Siman 60

The second blessing is "Ahava Rabba" according to the Ashkenazic rite, and "Ahavat Olam" according to the Sephardic rite. In the Gemara (11b) there is a dispute regarding this. Our teachers, the authors of the Tosafot, wrote that for this reason they ordained to say "Ahava Rabba" in the morning service and "Ahavat Olam" in the evening service, see there. And this is according to the Ashkenazic rite. The Rif ruled "Ahavat Olam." One who examines the Gemara and the Rif will see that there is a textual variation between the Gemara and the Rif, for in the Gemara we find the version: It was also taught in a Baraita: One does not say "Ahavat Olam" but rather "Ahava Rabba." In the Rif the version is: It was also taught in a Baraita: One does not say "Ahava Rabba" but rather "Ahavat Olam." See there. The Tur wrote in the name of the Geonim "Ahava Rabba." I am astonished that the poskim did not cite the version of the Gemara at all. (And I do not understand according to the version of the Rif: why does the Baraita need to say: "One does not say 'Ahava Rabba' but rather 'Ahavat Olam'"? It should have said: "One says 'Ahavat Olam'." According to our version it is well-understood, because in the verse we find "Ahavat Olam" in Jeremiah 31; therefore it says that one should not say according to the language of the verse. But according to the Rif it is difficult, for in the verse we do not find the phrasing "Ahava Rabba." One could say based on what is explained in Pri Etz Chaim, that "Ahava Rabba" is a higher level than "Ahavat Olam," but in this time it is impossible to say so. And this is what it means: even though it is a higher level, nevertheless one should not say so. Examine and you will find it simple.)

Whether the blessing of "Ahavah Rabbah" exempts the blessing of the Torah was explained in siman 47. The order of the blessings is not indispensable, for if one preceded "Ahavah Rabbah" to "Yotzer Or" – he says "Yotzer Or" afterward, and does not need to say "Ahavah Rabbah" once more. Nevertheless, this blessing does not open with "Baruch" because according to its primary institution it follows "Yotzer" and is thus adjacent to its fellow. Similarly, the Kriat Shema is not intrinsically linked to the blessings, for if one recited Kriat Shema without the blessings – he has fulfilled the obligation of Kriat Shema from the Torah, and he returns and recites the blessings without Kriat Shema. Nevertheless, our teacher, the Beit Yosef, wrote in section 2 that it is better to return and recite Kriat Shema with the blessings, see there. And it is obvious that this is so, for the primary institution of the sages was to recite Kriat Shema according to the order of the blessings, and if so, he has also not fulfilled Kriat Shema according to its proper institution (Machatzit HaShekel, subsection 1, and also in the Beit Yosef this is proven. Examine it and you will find it easy.) And specifically the order of the blessings is not indispensable. However, the blessings themselves are indispensable, whether in private or in a congregation. This is unlike the one who holds that in private they are not indispensable at all, for it is not so. (See Beit Yosef and Taz. Examine it and you will find it easy.)

It is proper that when one says "and in us You have chosen..." to remember the standing at Mount Sinai, for then He chose us, as it is written: "Lest you forget the things... the day you stood before Hashem your God at Horeb." And when one says "to Your great Name," he should remember the deed of Amalek, for the Name is not complete until the seed of Amalek is erased, as it is written: "Remember what he did to you..." And when one says "to give thanks to You," he should remember that the mouth was created to give thanks to Him, may He be blessed, and not to speak lashon hara. And he should remember the deed of Miriam, as it is written: "Remember what Hashem your God did to Miriam..." And when one says "with love," he should remember that which is written: "Remember how you provoked Hashem your God to wrath in the wilderness." And when one says "and you shall remember all the commandments of Hashem," he should remember the Shabbat, which is equivalent to all the commandments, as it is written: "Remember the Shabbat day." That is to say: that you should always remember the Shabbat day. And like their statement, of blessed memory: From the first of the week for the Shabbat. Therefore, in the song of the day we say: "Today is the first day in the Shabbat..." And when one says "from the four corners of the earth" – he should let the corners of the tallit that are on his shoulders fall down. (Magen Avraham, subsection 2. And we are not concerned for this. And see in Peri Etz Chaim, Gate of the Recitation of Shema, chapter three, and you will understand why we do not practice so. And be precise and you will find it easy.)

