The Gemorrah concludes that one may follow either R' Yehuda or The Rabana with regard to times for Minchah, but not daven Minchah after Plag (using the Rabanan's time) and then daven Maariv before Shkiah (using R' Yehuda's framework) as this would be tarti d'sasri.
Question: With regard to calculating Plag according to R' Yehuda, we take the mid-point between minchah k'tanah and erev (10:45 sha'os zmanios). This would seem to mean that R' Yehuda is using Minchah K'tana as his start time for minchah. Does this mean that one would have the same tarti d'sasri problem if he davened between minchah g'dolah and minchah' k'tanah.
Stated differently, should one who davens minchah g'dolah not daven maariv with a plag minyan on erev shobbas?
Thank you.
Moshe Rubin, Brooklyn, New York
Dear Moshe,
I don't think that calculating Plag haMinchah based on Minchah Ketanah indicates that Minchah Ketanah (until Plag) is the exclusive time of Tefilas Minchah according to R'Yehudah. I'm not even sure that the concept of Plag haMinchah and its attendant calculation are unique to R'Yehudah. We find, for instance, that one can light Shabbos candles early Friday afternoon but not before Plag (because then it is not clear that the Hadlakah was l'Tzorech Shabbos) (OC 263:4). This Halachah might be true even according to the Chachamim. In other words, even according to the Chachamim there is something special about Plag; that it is somehow related to the following day (just not to the extent that R'Yehudah says it is - that you can even daven Ma'ariv then).
The Rambam says that the l'Chatchilah time for davening Minchah is Minchah Ketanah because that is the normal time for bringing the Korban Tamid Shel Bein haArbaim (Hilchos Tefilah 3:2). Perhaps for this same reason Plag haMinchah is calculated based on Minchah Ketanah, and not on Minchah Gedolah. The only difficulty is that the the Rosh and other Rishonim argue with the Rambam and hold that Minchah Gedolah is also a l'Chatchilah time to daven. Nonetheless, they agree that the Korban Tamid was always brought during Minchah Ketanah except on Erev Pesach, so even according to them there is something special about Minchah Ketanah and thus the basis of Plag haMincha.
Kol Tuv,
Yonasan Sigler
This is not a Psak Halachah