מֵאֵימָתַי קוֹרִין אֶת שְׁמַע בָּעֲרָבִין? מִשָּׁעָה שֶׁהַכֹּהֲנִים נִכְנָסִים לֶאֱכוֹל בִּתְרוּמָתָן. עַד סוֹף הָאַשְׁמוּרָה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה. דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר.
וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים: עַד חֲצוֹת.
רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר עַד שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה עַמּוּד הַשַּׁחַר.
MISHNA: From when, i.e., from what time, does one recite Shema in the evening? From the time when the priests enter to partake of their teruma. Until when does the time for the recitation of the evening Shema extend? Until the end of the first watch. That is the statement of R. Eliezer.
The Sages say: The time for the recitation of the evening Shema is until midnight.
Rabban Gamliel says: One may recite Shema until dawn.
מַעֲשֶׂה וּבָאוּ בָנָיו מִבֵּית הַמִּשְׁתֶּה, אָמְרוּ לוֹ: לֹא קָרִינוּ אֶת שְׁמַע, אָמַר לָהֶם: אִם לֹא עָלָה עַמּוּד הַשַּׁחַר חַיָּיבִין אַתֶּם לִקְרוֹת.
לֹא זוֹ בִּלְבַד אָמְרוּ, אֶלָּא כָּל מַה שֶּׁאָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים ״עַד חֲצוֹת״, מִצְוָתָן עַד שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה עַמּוּד הַשַּׁחַר.
There was an incident where Rabban Gamliel’s sons returned very late from a wedding hall. They said to him: We did not recite Shema. He said to them: If the dawn has not yet arrived, you are obligated to recite Shema.
And that it is not only with regard to the halakha of the recitation of Shema, but rather, wherever the Sages say until midnight, the mitzva may be performed until dawn.
... אִם כֵּן, לָמָה אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים ״עַד חֲצוֹת״ — כְּדֵי לְהַרְחִיק אָדָם מִן הָעֲבֵירָה:
...If so, why did the Sages say that they may be eaten only until midnight? This is in order to distance a person from transgression.
The baraita concludes: And anyone who violates the pronouncements of the Sages is liable to receive the death penalty.
This is a startling conclusion. What is different in all other places that it is not taught that one is liable, and what is different here that it is taught that he is liable to receive the death penalty?
אִיבָּעֵית אֵימָא, מִשּׁוּם דְּאִיכָּא אוֹנֶס שֵׁינָה.
וְאִיבָּעֵית אֵימָא, לְאַפּוֹקֵי מִמַּאן דְּאָמַר ״תְּפִלַּת עַרְבִית רְשׁוּת״, קָא מַשְׁמַע לָן דְּחוֹבָה.
If you wish, say that because of the risk one may be overcome by sleep, one must be particularly vigilant to recite Shema. And if you wish, say in order to exclude the opinion of one who says that although morning and afternoon prayers are mandatory, the evening prayer is optional. Therefore, it teaches us that the evening prayer is mandatory.
אָמַר מָר, קוֹרֵא קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע וּמִתְפַּלֵּל. מְסַיַּיע לֵיהּ לְרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן.
דְּאָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: אֵיזֶהוּ בֶּן הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא — זֶה הַסּוֹמֵךְ גְּאוּלָּה לִתְפִלָּה שֶׁל עַרְבִית.
רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי אוֹמֵר: תְּפִלּוֹת בָּאֶמְצַע תִּקְּנוּם.
In this baraita, Mar (the Master) said one "recites Shema, and prays (the Amidah)". This supports the opinion of R. Yoḥanan. As R. Yoḥanan said: Who is of the World-to-Come? One who juxtaposes the blessing of redemption (ge'ulah), recited after Shema, to the evening Amidah. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says: The Amidah prayers were instituted to be recited between the two recitations of Shema (morning and evening).
בְּמַאי קָא מִפַּלְּגִי?
אִי בָּעֵית אֵימָא קְרָא, אִי בָּעֵית אֵימָא סְבָרָא.
