Berakhot 4

תְּפִלַּת הַשַּׁחַר, עַד חֲצוֹת. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, עַד אַרְבַּע שָׁעוֹת. תְּפִלַּת הַמִּנְחָה עַד הָעֶרֶב. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, עַד פְּלַג הַמִּנְחָה. תְּפִלַּת הָעֶרֶב אֵין לָהּ קֶבַע. וְשֶׁל מוּסָפִין כָּל הַיּוֹם. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, עַד שֶׁבַע שָׁעוֹת:

The morning prayer may be recited until midday. R. Yehudah says: Until the fourth hour. [For, according to the Rabbis, the daily burnt-offering may be sacrificed until midday; and, according to R. Yehudah, until the fourth hour of the day. "Until the fourth hour" is until the end of the fourth hour, a third of the day when the day is twelve hours long. And its time is always until the end of a third of the day according to the relative length or shortness of the day, as stated above in respect to the Shema. And the halachah is according to R. Yehudah.] The afternoon prayer may be recited until the evening [i.e., until it gets dark.] R. Yehudah says: Until midway through the day (plag haminchah). [The time of minchah ketanah ("the small minchah") is from nine and a half hours until nightfall — two and a half hours — so that plag haminchah, which is half of that, is an hour and a quarter (before nightfall). The ruling in this regard is that one may follow either practice. If he wishes to follow the sages and to recite the afternoon prayer until the evening, he may do so, so long as he does not recite the evening prayer at that time. For since he considers it day as far as the minchah prayer is concerned, he cannot consider it evening for purposes of the evening prayer. And if he wishes to follow R. Yehudah, to recite the afternoon prayer only until the plag haminchah, an hour and a quarter before nightfall, he may do so; and from that time on, he may recite the evening prayer.] The evening prayer has no fixed time. [Its time is the entire night. It is taught: "it has no fixed time," rather than: "its time is the entire night," for the evening prayer is optional, corresponding, as it does, to the time of the consumption of the limbs and fat-pieces — the entire night. And the latter is optional; for once the blood has been sprinkled, the offering is accepted, even if the limbs and fat-pieces become unclean or are lost. Today, however, it (the evening prayer) has been accepted as binding.] And the mussaf ("additional") prayer may be recited the entire day. [If he delayed reciting it until after the seventh hour he fulfills the obligation, but he is called "an offender." And this is the halachah.] R. Yehudah says: Until the seventh hour.

רַבִּי נְחוּנְיָא בֶּן הַקָּנֶה הָיָה מִתְפַּלֵּל בִּכְנִיסָתוֹ לְבֵית הַמִּדְרָשׁ וּבִיצִיאָתוֹ תְּפִלָּה קְצָרָה. אָמְרוּ לוֹ, מַה מָּקוֹם לִתְפִלָּה זוֹ. אָמַר לָהֶם, בִּכְנִיסָתִי אֲנִי מִתְפַּלֵּל שֶׁלֹּא תֶאֱרַע תַּקָלָה עַל יָדִי, וּבִיצִיאָתִי אֲנִי נוֹתֵן הוֹדָיָה עַל חֶלְקִי:

R. Nechuniah b. Hakannah would recite a short prayer upon entering the house of study and upon leaving it. When asked: "What is the place [i.e., the nature] of this prayer?" he replied: "Upon entering I pray that no mischance occur because of me" [that I not create a stumbling-block, as explained in the baraitha: "that I not err in a halachah and my friends rejoice (in my discomfiture)" — whereby I become the cause of evil, my friends being punished because of me]; "and upon leaving, I give thanks for my portion." [I thank Him for the good that He bestowed upon me in placing my portion among those who sit in the house of study. These two prayers, upon entering the house of study and upon leaving it, are binding upon all men. For thus is it stated in the baraitha: "Upon entering what does he say?" and "Upon leaving what does he say?", the implication being that he must say them.]

רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר, בְּכָל יוֹם מִתְפַּלֵּל אָדָם שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה. רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אוֹמֵר, מֵעֵין שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה. רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר, אִם שְׁגוּרָה תְפִלָּתוֹ בְּפִיו, יִתְפַּלֵּל שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה. וְאִם לָאו, מֵעֵין שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה:

R. Gamliel says: One recites eighteen blessings (shemoneh esreh) every day. R. Yehoshua says: What is akin to eighteen blessings. [In the gemara, some explain that he recites each of the middle blessings in short and concludes with the blessing for each one; and others, that he says: "Cause us, O L-rd our G-d, to know Your ways" (havineinu), which is one blessing epitomizing all of the middle blessings of the shemoneh esreh, and he concludes: "Blessed are you, O L-rd, who listens to prayer."] R. Akiva says: If it (the shemoneh esreh) is "habitual" in his mouth, [if he is "taught" and fluent in it], he recites shemoneh esreh; if not, he recites what is akin to it. [And the halachah is according to R. Akiva, that if one is not fluent in it, or is hard-pressed, he recites the first three blessings and the last, and "Havineinu," in the middle, Havineinu epitomizing all of the middle blessings (with the exception of the rainy season, when he does not recite Havineinu, it being necessary for him to recite the request for rain in the blessing of the years; and with the exception of the conclusion of Sabbaths and festivals, when he must recite havdalah in chonen hada'ath.]

רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, הָעוֹשֶׂה תְפִלָּתוֹ קֶבַע, אֵין תְּפִלָּתוֹ תַּחֲנוּנִים. רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אוֹמֵר, הַמְהַלֵּךְ בִּמְקוֹם סַכָּנָה, מִתְפַּלֵּל תְּפִלָּה קְצָרָה. אוֹמֵר, הוֹשַׁע הַשֵּׁם אֶת עַמְּךָ אֶת שְׁאֵרִית יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּכָל פָּרָשַׁת הָעִבּוּר יִהְיוּ צָרְכֵיהֶם לְפָנֶיךָ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' שׁוֹמֵעַ תְּפִלָּה:

R. Eliezer says: If one makes his prayer k'va [so that his prayer feels burdensome to him. "k'va" — "It is chok kavua ("a fixed statute") for me to pray, and I must 'deliver myself' of it."], it is not accounted supplication. R. Yehoshua says: One who walks in a place of danger recites a short prayer. [And what is the short prayer?] He says: "Help, O L-rd, Your people, the remnant of Israel; bechal parashath haibur ["even when they go astray (porshim) into transgression"], let their needs be before You. Blessed are You, O L-rd, who listens to prayer." [Let their needs be revealed before You to have mercy upon them. "parashath" — as in "perishah" (separation). "haibur" — of aveirah (transgression). And the halachah is not in accordance with R. Yehoshua, but the prayer one recites in a place of danger is: "The needs of Your people are many, etc." One recites it while walking, and he recites neither the first three nor the last three blessings (of the shemoneh esreh). And when he leaves the place of danger and his mind is at rest, he must recite the tefillah as usual if its time has not passed.]

הָיָה רוֹכֵב עַל הַחֲמוֹר, יֵרֵד. וְאִם אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לֵירֵד, יַחֲזִיר אֶת פָּנָיו, וְאִם אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לְהַחֲזִיר אֶת פָּנָיו, יְכַוֵּן אֶת לִבּוֹ כְּנֶגֶד בֵּית קֹדֶשׁ הַקָּדָשִׁים:

If he were riding on an ass, he dismounts (to pray). [The halachah is not in accordance with this anonymous Mishnah; but whether or not he had someone to hold his ass, he does not dismount, for his mind is not settled (enough for prayer) if he must dismount.] And if he cannot dismount, he turns his face [towards Jerusalem, it being written (I Kings 8:48): "And they shall pray to You towards their land."] And if he cannot turn his face, he directs his thoughts to the holy of holies [it being written (Chronicles 6:26): "And they will pray to this place."]

הָיָה יוֹשֵׁב בִּסְפִינָה אוֹ בְקָרוֹן אוֹ בְאַסְדָּה, יְכַוֵּן אֶת לִבּוֹ כְּנֶגֶד בֵּית קֹדֶש הַקָּדָשִׁים:

If he were sitting in a boat, in a wagon, or on an asda [many pieces of wood tied and fastened together, used for sailing on a river. (In Scripture, (II Chronicles 2:15) these are called "rafsodoth")], he directs his thoughts to the holy of holies.

רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן עֲזַרְיָה אוֹמֵר, אֵין תְּפִלַּת הַמּוּסָפִין אֶלָּא בְּחֶבֶר עִיר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, בְּחֶבֶר עִיר וְשֶׁלֹּא בְחֶבֶר עִיר. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר מִשְּׁמוֹ, כָּל מָקוֹם שֶׁיֵּשׁ חֶבֶר עִיר, הַיָּחִיד פָּטוּר מִתְּפִלַּת הַמּוּסָפִין:

R. Elazar b. Azaryah says: The mussaf ("additional") prayer is recited only bechever ir [bechavurath ha'ir ("with a company of the city"); that is, with a congregation, and not individually.] And the sages say: Bechever ir and not bechever ir [both with a congregation and individually.] R. Yehudah says in his [R. Elazar's] name: Wherever there is a congregation, an individual is exempt from the recitation of the mussaf prayer. [The difference between the first tanna and R. Yehudah — an individual living in a city where there are not ten men. According to the first tanna citing R. Elazar to the effect that it was instituted only with a congregation, this individual is exempt. According to R. Yehudah, an individual is exempt only when he is in a place where there are ten men, in which instance the prayer leader exempts him. The halachah is according to the sages.]