Siman 239

It is stated in Berakhot (4b): "Rava Joshua ben Levi said: Even though a person recited Keriat Shema in the synagogue, it is a mitzvah to recite it upon his bed, as it is said: 'Commune with your own heart upon your bed,'" say that which was written "upon your heart" upon your bed, as it is said "and when you lie down" (Rashi). And if he is a talmid chakham—he does not need to, for since he is accustomed to his study, this is sufficient for him (ibid.). And even a talmid chakham must say one verse of mercy, such as: "Into Your hand I commit my spirit, etc.", meaning that although to recite Keriat Shema, which is like the study of Torah, the talmid chakham does not need to, for behold he is accustomed to Torah, nevertheless a verse that is like a prayer he must say. And anyone who recites Keriat Shema upon his bed, it is as if he holds a double-edged sword in his hand, as it is said: "Let the pious exult in glory, let them sing for joy upon their beds," meaning that he distances the damaging spirits from him, as it says there: "Anyone who recites Keriat Shema upon his bed—damaging spirits keep away from him," and the matter is that they distance themselves from him so that they do not bring him to evil thoughts in his sleep and he emit seed in vain.

And we say there in the chapter "HaRoeh" (Berakhot 60b): "One who enters to sleep on his bed says from 'Shema Yisrael' until 'Ve-haya im shamoa,' and says: 'Blessed is He who casts the bonds of sleep, etc.,'" and from this it implies that first one recites "Shema" and afterward the blessing of "Hamapil." But the Rambam at the beginning of chapter 7 of Laws of Prayer wrote the opposite, and this is his wording: "When a person enters his bed to sleep at night, he recites the blessing: Blessed... who casts the bonds of sleep, etc., and recites the first portion" and sleeps. Thus far his words. And the Tur and the Shulchan Aruch wrote according to the wording of the Gemara, and they wrote that such is the primary ruling (Magen Avraham subsection 2 and the Shelah), and the Levush wrote like the Rambam. And it is a wonder regarding the Rambam that he changed from the wording of the Gemara, for even in the Rif the version is like in the Gemara, see there. And it appears to me that the Rambam intentionally changed from the wording of the Gemara, for a reason that will be explained in section 5.

The Tur and Shulchan Aruch wrote that one says: "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High etc.," and it is called the song of plagues which protects from the damaging spirits (Shevuot 15b), and one says: "Hashem, how many are my adversaries" until "salvation belongs to Hashem," and one says: "Blessed be Hashem by day, blessed be Hashem by night, blessed be Hashem when we lie down, blessed be Hashem when we rise, and Hashem said to the Satan, Hashem shall rebuke you, O Satan etc., Hashem is your guardian... from now and forever, into Your hand I entrust my spirit etc., may Hashem bless you" until "and grant you peace," and one says "Hashkivenu" until near the closing blessing. Thus far their words. And it is explained in Shevuot there that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi would say these verses and sleep, meaning he would sleep from within these verses. And the Gemara asks: But is it not forbidden to heal oneself with words of Torah? And it answers: To protect is different; meaning, when one is ill and would be healed by them – it is forbidden, for one may not heal with words of Torah, as the Rambam wrote in chapter 11 of Laws of Idolatry, law 12. This is his wording: "For they are among those who deny the Torah, as they make the words of Torah a healing for the body when they are only a healing for souls. But a healthy person who read verses and a psalm from Tehillim so that the merit of their reading should protect him and he be saved from troubles and damages – behold, this is permitted." Thus far his words. And it was explained in Yoreh Deah siman 179. And behold, the essence of the Shema on the bed is only in order to protect from the damaging spirits. And as for why the Gemara did not ask regarding this, it is because the Shema is always read as an obligation, so there is no wonder regarding its reading also to protect; but these verses, whose reading is not an obligation at all, it thought were forbidden, and it answers that even this is permitted (the Talmidei Rabbeinu Yonah in the first chapter of Berakhot), and also the Rif brought this in the first chapter there.

One must wonder about the Rambam in chapter 7 of the laws of blessings regarding the laws of the Shema recited upon the bed, for he did not mention this at all. It appears in my humble opinion that the Rambam rejected that which is in Shevuot based on the Yerushalmi in the first chapter of Berakhot (halacha 1), which says there: "When Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani would go down for the intercalation of the year, he would stay with Rabbi Yaakov Gerosa, and Rabbi Zeira would hide among the baskets to hear how he would recite the Shema; and he would recite and return and recite until he would sink from it into his sleep. And what is his reason? Rabbi Acha and Rabbi Tachlifa in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said: 'In your hearts upon your beds, and be still, Selah,'" and "be still" refers to sleep, and this verse is in the Shema as I have written. And the Yerushalmi says: "The words of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi disagree, for Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi would recite psalms after it." Thus far its words. And this is what Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said in Shevuot, to recite all these verses. And since all these Amoraim disagree with Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, therefore the Rambam ruled like them, and according to them one should not say these verses, but only recite the parsha of Shema and return and recite it until one sleeps, as Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani did. And this is not against the Gemara in Shevuot, for the Gemara says there that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi did so, but it did not rule the halacha like him; since in the Yerushalmi many disagree with him, the halacha is like the many.

