meta: {"file": "/data/tomer/Sefaria-Export/txt/Halakhah/Maaseh Rav/English/merged.txt"}
text: Maaseh Rav
  מעשה רב
  merged
  
  This file contains merged sections from the following text versions:
  -Sefaria Community Translation
  -
  
  Maaseh Rav
  
  
  
  
  
  To arise at midnight and recite Tikkun Chatzot.
  
  
  
  One who is awake the whole night, washes his hands and blesses [the morning blessings], but not the blessings on the Torah.  If he then sleeps by day, he must say the blessings on the Torah [upon arising].
  
  
  
  
  The main part of washing one's hands was instituted for prayer.  Therefore, one should wash and make a blessing for each prayer. And ideally one should be stringent to was with a vessel as one does for eating.  And in the morning one should say the blessing before praying, and one shouldn't say it immediately upon waking when his intention is not to pray right away. But that's only if he knows for sure he will not forget to say it.
  
  
  
  In washing one's hands, both in the morning and for a meal, the right hand should be first.
  
  
  
  
  In the morning, one should pour 4 times.  Three times to remove evil spirits, and a fourth time to purify the water which became impure.
  
  
  
  The blessing Elokai Neshama (My G-d, the soul you placed in me) should be said together with the blessing Asher Yatzar (Who formed man with wisdom).  [See Biurei haGra Shulchan Orach Orach Chaim 4:3]
  
  
  
  All of the blessings from "who gives wisdom" until "vayidaber" (Editor: I am unsure what he means.  Perhaps the sacrifices.) one can say immediately upon arising from bed even before daylight.  For "Vayidaber" one should wait until daylight. (See Magen Avraham 46:13)
  
  
  
  The blessing on the Torah, one should say it before reading the daily sacrifice (See the Gra's comment on Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 46:17) If one wants to learn before daylight, one should say the blessings on the Torah after the order of the morning blessings before one learns.
  
  
  
  All of the morning blessings, if one forgot to say them immediately, one has opportunity to say them all day and the night until going to sleep, except the blessing on Torah for which one fulfills his obligation with Ahava Raba (Great Love, the blessing before Shema in the morning).  (See Biurei HaGra 47:7).  Thus on Yom Kippur, when one does not say 'Who met all my needs' and 'Who removes sleep', one should say these at night upon putting on leather shoes and washing one's face (See Biurei HaGra 46:15)
  
  
  
  Going to a bath house is not an interruption for one's blessing on the Torah, and all the moreso sleep.  (See Biurei HaGra 47:9-11)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  After saying the portion of the Tamid, to say the verse 'v'hifshit' until 'reiach nichoach'
  
  
  
  Tzitzit should be 12 thumbs-width long, and the wrapped/knotted portion one third (of this total, so 4 thumbs-widths).  Each wrapped portion was one thumb-width.
  
  
  
  Every time he wraps himself in a tallit, he says the blessing, even many times in a day. (See Biurei HaGra 8:28) 
  
  
  
  He blesses, and wears, and covers his head with the tallit, but he does not need to wrap himself as the Ishmaelites wrap.  (See Biurei HaGra Orach Chaim 8:4)
  
  
  
  Also for a small tallit (the poncho-like undergarment) the text of the blessing is 'to wrap oneself in fringes'. (See there (Biurei HaGra OC 8) seif 14)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The time for putting on tefillin is like 'Others" in Berachot 9.  One should wear them all day, and even to do business in them is permitted, and snacking is also permitted. But idle activities are prohibited. If one is worried this seems haughty before other people, one may wear only the hand tefillin. In any case, it is better to wear a small head tefillin and keep the straps covered than to walk with only the hand tefillin.
  
  
  
  The compartments of the head tefillin need to be open and not glued.
  
  
  
  The higher tefillin are on the head, the more praiseworthy. And the knot needs to be below the base of the skull.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  If one spoke (between putting on arm and head tefillin) he recites two blessings, and if he did not speak, he recites one blessing, in accordance with Rashi of blessed memory.  For if he did not speak he recites on both hand and head one (blessing of) 'to place tefillin', but if he spoke, he recites on the head (a separate blessing of) 'on the mitzva of tefillin'.
  
  
  
  One needs to bless each time he puts on (tefillin) even many times in a day.
  
  
  
  One may urinate in tefillin when they are on his head in a temporary bathroom as is explained in Shulchan Aruch.
  
  
  
  (One should?) pray the morning service at sunrise, but only with a quorum of ten. 
  
  
  
  The prayer leader should begin from 'Baruch Sh'amar" and don't say from 'Mizmor shir chanukat habayit'.  Other verses should not be recited communally neither before nor after prayer except the Song of the Day (shir shel yom).
  
  
  
  One may sit during the Verses of Praise until the kaddish before Barchu.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  In the Song at the Sea, recite until 'Hashem rules forever and ever' and say after it 'to Hashem is the kingship' and do not say the verse 'for Pharaoh's horse came'.
  
  
  
  Do not say "and in your Torah it is written to say 'Hear O Israel...'" before Yishtabach, because there should be from 'and he saved' until 'Hashem reigns' 18 mentions of G-d's name, and from 'Az Yashir' until 'Yishtabach' also 18 names and no more.
  
  
  
  Do not say the 13 Praises (?) in one breath. Only do not interrupt between them with speech, Heaven forbid.