On daf 2b in Berachos when the Gemara discusses the various opinions as to when the earliest time is to recite the Shma, one of the opinions is "when the poor person comes to eat his bread and salt." Rashi explains that since the man is poor he cant afford candles. The end result of the Gemara is that this time is after the Kohen is allowed to eat his trumah i.e. after the stars come out. My question is: If the poor man cant afford candles why is he starting his meal when its dark?
Ariel Kopitnikoff, Elizabeth NJ
Even more than others, the poor man makes it his business to use every waking moment to work for his bread. He cannot stop to eat until it gets too dark to work. Nevertheless, he does try to eat earlier than others, when there is still some light outside (i.e. immediately after Tzeis ha'Kochachavim) because he cannot afford candles.
(This explanation is in keeping with our notes in the Girsa section of the Background to the Daf [copied below], and not with the Girsa of the Maharsha referred to in the above-mentioned notes, who maintains that a poor man eats later than others. See also our Charts to Daf 2b [copied below].)
M. Kornfeld
[4] Rashi 2b DH Nichnasin and DH v'Hai Minaihu Me'uchar:
"l'Chulam ... l'Chulam"
The words of Rashi, that the time of "Bnei Adam Ochlim" is the latest of all, and that the time of "Ani Ochel" is the latest of all, are contradictory (as all the Acharonim point out). To solve this problem, the Maharsha erases the word "l'Chulam" from the first Dibur, since he is of the opinion that the time of "Ani Ochel" is later the time of "Bnei Adam Ochlim", even during the week.
The Acharonim (Nachalas David, see also Yefei Einayim; [from the marginal note printed in the Gemara, it would seem that the Maharshal also argues with the Maharsha; however, I have not found this in our editions of the Maharshal]) prove from the words of the Gemara that this cannot be true. It is also apparent from the Tosfos ha'Rosh (DH Rav Achai) that he had the Girsa "l'Chulam" in the first Rashi, and it is likewise evident from Rashi 3a DH Kashya d'Rebbi Meir and 2b DH mishehe'Ani, that the time of "Bnei Adam Ochlim" is later than the time of "Ani Ochel" and the time of "Kohanim Nichnasim."
Berachos Chart #1
Daf 2b
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FROM WHAT TIME MAY ONE READ SHEMA AT NIGHT?
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(A) (B)
TANA'IM TIMES, FROM EARLIEST TO LATEST
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1) REBBI MEIR OF THE When people eat their meal Friday night
FIRST BERAISA (according to RI)(1)
AND REBBI ACHA OF
THE LAST
(according to RI)
2) REBBI ELIEZER OF THE When Shabbos begins(2)
BERAISA
3) REBBI MEIR OF THE Slightly before three stars appear(3)
SECOND BERAISA ("when Kohanim immerse to eat Terumah")
4) MISHNAH 2a, AND When three stars appear
REBBI YEHOSHUA OF THE (and Kohanim may eat their Terumah)
BERAISA(4)
5) REBBI CHANINA OF THE When a poor man prepares(5) to eat his
BERAISA evening meal(6)
(and also REBBI MEIR (which is when people eat on Friday night,
of the first Beraisa, according to TOSFOS(7) and TOSFOS HA'ROSH)
according to TOSFOS DH
v'Iy(7) and TOSFOS
HA'ROSH DH Rebbi Achai)
6a)REBBI ACHA OF THE When people eat their meal Friday night(8)
BERAISA (according to
RASHI 2b DH Nichnasim
in his second approach)
6b)REBBI ACHA OF THE When people eat their weekday evening
BERAISA (according to meal(9)
RASHI's first approach
in DH Nichnasim, and
according to TOSFOS
DH v'Iy(7) and the
TOSFOS HA'ROSH)(10)
FOOTNOTES-
(1) Tosfos 2a, DH me'Eimasai, cites the Ri who asserts that this is the earliest of all the times. This is not the way Tosfos 2b, DH v'Iy and Tosfos 3a DH Kashy d'Rebbi Meir seem to understand. The Ri will have to explain that Rav Acha, in the Beraisa on 2b, is referring to the time that people eat on Erev Shabbos , and not during the week, because otherwise the question of Tosfos 3a DH Kasha d'Rebbi Meir will still remain. The question of Tosfos 2b, DH v'Iy may be answered according to the Ri following the approach of Rav Hai Ga'on, mentioned in Tosfos ha'Rosh ad loc. (See footnote (7) for an explanation of the answer of Tosfos DH v'Iy.)
(2) That is, at sunset, which is the beginning of Rebbi Yehudah's Bein ha'Shemashos and precedes Tzeis ha'Kochavim by a little more than the time it takes to walk half a Mil. (Rebbi Eliezer's sunset is not the blink of an eye before Tzeis ha'Kochavim, as Tosfos proves on Daf 3a, DH Kasha d'Rebbi Eliezer.)
(3) That is, a little before Rebbi Yosi's Bein ha'Shemashos. It is still considered daytime and the Kohanim immerse at that time in order to be able to eat Terumah after dark.(4) Although the Mishnah uses the word "Nichnasim" and Rebbi Yehoshua uses the word "Metoharim," Tosfos (3a, DH Kasha d'Rebbi Eliezer) appears to equate the two. (In Dikdukei Sofrim #50, the Girsa is "sheha'Kohanim Tehorim Nichnasim Le'echol...")
(5) That is, when he prepares his meal, and not when he eats it, because he may not eat before reciting the Shema, as the Gemara says later on Daf 3b (Tosfos DH mi'Sha'ah).
(6) This is later than Tzeis ha'Kochavim, as the Gemara (2b) explains. With regard to Rashi's statement, according to the Girsa of the Maharsha, that this time is the latest "of all of them," we have already cited (see the Girsa section of the Background pages) Acharonim who prove in a number of ways, that the proper Girsa is not that of the Maharsha. Rather, the phrase "of all of them" ought to appear only in the previous gloss of Rashi. Its reappearance in the next Rashi is incorrect and it should be deleted from there. This seems to have been the Girsa of the Tosfos ha'Rosh and Rishonim as well.
(7) The words of Tosfos DH v'Iy (Daf 2b) are not fully clear (see the Maharsha and the Achronim who give unlikely explanations for Tosfos). However, from the Tosfos ha'Rosh it is clear that his intention is to explain that if the time when a poor person comes in to eat his meal is after Tzeis ha'Kochavim, then that time and the time when all other people eat on Friday night are one and the same. Therefore, we will have solved the problem of having so many different opinions as to when one may begin to read the Shema. According to the explanation of Tosfos and the Rosh, it must be concluded that Rebbi Acha of the Beraisa is referring to the time when people come in to eat on a weeknight , and not on an Erev Shabbos.
(8) This is later than the time that a poor person eats, according to the Girsa we have favored in Rashi (not like the Girsa of the Maharsha, see footnote (6)).
(9) This must be later than the time that a poor person eats, because according to Tosfos and Tosfos ha'Rosh, the time that a poor person eats and the time that people eat on Friday night are one and the same. On weekday nights, it is clear that people eat later than they do on Friday night.
(10) According to the second explanation in Rashi earlier (2b, in the words of Rebbi Acha; see (6A) in chart), and also according to the Ri in Tosfos 2a (see (1A) in chart), this time is not mentioned in the Gemara or in the Beraisa at all. According to Tosfos and the Rosh, the time of people eating on Friday night is not a separate time of its own, but it is the time that the poor person eats. Thus, according to all of the Rishonim we have mentioned there are but six opinions in our Sugya as to when one may begin to read Shema in the evenings.