And the reasoning of all these Amora'im is that although it is permitted for protection, nevertheless, this is not of the mitzvot, and the recitation of Shema is sufficient, which in most instances was stated as an obligation, and according to the logic we wrote at the end of section 3. And according to this, that which the Rambam preceded the blessing of "Hamapil" to Shema also works well, because according to his view one must sleep from within "Shema" and not from within the verses, and if so, it is necessary to say "Shema" after "Hamapil" so that he may recite and return and recite until he sleeps in the manner that Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani did in the Yerushalmi. And even though in Berakhot (chapter "Haroeh") the Shas preceded "Shema" to "Hamapil," the Rambam was not concerned for it, because in the first chapter it is proven that it is not indispensable, for since Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi innovated this in the first chapter—that one must recite Shema upon his bed as I wrote in section 1—and according to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi it is before "Hamapil," therefore the Shas arranged it so. But from there itself it is proven that it is not so, for Abaye says there that even a Torah scholar must say one verse of mercy, and this is after "Hamapil"; if so, it is proven that "Hamapil" is not at the end, as the Rambam wrote there in chapter 7, law 2. This is his wording: "And he recites the first paragraph of the recitation of Shema and sleeps; and even if his wife is sleeping with him, he recites the first verse or verses of mercy and afterwards sleeps. And if sleep overcame him, he recites even the first verse or verses of mercy and afterwards sleeps." Thus far his words. And it appears that the Rambam holds that even the paragraph of Shema is not indispensable, and therefore when his wife is with him or when sleep overcomes him, the first verse of Shema or other verses of mercy are sufficient, and his source is from that which we say in the first chapter that a Torah scholar only needs to say verses of mercy; learn from this that "Shema" is not indispensable. (And see Magen Avraham, subsection 2, who wrote similarly to this, but what he wrote—that "Shema" is not for the sake of protection—we have already brought from the Talmidei Rabbeinu Yonah that it is for the sake of protection, but it is not similar to the verses as I wrote there. And regarding what he wondered about the Rema, who wrote that if he recited the recitation of Shema and cannot sleep he returns and recites several times etc., that this is not according to the approach of the Beit Yosef, and the Magen Avraham understood that the Rema's intention was regarding the paragraph of Shema. And it appears to me that in general one recites the recitation of Shema just as we also recite it so, and his intention was both regarding Shema and regarding the verses, and the main thing is to sleep from within words of Torah; and delve into this.)

And some have written based on the Midrash to read all three paragraphs, as they contain 248 words for the protection of the 248 limbs (Magen Avraham, subsection 1). However, since in the Gemara only the first paragraph is explicitly mentioned, no more is required, and such is the simple custom. Our teacher, the Rema, wrote that one should recite Shema close to his bed, and one should not eat, drink, or speak after the recitation of Shema upon his bed, but rather sleep immediately, as it is said: "Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah." And see above, siman 63, regarding whether it is permitted to recite while he is lying down; and if he recited Shema and cannot fall asleep immediately, then he repeats and recites several times, one after another, until he sinks into sleep, so that his recitation will be close to his sleep; and we do not recite a blessing over the Shema upon his bed. Thus far his words. Now, it is certainly so that the intention is not that after the blessing of HaMapil there is no interruption until sleep, like with all blessings where it is forbidden to interrupt between the washing of hands and "HaMotzi" and the like, for behold, we say verses afterward, and according to the Rambam, the paragraph of Shema. And even though they are for the sake of protection, nevertheless, if it should enter your mind that it is forbidden to interrupt, what benefit is there that they are for protection? Rather, it is certain that here the interruption is not a prohibition as with all other blessings. And the reason is that sleep is not within a person's control; and this reasoning was written in Sukkah, chapter 4, by the Rosh and the Mordechai, that for this reason we do not recite a blessing over sleeping in a sukkah, see there. And this blessing is an obligation regarding the matter of a person's sleep, and for this, he says that one should see to bring it as close to sleep as possible (and see Magen Avraham, subsection 3). And when he needs to engage in marital relations, he should recite afterward, and he should wash his hands and recite if he is clean of semen. And that which he wrote: "whether it is permitted to recite while he is lying down," this is when he intends to fulfill the obligation of Shema with this recitation, according to the system of Rashi that we wrote in siman 235; but if he has already fulfilled it, it is better to recite it while lying down (ibid.), and such is the simple custom. And that which he wrote: "he repeats and recites several times," his intention is whatever he wishes: either Shema or the verses or other words of Torah, and if he meditates on Torah, no more is required (ibid.). And as for why we do not recite a blessing over the Shema upon his bed, the reason is simple, for the obligation is only for the blessing of HaMapil, and it is not appropriate to recite a blessing upon a blessing. And it appears that women are also obligated in the blessing of HaMapil, and most of our women are careful in this (see Magen Avraham, subsection 2).

If one sleeps naked, he should not remove his garment while sitting, as he would then be found naked in the open; rather, he should lie in his bed and cover himself with a sheet, and remove the garment over his head little by little, and whatever he removes, the sheet covers. (See Magen Avraham, subsection 7, who is not comfortable with the confession of the terminally ill being said every night, because one should never open his mouth to the Satan. He also brought that one should not sleep in a house alone, see there; and some have explained this as a house that stands alone).