הלכה על ברכות 20:44

One must put her legs together so that they look like one leg. The reason for this is that the separation of one’s legs exposes one’s material side and represents the pursuit of worldly matters. Thus, we keep our feet together in prayer just like the kohanim who, in their ascent of the altar, would walk heel-to-toe to avoid spreading their legs. Furthermore, putting one’s legs together symbolizes the annulling of the powers in one’s legs, demonstrating that we have but one desire, to stand before Him in prayer. The Sages learn this from the angels, of whom it is said: “Their legs are a straight leg” (Yeḥezekel 1:7), meaning that their legs were placed so close together that they appeared as one leg (Berakhot 10b; y. Berakhot 1:1; see Maharal, Netiv Ha-avoda §6).

One who stands before God in prayer should know that her existence and all of life’s blessings are dependent on God’s kindness and that God is not required to fulfill her requests; hence, she should stand before Him humbly. That is what the Sages meant when they said (Berakhot 10b): “One may not stand on a chair, on a stool, or on any other high place and pray, because there is no haughtiness before the Omnipresent, as it says (Tehilim 130:1): ‘From the depths I called You, Lord.’” The Talmud (Ta’anit 23b) relates a story about R. Yona who was known as a righteous person whose prayers were answered. When he was asked to pray for rain, he went to a low place in order to fulfill the verse: “From the depths I called You, Lord.” He prayed there until he was answered and rain began to fall. For that reason, it is customary in some congregations that the ḥazan’s place is lower. This also explains why the ḥazan is described as “descending before the ark” (“yored lifnei ha-teiva”).

From the break of dawn, it is forbidden to eat or drink before praying. The Sages support their words (Berakhot 10b) on the verse (Vayikra 19:26), “Do not eat upon the blood,” which they interpret as, “Do not eat before praying for your ‘blood.’” Further, they teach, “Anyone who eats and drinks first and [only] afterwards prays, Scripture says of him (1 Melakhim 14:9), ‘You have thrown Me behind your body (“gavekha,” the word used for “your body,” alludes to “ga’avatekha” – your pride).’ God said, ‘After this person acts arrogantly he accepts upon himself the yoke of heaven?!’”

Behold it is already been completely explained that it is inappropriate to count every negative or positive commandment that is found in the Torah, for it [may be] a repetition. Indeed it is appropriate to count [only] the content that we are commanded about or prohibited from. And it is impossible to have knowledge of a repeated negative or positive commandment that is coming to give additional content, without a teacher that instructs it. And [these teachers] are those that received the traditional explanation, peace be upon them. And do not err also because the prohibition is repeated with different words - like His, may He be exalted, saying (Leviticus 19:10), "You shall not pick (teollel) your vineyard bare," once He also said (Deuteronomy 24:19), "and overlook a sheaf in the field, do not turn back to get it," and He said (Deuteronomy 24:20), "When you beat down the fruit of your olive trees, do not extract (tefaer) again." For these are not two negative commandments, but rather one prohibition about one matter - and that is that he not take that which he overlooked from the grain or the fruits when he gathers them. And He brought two examples about them - from grapes and from olives. And He called what is left of the grapes ollelot; and of the olives, "pe'erot. And the understanding of tefaer is do not remove that which you have overlooked in some of your pe'erot - and those are the branches. (See the glosses on this book.) And to this principle, it is appropriate to attach that which I will [now] say. And that is that when I say that it is appropriate that they count the content about which we are commanded or from which we are prohibited, it is on condition that the content that we are prohibited is a separate negative commandment for each and every matter; or that the transmitters [present] a proof that separates one matter from another and that each of them requires [its own] prohibition. However when there is one negative commandment that includes many matters, only that negative commandment is counted, and not all of the content that is included in that negative commandment. And this is a general prohibition, for which we do not give lashes - as we will now explain. And that is that they said (Sanhedrin 63a) in explanation of His saying, "You shall not eat upon the blood" (Leviticus 19:26), "From where [do we know] that one who eats from an animal before its soul departs is in [transgression of] a negative commandment? As it is stated, 'You shall not eat upon the blood.' Another matter: From where is it derived that one who eats the meat of an offering before the blood has been sprinkled [on the altar] is in [transgression of] a negative commandment? We learn to say,'You shall not eat upon the blood' - you shall not eat the meat when the blood is still in the bowl. Rabbi Dosa says, 'From where [do we know] that we do not provide a meal for mourners of those executed by the court? We learn to say, "You shall not eat upon the blood."' Rabbi Akiva says, 'From where [do we know] that a Sanhedrin that killed a soul (i.e., that sentenced a person to death) may not taste anything that entire day? We learn to say, "You shall not eat upon the blood."' Rabbi Yochanan says, 'From where [do we know] the prohibition against the behavior of a stubborn and rebellious son? We learn to say, "You shall not eat upon the blood."'" Behold that we are prohibited from all of these five things, but they they are all included under one negative commandment. And they also said (Berakhot 10b), "From where [do we know] that a person should not taste anything until he prays? We learn to say, 'You shall not eat upon the blood' - you may not eat before you pray for your blood." And in explanation, they said in the Gemara (Sanhedrin 63a), "For all of [these specific prohibitions], he is not given lashes - as it is a general negative commandment." And they also explained that a general negative commandment is when two or three prohibitions come from one negative commandment. So it is inappropriate that they should count each and every prohibition it included as a separate negative commandment; but rather only the one negative commandment that includes all of them. And similar to this negative commandment - meaning, "You shall not eat upon the blood," - is His saying, "you shall not place a stumbling block before the blind" (Leviticus 19:14). As it also includes many matters, as will be explained (Sefer HaMitzvot, Negative Commandments 299). And likewise, His saying, "You must not carry a false rumor" (Exodus 23:1) - behold, it too includes many matters, as will be explained (Sefer HaMitzvot, Negative Commandments 281). And this is one of the types of general negative commandments.

