for those who feel inadequate during that "silent meditation" period of the service.
posted by Phyllis Sommer @ 5:29 PM
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