And know that regarding these remembrances, there are those who say them after the prayer, and six remembrances are printed in the prayer books: the remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt, the remembrance of the giving of the Torah, the remembrance of Amalek, the remembrance of the provocation, the remembrance of Miriam, and the remembrance of Shabbat. And it is only a mere enhancement, for we do not find in the Gemara or the poskim an obligation for these remembrances. Only the remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt is an obligation every day, evening and morning, according to the Torah. And the remembrance of Amalek is an obligation according to the Torah to read once a year. Therefore, we hold that the parashah of "Zakhor" is from the Torah, as will be explained in siman 685. And the remembrance of Shabbat is an obligation every Shabbat to remember in prayer and in kiddush, as we expound: "Remember the Sabbath day" — remember it over wine. But regarding the other three remembrances, we do not find an obligation at all to mention them. (See Magen Avraham at the end of subsection 2. And it is difficult, for if the Torah obligated mentioning them, we should not look at the disgrace. Furthermore: why is the remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt twice every day, and the remembrance of Amalek once a year, and the remembrance of Shabbat every Shabbat?)

It appears to me that the matter is as follows: regarding the remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt, the Torah wrote: "So that you may remember the day of your departure from the land of Egypt all the days of your life." And this is as if it were written that you should remember every day. And from the word "all," we include the nights, as is found at the end of the first chapter of Berakhot. Behold, the Torah explicitly commanded to mention it every day. And regarding the remembrance of Amalek, it is written: "And it shall be when [the Lord your God] grants you rest... you shall blot out the memory..." – and the Torah revealed that the purpose of this remembrance is in order to fulfill "you shall blot out." And this is for the future to come, as is understood, and therefore it is sufficient that we remember it once a year, for every year we anticipate our ultimate purpose in the month of Nisan, as our sages, of blessed memory, said: In Nisan they were redeemed, and in Nisan they are destined [to be redeemed]... and therefore we place the remembrance of Amalek adjacent to Purim, which is close to Nisan. And regarding the remembrance of Shabbat, since it is written "Remember the Shabbat day to sanctify it" – perforce the remembrance is only for the day of Shabbat, for there is no sanctification except on Shabbat. But regarding the Giving of the Torah, the language of "remembrance" is not written at all. Rather, it is written in the Torah: "Only take heed... lest you forget... the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb." And this is a guarding in the heart, for our sages, of blessed memory, expounded in Megillah (18a) and in the Sifra that "Remember" refers to the mouth, and here "remembrance" is not written. And guarding in the heart we fulfill at every moment and every hour, through the fulfillment of the Torah and the mitzvah. And the remembrance of the provocation, it appears clearly that it was said only to the generation of the wilderness. For so the verses prove in Parashat Ekev, which begins: "Hear, O Israel! You are crossing the Jordan today... not because of your righteousness... are you coming to possess their land... and you shall know that it is not because of your righteousness... for you are a stiff-necked people. Remember, do not forget how you provoked..." – behold, it is explicit that it was said to the generation of the wilderness. And similarly regarding the remembrance of Miriam, for the beginning of the verse is "Take heed regarding the plague of tzaraat," and it does not apply in this time and does not apply outside the Land. And in the Sifrei, this is connected to the prohibition of lashon hara, and it is a prohibition like all other prohibitions and is not a matter of remembrance. And the remembrance is regarding the plague of tzaraat, to act according to the law (so it appears according to my humble opinion).

