Chapter 2. Laws for the Order of Study on the Night of the Festival, Kiddush, and the Morning Prayer

Drinking little by little

yod-dalet Regarding the law of the first and final blessings for one whose way is to drink little by little over extended intervals, one must distinguish between two cases:
[Alef]. If each time he drinks a full revi’it at once: he should recite a blessing before each drink and a final blessing afterward, even though he intends to drink more during the night. However, if he intends to drink again within the time of digestion [the time of digestion for drinking is not clear, and in practical halacha it appears to be close to an hour], so that he has not lost the obligation of a final blessing for the first drink, he need not recite a final blessing after the first drink, and he may drink again without a blessing beforehand.
[Bet]. If he drinks little by little, less than a revi’it [so that one need not recite “Bore Nefashot” afterward], and likewise if he drinks a hot drink [for which the custom is not to recite Bore Nefashot afterward]. 1 the widespread custom2  is not to recite a blessing before each and every drink, but rather to recite a blessing at the beginning of the night; it is effective for him as long as he remains in the same place and intends to drink more [but whenever he leaves the building he must recite a blessing again, according to the law of change of place; and likewise, when he no longer intends to drink more, he must recite a blessing again because of hesech hada’at, diversion of attention].

Elokai Neshama

tet-vav One who did not sleep the entire night: according to Ashkenazic custom, he does not recite the blessing of “Elokai Neshama,” the blessing of “Hamaavir Sheina,”3  or the blessings of the Torah,4  but the Sephardic custom is to recite all the blessings [except for the blessing of Al Netilat Yadayim,5  as will be explained shortly].

Al Netilat Yadayim

tet-zayin Regarding the blessing of Al Netilat Yadayim: if he goes to the restroom before prayer, according to Ashkenazic custom one recites Al Netilat Yadayim and Asher Yatzar6  whereas Sephardim do not recite any blessing at all.7 

A Sephardi discharging the obligation of an Ashkenazi

yod-zayin According to the above, there is a way to fulfill the obligation of all the blessings even when there is no one present who slept at night: a Sephardi who follows the custom to recite the blessings should discharge the Ashkenazim’s obligation in all the above blessings,8  and afterward an Ashkenazi should discharge the Sephardim’s obligation in the blessing of Al Netilat Yadayim.

Studying after dawn before the blessings of the Torah

yod-chet One must discuss whether immediately at dawn one must fulfill the obligation of the blessings of the Torah, and without doing so it is forbidden to study. It appears that one may continue studying until there is someone who can discharge his obligation, or until he prays and fulfills his obligation through Ahava Rabbah, since there is no prohibition to study before the blessing of the Torah; rather, there is an obligation to recite a blessing before study. Since at present he cannot recite the blessing, he may study. Sephardim, whose custom is to recite the blessings themselves, should recite them at the time of dawn [the second dawn].

Washing hands at dawn

yod-tet The time for washing hands is immediately at dawn. One must rise from his place immediately when this time arrives, though many are lenient about this.9  The time of dawn for this matter is 72 minutes before sunrise, not 90 minutes.

The blessings of “Hamaavir Sheina” and “Elokai Neshama” after sleeping by day when he did not bless in the morning

kaf One who was awake at night and was not discharged of his obligation in the blessing of Hamaavir Sheina, and afterward slept during the day: one may discuss that in such a case he can recite the morning blessings even according to the opinions that specifically require nighttime sleep, since now that he did not sleep at night, his primary sleep is daytime sleep, and it has the significance of a fixed sleep. Consequently, when he awakens he may be able to recite the blessings of “Elokai Neshama” and “Hamaavir Sheina.” However, the view of the Chazon Ish is that in any case daytime sleep has the status of temporary sleep, and one should not recite blessings after it; in practice this requires further examination.10 

Morning blessings

kaf-alef The rest of the morning blessings he may recite as usual.