It is forbidden to busy one's self with his own needs or to get on the road before praying the prayer of 18 [i.e. the Amidah] (and there are those who are lenient [to allow this] after they have said some of the blessings before saying Baruch She-amar, but is good to be stringent in this - Terumat HaDeshen 18) nor may one eat or drink, but one may drink water before prayer, both on a weekday and on Shabbat or Yom Tov, and likewise, foods or drinks for medicinal purpose is allowed.

And behold I will mention to you from the things that they, may their memory be blessed, explained (Sanhedrin 63a) are included in this negative commandment: They, may their memory be blessed, said that there is a warning to [not] eat an animal before its soul departs; and also to [not] eat consecrated meat before the sprinkling of the blood, and like they said (Sanhedrin 63a), "Do not eat the meat and the blood is still in the bowl." And so [too,] did they learn from it that we do not provide a consolation meal over those killed by the court; and so [too,] that a Sanhedrin that killed a soul not taste anything all of that day; and that a person not taste anything before he prays (Berakhot 10b); and so [too] the warning to the rebellious son, as we said.

The law of the recitation of Shema morning and evening: That we were commanded every day, morning and evening, to read one verse from the Torah in this Order, and that is "Hear Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one" (Deuteronomy 6:4). And about this verse is it stated (Deuteronomy 6:7), "and you will speak in them in your sitting in your home, in your laying down and in your rising up." And the explanation about this comes (Berakhot 10b) [that it is] at the time that people lay down and at the time that people get up. And it is established to us for the Rabbis (Berakhot 10b) that all of the night until the dawn rises is called the time that people lay down - and like the matter that is written (Leviticus 26:6), "and you will lay down and there is no one that makes to tremble"; and so [too], "it does not lay down until it eats prey" (Numbers 23:24) - since all the time of its laying down is implied. And also that people are divided in their attributes regarding laying down. There are those that do not lay down until half of the night, and some [not] until its end, and there are some that lay down immediately at the beginning of the night. And because of this, they said (Berakhot 10b) that the time of the recitation of Shema at night is from the time that the priests retire to eat their priestly tithe - which is the coming out of the stars - until the dawn rises. And the time that people rise up was understood [by] them [to be] from the beginning of the day - meaning to say when the morning is light [enough] that a man can recognize his fellow from the distance of four ells - until three full hours (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Reading the Shema 1:11). And rising up was not understood by them to be all of the day, like laying down; as it is not the way of any person that is healthy to rise up from his bed at the end of the day, or even its middle. And they, may their memory be blessed, said (Berakhot 9b) about the recitation of Shema of the morning that, in any case, from here onward - meaning from the end of three hours until the end of the day - he who did not read [it] did not lose [out] that he not be able to read it with its blessings.