What are they disagreeing about?
The Gemara answers: If you wish, say they disagree over the interpretation of a verse; if you wish, say instead they disagree on a point of logic.
אִי בָּעֵית אֵימָא סְבָרָא. דְּרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן סָבַר גְּאוּלָּה מֵאוּרְתָּא נָמֵי הָוֵי, אֶלָּא גְּאוּלָּה מְעַלַּיְיתָא לָא הָוְיָא אֶלָּא עַד צַפְרָא. וְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי סָבַר כֵּיוָן דְּלָא הָוְיָא אֶלָּא מִצַּפְרָא — לָא הָוְיָא גְּאוּלָּה מְעַלַּיְיתָא.
If you say that they disagree on a point of logic -- Rabbi Yoḥanan explains: Redemption occurred in the evening as well; however, the full-fledged redemption was only in the morning. Since the redemption began in the evening, it is appropriate to juxtapose the blessing of redemption (ge'ulah) to the daily evening Amidah prayer. But Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi holds: Since full-fledged redemption only occurred in the morning, and the previous evening was not a full-fledged redemption, there is no need to juxtapose the blessing of redemption to the evening prayer.
And if you wish, say the dispute between is not a difference over a point of logic, but over the interpretation of a verse. Both derived their opinions from the same verse: “When you lie down, and when you rise.”
גְּמָ׳ ... לְעוֹלָם כְּרַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל סְבִירָא לְהוּ, וְהָא דְּקָא אָמְרִי ״עַד חֲצוֹת״, כְּדֵי לְהַרְחִיק אֶת הָאָדָם מִן הָעֲבֵירָה.
דְתַנְיָא, חֲכָמִים עָשׂוּ סְיָיג לְדִבְרֵיהֶם, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא אָדָם בָּא מִן הַשָּׂדֶה בָּעֶרֶב, וְאוֹמֵר: ״אֵלֵךְ לְבֵיתִי וְאוֹכַל קִימְעָא וְאֶשְׁתֶּה קִימְעָא, וְאִישַׁן קִימְעָא, וְאַחַר כָּךְ אֶקְרָא קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע וְאֶתְפַּלֵּל״, וְחוֹטַפְתּוֹ שֵׁינָה וְנִמְצָא יָשֵׁן כָּל הַלַּיְלָה.
אֲבָל אָדָם בָּא מִן הַשָּׂדֶה בָּעֶרֶב, נִכְנָס לְבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת, אִם רָגִיל לִקְרוֹת — קוֹרֵא. וְאִם רָגִיל לִשְׁנוֹת — שׁוֹנֶה, וְקוֹרֵא קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע וּמִתְפַּלֵּל, וְאוֹכֵל פִּתּוֹ וּמְבָרֵךְ.
GEMARA:... Actually, the Sages hold in accordance with the opinion of Rabban Gamliel, and the fact that they say until midnight is in order to distance a person from transgression.
As it was taught in a baraita, the Sages created a “fence” for their pronouncements, in order to prevent a person coming from the field in the evening, and saying to himself: "I will go home, eat a little, drink a little, sleep a little and then I will recite Shema and pray." In the meantime, he is overcome by sleep and ends up sleeping all night.
Instead, he should come from the field in the evening, and enter the synagogue. If he is accustomed to reading the Bible, he reads. If he is accustomed to learning mishnayot, he learns. And then he recites Shema and prays as he should. When he arrives home, he eats his meal with a contented heart and recites a blessing.
Rabbi Yoḥanan holds: The verse juxtaposes lying down and rising. Just as when one rises, the recitation of Shema is followed by the Amidah, so too, when one lies down, the recitation of Shema is followed by Amidah. And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi maintains: The verse juxtaposes lying down and rising in a different sense. Just as when one rises, one recites Shema next to one's bed, so too when one lies down, one recites Shema next to one's bed. Therefore, the recitation of the evening Shema should be performed as close as possible to the moment when one actually lies down.