פירוש על ברכות 4:16

The time-standards of the poor man and the priest.

M. inserts: Rab Nahman b. Isaac said.

There is not sufficient data in the Gemara to account for this conclusion. Tosafot note the difficulty.

IF IT SHOULD ENTER UPON YOUR MIND THAT [THE TIME OF A] POOR MAN [WHO ENTERS TO EAT HIS BREAD WITH SALT] IS EARLIER [THAN THE APPEARANCE OF THE STARS], R’ CHANINA [WHO SAYS THAT THE TIME FOR RECITING SHEMA IS WHEN THE POOR MAN ENTERS TO EAT HIS MEA]L IS THE SAME AS R’ ELIEZER [WHO SAYS THAT THE TIME IS WHEN THE DAY IS SANCTIFIED AND WE MUST COMMENCE THE OBSERVANCE OF SHABBOS, WHICH IS AT TWILIGHT]. The Gemara concludes that we cannot say the time of R’ Chanina is before R’ Yehoshua, because that would then be the same as R’ Eliezer. Therefore the time of R’ Chanina, which is when the poor man enters to eat his meal must be later than the appearance of the stars.
We know that it is Tosfos’ opinion that twilight begins approximately thirteen and a half minutes before the stars appear. If R’ Yehoshua is saying that the time for Shema is seven p.m., R’ Eliezer is saying that it is six forty seven p.m. Why must it be that R’ Chanina is also saying that the time for Shema is six forty seven p.m.? Isn’t it possible that R’ Chanina is saying that it is earlier or later than six forty seven p.m.? Tosfos will explain why R’ Chanina would be saying the same as R’ Eliezer. It cannot be said that the time of a poor man entering for his meal is earlier than when the day is sanctified at sunset B) when we perforce must begin the observance of Shabbos because there is a legitimate doubt that it may already be Shabbos, and R’ Chanina is saying that the time for reciting Shema is before six forty seven p.m., or that the day is sanctified before the time that a poor man enters for his meal, and R’ Chanina is saying that the time for reciting Shema is between six forty seven p.m. and seven p.m., because it is not logical that there should be so much disagreement about the time of going to sleep,¹At face value Tosfos’ answer is very difficult to understand. If Tosfos has a problem with the amount of opinions about the time one lies down to sleep, what difference is there if R’ Chanina is speaking about a time before the stars appear or after the stars appear? In either case he is adding a new opinion about when the time one lies down to sleep is. See מהרש"א who says that Tosfos’ problem is with more opinions about a time when one lies down before nightfall. That there may be more opinions about the זמן שכיבה after nightfall is not an issue. See תוס' הרא"ש who offers a similar approach by רב האי גאון The simple understanding might be that the זמן שכיבה per se is unrelated to nightfall. Those who do relate it to nightfall must understand that ובשכבך means the period of time when one goes to sleep, which is at night, therefore the beginning of night is the זמן שכיבה This is either when the stars appear as R’ Yehoshua holds or when sunset B) occurs as R’ Eliezer holds. These are both astronomic events that relate to the beginning of night. There is no other astronomic event that qualifies. Thus Tosfos’ finds it difficult to say that R’ Chanina holds of some other time than R’ Eliezer. The other opinions are based on when people actually do go to sleep. Tosfos concedes that there may be many different opinions about the actual time that people lie down to sleep, since this is not dependent on any astronomical event, but rather on what the norm is. and that there should so many different opinions about the times that would qualify as the time [that one lies down to sleep].