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

Drinking Little by Little
14. Regarding the law of the first and final blessings for one whose manner is to drink little by little over extended periods of time, one must distinguish between two cases:
[A]. 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 practically it appears to be close to an hour], so that he does not lose the obligation of the final blessing for the first drinking, he does not need to recite a final blessing after the first drinking, and he may drink again without a blessing beforehand.
[B]. If he drinks little by little, less than a revi’it [in which case one need not recite “Borei Nefashot” afterward], and likewise if he drinks a hot beverage [for which the custom is not to recite Borei Nefashot afterward],[1] the common custom [2] is not to recite a blessing before each and every drink, but rather to recite a blessing at the beginning of the night, and 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 a 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].

-- The Morning Blessings for One Who Remained Awake at Night --

Elokai Neshamah
15. One who did not sleep all night: according to the Ashkenazic custom, he does not recite the blessing “Elokai Neshamah,” the blessing “HaMa’avir Sheinah,” [3] or the blessings of the Torah, [4] whereas the Sephardic custom is to recite all the blessings [except for the blessing “al netilat yadayim,” [5] as will be explained shortly].

Al Netilat Yadayim
16. Regarding the blessing “al netilat yadayim”: if he goes to the restroom before prayer, according to Ashkenazic custom one recites “al netilat yadayim” and “Asher Yatzar,” [6] while Sephardim do not recite any blessing at all.[7]

A Sephardi Discharging an Ashkenazi’s Obligation
17. According to the above, there is a possibility of fulfilling all the blessings even when there is no one present who slept at night: a Sephardi who follows the custom to recite them can discharge the Ashkenazim’s obligation in all the above blessings, [8] and afterward an Ashkenazi can discharge the Sephardim’s obligation in the blessing “al netilat yadayim.”

Studying After Dawn Before the Blessings of the Torah
18. One must consider whether immediately at dawn one must fulfill the obligation of the blessings of the Torah, and without this 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 “Ahavah Rabbah,” since there is no prohibition to study before the blessings 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, who follow the custom to recite the blessings themselves, should recite them at the time of dawn [the second dawn].

Washing Hands at Dawn
19. 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 ninety minutes.

The Blessings HaMa’avir Sheinah and Elokai Neshamah After Sleeping During the Day When One Did Not Recite Them in the Morning
20. One who was awake at night and was not discharged by another in the blessing “HaMa’avir Sheinah,” and afterward slept during the day: it may be argued that in this case he could 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 the daytime sleep, and it has the significance of a fixed sleep; consequently, when he awakens he could recite the blessings “Elokai Neshamah” and “HaMa’avir Sheinah.” However, the view of the Chazon Ish is that in any event daytime sleep has the status of temporary sleep, and one should not recite the blessings after it; practically, this requires further consideration. [10]

The Morning Blessings
21. The rest of the morning blessings may be recited as usual.

Eating a Kezayit of Mezonot After the Morning Kiddush
22. 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 from the mezonot themselves, and not only from their filling or other additions. Therefore, on the festival of Shavuot, when it is customary to eat cheesecakes, one must ensure that the kezayit is from the dough and not from the added filling. [11]

A Blessing on Other Beverages After the Blessing HaGafen in Kiddush
23. The law of the blessing on other beverages for one who heard the blessing “HaGafen” in Kiddush or recited 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:
[A]. The one reciting Kiddush who drank a revi’it: he does not need to recite a blessing on other beverages that he drinks afterward, for the blessing HaGafen over the wine of Kiddush exempts the other beverages, since he also drank a revi’it. [12]
[B]. Those listening who fulfilled their obligation of Kiddush and drank a little, but did not drink a revi’it: in Biur Halachah [13] the matter is left in doubt, whether even drinking less than a revi’it of wine exempts other beverages. Therefore, ideally it is proper to exempt the beverage with the blessing “Shehakol” over a food whose blessing is Shehakol, or to fulfill the 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.
[C]. Those listening 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 any of the wine at all, the blessing HaGafen that they heard in Kiddush does not exempt the other beverages. [14]
Accordingly, one must consider the case where a person knows that there is no one to discharge his obligation and he has nothing with which to exempt the beverages he wishes to drink afterward: since it is the preferred manner of fulfilling the mitzvah to taste from the cup [15], should he taste despite thereby entering into a case of doubt regarding blessings, where we rule leniently, or is it preferable that he not 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 for one who drank a revi’it and for one who drank only a little: even the person reciting Kiddush who drank a revi’it should ideally exempt the beverages through a food item, or find someone else to discharge his obligation, since there is a halachic doubt whether grape juice is considered like wine regarding the rule that wine exempts beverages. [And when he mixes a quarter cup of wine into the grape juice, he may rely on this being considered diluted wine, and if he drank a revi’it he 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 he drank a revi’it or only 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
24. In Kitzur Shulchan Aruch [16] it is written that when one makes Kiddush over mezonot, one should take lechem mishneh, meaning that he should take two whole cakes and recite the blessing Mezonot over them after Kiddush, as one does with bread. However, the halachah is not so.

