Halacha requires
reciting Birkot Ha'Torah in the morning before one learns Torah. Does this apply only if one wants to learn
Torah verbally, or even if one is interested in learning silently, such as by
reading without saying the words?
For example, if a
person wakes up in the middle of the night, and he wants to read a Torah book
to help him fall back asleep, must he first recite Birkot Ha'Torah? This question arises also if one sits and
drinks coffee early in the morning before reciting Birkot Ha'Torah. May he silently read a Torah book while
drinking, or must he first recite Birkot Ha'Torah? For that matter, is one allowed upon waking
in the morning to think about Torah before he recites Birkot Ha'Torah?
The Bet Yosef cites
the Agur (Rav Yaakob Landau, 1410-1493) as ruling that Birkot Ha'Torah is
required only before learning Torah verbally, but not before learning
silently. Just as praying only with
one's eyes, without saying the words, does not qualify as prayer, likewise,
learning Torah without saying the words does not constitute "learning" as far
as the Birkot Ha'Torah requirement is concerned. The Shulhan Aruch rules accordingly.
The Vilna Gaon (Rav
Eliyahu of Vilna, 1720-1797), however, disagrees. He notes the verse in which G-d commands,
"Ve'hagita Bo Yomam Va'layla" (Yehoshua 1:8), that we must study Torah day and
night. The word "Hagita," the Gaon
asserts, refers to unspoken thoughts, as in the expression, "Hegyon Libi" ("the
stirrings of my heart" – Tehillim 19:15), and thus the Misva of Torah study is
fulfilled even through silent learning.
The Nishmat Adam (Rav
Abraham Danzig of Vilna, 1748-1820) refuted this proof, pointing to the text of
Birkot Ha'Torah, which mentions "words of Torah" ("Dibreh Torah"), implying
that this refers specifically to spoken words (as "Dibur" means "speech"). Moreover, the Nishmat Adam cites several
instances where the word "Hegyon" clearly refers to speech, and not to silent
thought, such as "U'lshoni Tehegeh Sidkecha" (Tehillim 35:28), "Pi Sadik
Yehegeh Hochma" (Tehillim 37:30), and "Lo Yehegu Bi'gronam" (Tehillim 115:7). (The Vilna Gaon would likely respond that
"Hegyon" refers to both speech and silent thoughts, and thus both fall under
the command of "Ve'hagita" and require Birkot Ha'Torah.)
The Nishmat Adam
further notes that the Gemara (Berachot 21a) cites as the source of the Birkot
Ha'Torah obligation the verse in Debarim (32:3), "Ki Shem Hashem Ekra Habu
Godel L'Elokenu" – "When I call the Name of G-d, express praise to our
G-d." This verse speaks of reciting a
Beracha when one "calls the Name of G-d," suggesting that this applies only to
verbally articulating the words of Torah.
The majority of Poskim
follow the view of the Shulhan Aruch, that Birkot Ha'Torah is not required
before silent Torah study. These include
the Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909) and Hacham Ovadia Yosef. (Moreover, there is considerable discussion
among later Poskim as to whether the Vilna Gaon truly held the stringent
position that even thinking Torah requires Birkot Ha'Torah, or only considered
this possibility.)
Therefore, one who
wishes to silently think about Torah in the middle of the night, or in the
morning before reciting Birkot Ha'Torah, may do so.