Eating a kezayit of mezonot after the morning kiddush

kaf-bet  Those who remain awake on the night of Shavuot and make kiddush after the prayer service, in order to fulfill the law of kiddush in the place of a meal, must be careful to eat a kezayit of the mezonot item itself, and not only of its filling or other additions. Therefore, on the festival of Shavuot, when it is common to eat cheese cakes, one must be careful that the kezayit be from the dough and not from the addition.11 

A blessing on other beverages after the Hagafen blessing at kiddush

kaf-gimel The law of the blessing on other beverages, for one who heard the Hagafen blessing at kiddush or made kiddush himself, differs between kiddush over wine and kiddush over grape juice, as will be explained.
When the kiddush is over wine: there are three distinctions in the law:
[Alef]. The one making kiddush who drank a revi’it: he need not recite a blessing on the other beverages he drinks afterward, because the Hagafen blessing on the wine at kiddush exempts the other beverages, since he also drank a revi’it.12
[Bet]. The listeners who fulfilled their obligation in kiddush and drank a little, but did not drink a revi’it: in the Biur Halacha13  the matter is left in doubt, whether drinking less than a revi’it of wine also exempts the other beverages. Therefore, lechatchila, it is proper to exempt the beverage with a Shehakol blessing over a food whose blessing is Shehakol, or to fulfill one’s obligation through another person who did not taste the wine at all. If there is no one to discharge his obligation and he also has no food whose blessing is Shehakol with which to exempt the other beverages, he may drink without a blessing.
[Gimel]. The listeners who did not drink at all: they are obligated to recite a blessing on the beverages they drink afterward, since, as they did not drink from the wine at all, the Hagafen blessing they heard at kiddush does not exempt the other beverages.14
Accordingly, one should consider the case where he knows that there is no one to discharge his obligation and he has nothing with which to exempt the beverages he wants to drink afterward: since it is the preferred fulfillment of the mitzvah to taste from the cup15  should he taste despite entering into a case of doubt regarding blessings, where we rule leniently, or is it preferable not to taste at all so as not to enter into such a doubt regarding blessings.
When the kiddush is over grape juice:
The law is the same whether one drank a revi’it or only drank a little: even the one making kiddush who drank a revi’it should preferably exempt the beverages through a food item, or find another person to discharge his obligation, because there is a halachic doubt whether grape juice is considered like wine with regard to the law that wine exempts beverages. [And when one mixes a quarter-cup of wine into the grape juice, he may rely on this being considered diluted wine, and anyone who drank a revi’it has exempted the beverages].
If he has no one to discharge his obligation and also has no food with which to exempt them, they may drink other beverages without a blessing, whether they drank a revi’it or only drank a little, since in cases of doubt regarding blessings we rule leniently.
However, one who did not drink any of the grape juice at all clearly must recite a blessing on other beverages, as explained above.

Lechem mishneh with mezonot

kaf-dalet The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch16 writes that when making kiddush over mezonot, one should take lechem mishneh, meaning that he should take two whole cakes and recite the mezonot blessing over them after kiddush, just as he does with bread. However, the halacha is not so.

Forgetting “Yaaleh Veyavo” at the festival meal

kaf-he If one forgot Yaaleh Veyavo at the Shavuot festival meal, Sephardim do not go back,17  and women likewise do not go back. Regarding Ashkenazic men, one must distinguish between two cases:
[Alef]. If in the morning after the prayer service he made kiddush and ate mezonot, one must discuss whether he goes back to recite the blessing. For the whole reason to go back and recite the blessing is because of the obligation to eat a Yom Tov meal, and the obligation of the meal requires the mention. If so, since he has already eaten mezonot, it is possible that he has already fulfilled the obligation of the day’s meal with the mezonot meal, and it emerges that the Hamotzi meal is not obligatory; he is not obligated to go back if he forgot to mention Yaaleh Veyavo in it. In practice, see the note.18
[Bet]. If he did not make kiddush in the morning: he must go back and recite the blessing.