Q&A: Deciding Jewish Law
Deciding Jewish Law
Question
What is the rationally correct thing to do in the following situation: the Talmud says that someone who did not recite the Shema by the end of the third hour has not fulfilled his obligation, but may still continue to recite the blessings of Shema, and there is a dispute in the generations after the Talmud about what exactly it meant. Maimonides rules that one may recite the blessings the entire day, whereas the Shulchan Arukh rules in accordance with Rav Hai Gaon that one may recite them only until the end of the fourth hour, and after that it is a blessing in vain. I usually get up in the morning after the fourth hour. And I am not able to examine specifically who is correct in this dispute. How should one act?
Answer
If you do not have a clear rabbi, then you are in a state of doubt, and you may not recite blessings in a case of doubt. There is also a custom to follow the Shulchan Arukh where you do not have a position of your own. Of course, that means you need to get up earlier.