(1) Thank you again for a wonderful reply and please convey my thanks to Rav Moshe
Shapiro as well.
I did have a suspicion that dogs get credit only for their silence towards the
Jews of Mistchayim - a one time event, , but not for their giving us each night
the mid-night signal for the end of Kryas Shema according to Chachomim .
Because, if the dogs would get that much credit then, maybe the Torah would
have offered them more than bosar neveila as a reward. Your reply confirmed
that indeed we cannot determine the exact mid-night time from the dogs' barking
since they start and end barking before and after mid-night.
(2) And now another question, if you would allow me, on today's blat, Berachos Daf
35:
In Insight into Daily Daf you refer to Rav Chaim Solovechik to explain why the
RAMBAM in Hil. Tefilah 4:1 rules that during "any" of the blessings of Shemoneh
Esreh one must have Kavanah which seems to contradict our Gemara and Rambam
10:1 The second reason given is because "Mitzvos Tzerichos Kavanah".
Question:
"Miztvos Tzerichos Kavanah" only applies to Mitzvos De-Oryasa, and since Min
Hatora a single Bracha/bakosha is sufficient to fulfill the miztva of Teffilah
( according to RAMBAM who holds that Tefilah is Min HaTora) then, if one had
Kavana in any of the middle brachos ( meaning, those of Bakoshos) he would have
fulfilled his obligation. Why must he have that Kavana for all the brachos ?
Gut Shabos and again a big Yasher Koach for the dafyomi be-iyun on electronic
mail.
1) When the Gemara discusses the Machlokes whether "Mitzvos Tzerichos Kavanah" (see Rosh Hashanah 28-29), it does not come to a definite conclusion, and thus there are different opinions in the Rishonim how to rule l'Halachah. As a result of the doubt, we go l'Chumra for Mitzvos that are d'Oraisa, and l'Kula for Mitzvos that are d'Rabanan (in following the general rule of "Safek d'Oraisa l'Chumra" and "Safek d'Rabanan l'Kula"). Since blessings (except for Birkas ha'Mazon) and Shemoneh Esreh are d'Rabanan, it follows that we rule that those Mitzvos do not require Kavanah (b'Di'eved, of course). This is the way the Magen Avraham in OC 60 explains.
However, there are other opinions in the Achronim (see Vilna Ga'on OC 489, as well as the Mishnah Berurah OC 60:10 who educes this from the words of the Shulchan Aruch in several places) that do not differentiate between the different types of Mitzvos and rule that all Mitzvos, blessings and Shemoneh Esreh included, require Kavanah, even b'Di'eved (that is, one must recite the blessing over again if he did not have Kavanah).
Furthermore, the opinion of the Rambam could be that Mitzvos Tzerichos Kavanah (without any doubt), and therefore even Mitzvos d'Rabanan must have Kavanah. This indeed is the way Rav Chaim learns, as is clear from his words. (The Lechem Mishnah, too, in Hilchos Shofar 2:4 concludes that the Rambam holds that Mitzvos Tzerichos Kavanah, although it is not so clear, as the Tur himself in OC 475 writes that he is in doubt as to what the Rambam holds.)