Birkas HaTorah on Shavuos

Q. I plan on staying up Shavuos night. Do I recite birkas haTorah in the morning?

A. The Mishnah Berurah (47:28) writes that there is a difference of opinion among poskim whether one who was awake all night recites birkas haTorah in the morning. The Beiur HaGra (47:12) and Pri Chadash (47:12) are of the opinion that one does not recite a bracha, while the Magen Avraham (47:12) and Elya Rabba (47:9) maintain that a bracha is recited every day, even if one did not sleep. To avoid this uncertainty, it is best to hear the bracha from one who slept, and answer Amen. If this is not possible, one should have in mind to fulfill the mitzvah of birkas haTorah when reciting the bracha of Ahava Rabba, and study Torah immediately after Shmoneh Esrei. But what if one will not be davening in the early morning, and wants to continue studying Torah? The Aruch Hashulchan (47:23) as well as other poskim write that the common custom follows the Magen Avraham that a bracha is recited, while the Mishnah Berurah maintains that a bracha should not be recited because of the conflicting opinions.

Rebbi Akiva Eiger (cited by Mishnah Berurah 47:28) writes that if one slept a shinas keva (i.e. a nap in a bed) on erev Shavuos, even if he subsequently stays up all night, he may recite birkas haTorah in the morning. Mishnah Berurah explains that this is true only if the person did not fulfill birkas haTorah with the bracha of Ahavas Olam during Maariv (i.e., he did not study Torah immediately after Maariv).

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.