Forgetting Ya’aleh VeYavo at the Festival Meal
25. If one forgot Ya’aleh VeYavo at the Shavuot festival meal, Sephardim do not go back, [17] and women likewise do not go back. Regarding Ashkenazi men, one must distinguish between two cases:
[A]. If in the morning after the prayer service he made Kiddush and ate mezonot, one must consider whether he goes back and recites the blessing again. For the entire reason to go back and recite the blessing again is due to the obligation to eat a Yom Tov meal, since the obligation of the meal requires the mention of the day. If so, since he already ate mezonot, perhaps he has already fulfilled the obligation of the day’s meal through the mezonot meal, and it turns out that the meal with HaMotzi is not obligatory, and he is not obligated to go back if he forgot to mention Ya’aleh VeYavo in it. In practice, see the note. [18]
[B]. If he did not make Kiddush in the morning: he must go back and recite the blessing again.

[1] The Magen Avraham and other Acharonim disagree regarding the law of a person who ate or drank and the time of digestion passed, while he intends to eat and drink more, whether he must recite a first blessing again. Practically, he does not recite the first blessing again.
[2] See Mishnah Berurah (siman 184, se’if katan 17).
[3] Mishnah Berurah (siman 46, se’if katan 24) in the name of Eliyah Rabbah.
[4] Mishnah Berurah (siman 47, se’if katan 28).
[5] Shulchan Aruch (siman 4, se’if 13).
[6] Mishnah Berurah (there, se’if katan 30).
[7] The plain meaning of the Shulchan Aruch there.
[8] See Mishnah Berurah (siman 46, se’if katan 24) in the name of Sha’arei Teshuvah, that he fulfills his obligation through another.
[9] See Shulchan Aruch (siman 4, se’if 4).
[10] See Biur Halachah (siman 52, se’if 1, s.v. “u-mikol makom”), who wrote this advice regarding one who prayed the Shemoneh Esreh before saying Elokai Neshamah.
[11] See Shulchan Aruch (siman 273, se’if 5).
[12] Shulchan Aruch (siman 174, se’if 2).
[13] There (s.v. “yayin”).
[14] Mishnah Berurah (there, se’if katan 3).
[15] As explained in Tosafot to Pesachim (106a, s.v. “hava gachin”) and in Shulchan Aruch (siman 271, se’if 14).
[16] Siman 77, se’if 17.
[17] See Shulchan Aruch (siman 188, se’if 6), which requires going back; however, in Ben Ish Chai (Parashat Chukat, paragraph 21) and in Kaf HaChaim (there, se’if katan 24) they wrote that the custom of Sephardim is not to go back, since in cases of doubt regarding blessings we rule leniently.
[18] In practice, in this case it is proper that he wash his hands again, eat a kebeitza of bread, and recite Birkat HaMazon with Ya’aleh VeYavo, thereby exempting also the first eating; in this way he removes himself from doubt. If he cannot eat more, due to the doubt he does not go back and recite the blessing, since there is a possibility that he fulfilled the obligation of the Yom Tov meal by eating the mezonot, and therefore due to doubt he does not go back and recite the blessing. But if the time of digestion has not yet passed since eating the mezonot, he goes back and recites Birkat HaMazon, for the entire possibility of exempting him from Birkat HaMazon is because of the doubt that perhaps he already fulfilled the Yom Tov meal by eating the mezonot; and even according to that possibility, he is obligated in Birkat HaMazon for the mezonot over which he has not yet recited Birkat HaMazon but only Al HaMichyah, and thus he is obligated in Birkat HaMazon according to all sides.