Q&A: A Sleeping Person Exempt from Commandments
A Sleeping Person Exempt from Commandments
Question
Do you need to wake someone who fell asleep in the synagogue, or a friend who is sleeping and is about to miss the latest time for the morning Shema, or do we say: “a sleeping person is exempt from commandments”?
Answer
There is an obligation to wake him. Coercion or circumstances beyond one’s control are not like someone who actually acted. With regard to transgressions, someone who was coerced is not held accountable for them, but with regard to commandments, at the end of the day he did not fulfill them. I also do not accept the view that when there is no room to sleep in the sukkah, one may remove someone who is already sleeping there and sleep in his place, but this is not the place to elaborate.
Discussion on Answer
The question is not defined precisely enough. I’m not going to write an article here about the topic of a sleeping person in Jewish law, nor will I gather general sources on the matter. If there is a specific question, you can ask it.
Could I please get sources on this topic?