0533 - Saying Shema Without Tefilin to Eat Before Davening

00:01 In the Igres Kodesh of the Friedike Rebbe, tenth volume, page base, there's a letter from the Friedike Rebbe to Reb Nissan Nemanov. And there he writes concerning the question that some talmidim had whether they're allowed to eat something before davening. And the Friedike Rebbe writes that if they're careful to say Krish Makdana with tefillin before, then they're allowed to eat some mezonos before davening. Krish Makdana is if a person wants to be yotzer the mitzvah of Krishma before davening. For whatever reason, maybe sometimes he's gonna daven late, and by the time they get to Krishma in davening, it'll be after the zman Krishma, so you want to be yotzer the mitzvah of Krishma before. Or whatever other reason that you want to be yotzer the mitzvah of Krishma first. That's called Krish Makdana. So the Friedike Rebbe writes here that if you say Krish Makdana with tefillin, then you're able to eat afterwards something. Now, in the Oras they write that the Rebbe spoke about the singing, whether you have to say Krish Makdana with tefillin or not. In Shabbos Parsha Shelach Tov Shiniut Beis, the Rebbe mentioned that in his Reshimis he writes that the Friedike Rebbe told him that his father, the Rebbe Rashab, would say Krish Makdana with tefillin. But the Rebbe says nevertheless most people don't say Krish Makdana with tefillin. They don't wear tefillin when they say Krish Makdana. And the Rebbe asked the Shaila, "How could you do that?" The Gemara says, "If you say Krishma without tefillin,

01:24 you're basically testifying falsely because you're saying in Krishma that you have to put on tefillin, and you're not wearing tefillin. So it's like you're testifying falsely. So how could it be that people say Krish Makdana to be yotzer the mitzvah of Krishma without tefillin? And the Rebbe explains that this whole din that if you don't wear tefillin while you're saying Krishma is mei deisheke, it is only if you don't plan to put on tefillin later. But if while you're saying the Krishma you do plan, you know that you're gonna put on, put on tefillin later, then there is no problem with saying Krishma without tefillin. And the Rebbe brings a whole shakla v'tari, a whole discussion about it. The only thing is the Rebbe doesn't speak there about doing it before eating. Because in the Friedike Rebbe's letter, there it talks about eating before davening. So he says, in order to eat before davening, you have to say Krishma with tefillin. The Rebbe here just speaks about saying Krishma to be yotzer the mitzvah of Krishma, that you don't really have to wear tefillin when you do that. But he doesn't say anything if you want to eat or not. L'poel many people, even when they come to eat something, they don't say Krishma with tefillin, and the Friedike Rebbe writes in this letter that you should. Now, a few years ago was printed a letter of the Rebbe's father, Reb Levi Yitzchok, to the Rebbe. And there the Rebbe's father writes to him that,

02:45 "I heard that you fast a lot." And he said, "Where did you get this? And don't do this." He's telling him not to fast. Bechol, the Rebbe would fast a lot. He says not to fast. And he says, "Not only you shouldn't fast, but you should even eat before davening." And he says, "But with leining Krishma first." And then he adds, "If it's not hard also to put on tefillin." So from this letter we see two things, that it's better if you do say Krish Makdana with tefillin before you eat anything before davening. But on the other hand, it's not a must. Because he says if it's not hard, then you should also lei Krishma before eating with tefillin. His mashma that he holds that if you don't do it is mishe gefarlach. It's just only if it's easy, it's not hard, then you should also put on tefillin. From the Friedike Rebbe's letter, his mashma that you should be careful with saying Krishma Katana with tefillin before you eat. But he just says the word nisoden, you should be careful to do it. But the Rebbe's father makes it very clear that it's better if it's easy. But if it's not so easy, then it doesn't matter if you say Krish Makdana without tefillin and then you're able to eat.