Our teacher, the Beit Yosef, wrote in section 4: There are those who say that mitzvot do not require kavanah. And there are those who say that they require kavanah to fulfill [one's obligation] through the performance of that mitzvah. And such is the halachah. Thus far his words. And in section 5 he wrote: One who recites Shema and did not direct his heart during the first verse, which is "Shema Yisrael" – he has not fulfilled his obligation. And as for the rest, if he did not direct his heart, even if he was reading from the Torah or proofreading these parashiyot during the time for the recitation of Shema – he has fulfilled [his obligation], provided that he directed his heart during the first verse. Thus far his words. The explanation of his words: that there is a dispute among the poskim whether everyone who performs a mitzvah must intend to fulfill the obligation of the mitzvah through this performance, or if he does not need to intend to fulfill the obligation of the mitzvah, but rather even if he did not intend – he has fulfilled the obligation of the mitzvah. And this will be explained in siman 689. And there are some of the Rishonim who said that even according to the one who holds that mitzvot do not require kavanah – this is regarding mitzvot of action, for his action is like the kavanah for the mitzvah. But a mitzvah that depends on speech – certainly requires kavanah, for without kavanah it is as if he is doing nothing (Tosafot R.I. at the end of the first chapter of Berakhot).

And behold, our teacher, the Beit Yosef, ruled that mitzvot require kavanah, as this is the opinion of most poskim. And that which he wrote in section 5 does not refer to the kavanah for the mitzvah, but rather another matter, which is to take to heart that which he says. Therefore, the verse "Shema Yisrael," which is the essence of accepting the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven—one must take it to heart, for if not, this is not an acceptance of the kingdom of Heaven at all, and it is like prayer without kavanah (Magen Avraham siman 63, subsection 7). Therefore, if he did not have kavanah—he must return and say it with kavanah as I wrote in siman 63, see there. But for the rest, even if he did not have kavanah, since he said all the words—he has fulfilled his obligation. For even regarding prayer, if he did not have kavanah—he does not need to return even for the first blessing, as I wrote below in siman 101. And prayer is a request for mercy, where certainly kavanah is required, all the more so regarding Keriat Shema. (See Magen Avraham subsection 4, who wrote in the name of the Kesef Mishneh that even if he did not have kavanah to fulfill his obligation except in the first verse—he has fulfilled his obligation. And they follow their reasoning that according to Torah law one fulfills the obligation of Keriat Shema with the first verse, as he wrote in siman 63 subsection 8, see there. And a rabbinic mitzvah does not require kavanah, as he wrote in subsection 3. But this is not the opinion of the Acharonim, as I wrote in siman 58 section 15. And according to our opinion there in section 16, all of them are from the Torah, see there. Examine it and you will find it simple.)

According to that which we hold that mitzvot require kavanah, one must be careful with every mitzvah to intend for the sake of the mitzvah. And one does not need to intend for the sake of this specific mitzvah, but rather generally for the sake of a mitzvah, for so it is explained from Rashi at the beginning of the second chapter of Berakhot, who wrote: Mitzvot require kavanah—that he should intend for the sake of a mitzvah, see there. And the kavanah is in the heart, and does not require a verbal statement. And even though regarding kodashim we say at the end of the fourth chapter of Zevachim: For the sake of six things the sacrifice is slaughtered..., and it implies at the beginning of Zevachim that it is a verbal statement, see there—this is because there are several types of sacrifices, therefore one must state for the sake of which type he is slaughtering. And behold, there we say that an unspecified act is also valid, for their unspecified state stands as being for their own sake, see there. And one should not ask: if so, why do mitzvot require kavanah? Are they superior to kodashim where even an unspecified act is valid? For this is not a comparison, for there the animal has already been consecrated, therefore even in an unspecified state it stands in its sanctity. This is not the case with other matters, which need now to be sanctified with the sanctity of the mitzvah, and if he does not intend now for the sake of the mitzvah—it is nothing. And so it is proven from the wording of Rashi there who wrote: In their unspecified state they stand for their own sake, therefore as long as he did not explicitly uproot their designation—it is for their sake. Thus far his words. Behold, he wrote "did not uproot their designation," meaning: the prior sanctity. (And that which he questioned there from a woman, it is because he thought to compare a woman to hekdesh, as we say at the beginning of Kiddushin that he forbids her to the whole world like hekdesh. Nevertheless, he answered that she does not stand for divorce.)

It is customary to gather the tzitzit at the time one says "and bring us in peace from the four corners of the earth." And some are accustomed to take only the two tzitzit that are in front of him. And when one reaches "and you shall see it," it is customary to look at the tzitzit. And it is customary to kiss the tzitzit. And all these matters are for the love of the mitzvah, but according to the law, it is not indispensable.