Kriyat Shema Al HaMitah

From Halachipedia

Order of the Kriyat Shema Al HaMitah

  1. When saying Kriyat Shema Al HaMitah, preferably one should say all 3 paragraphs but at least one should say the 1st paragraph of the Shema and then say Birchat Hamapil (unless one feels that one will fall asleep saying Shema in which case say Birchat Hamapil earlier and then Shema.) [1]
  2. If one didn’t repeat Shema after Tzet HaCochavim one must say all three paragraphs and should have the proper intent to fulfill one’s obligation. [2]
  3. You also say the ברכה of המפיל, and you add pasukim and מזמורים after it. One should follow the order of the siddur of one’s minhag. Some say that you say this ברכה before שמע, some say you say it at the end of all the תפילה. Some say that you should say it right after שמע. The Sephardic minhag is to say the Bracha before Shema. [3]
  4. If you are sick you don’t need to say the whole order of קריאת שמע שעל המאה, it's enough just to say the first פרשה of שמע and then say the ברכה of המפיל. [4]
  5. You only need to say קריאת שמע על המטה and the ברכה of המפיל once a night, so if you fall asleep and then wake up and you want to go back to bed you don’t need to say everything again.

The Bracha

  1. Sephardim shouldn’t say the Bracha of HaMapil with Shem UMalchut unless one goes to sleep before Chatzot (midnight by halachic hours). [5]

When the Bracha should be said

  1. The Birchat HaMapil should be made when one is going to sleep (one doesn’t need to wait until sleep over takes oneself) [6]

Not speaking after Kriyat Shema Al HaMitah

  1. Once you have said קריאת שמע על המטה you shouldn’t speak, eat, or drink. Before one said the Bracha of HaMapil, if one needs to eat, drink, or say something really important there is a possibility to be lenient, and one should repeat Shema. However, if one already said the Bracha of HaMapil one shouldn’t make any interruption unless there’s a serious need. [7]
  2. Someone who wants to say the Bracha before leaving the Bet Midrash and not to say it in the room not to be bothered one may do so (but afterwards one shouldn’t make any interruptions besides going to the room and going to sleep). [8]

If one didn't fall asleep

  1. Even if one didn’t end up falling asleep the Bracha was considered in vain because the Bracha was said about people in the world going to sleep but was established for when one tried going to sleep. [9]

Position it should be said

  1. It's good to read the שמע on your bed sitting or standing, if you already laid down you don’t need to get up rather say it on your side, but it is אסור to say it while lying on your back or on your belly, בדיעבד any way is יוצא. [10]

Other practices prior to sleep

  1. It's good for a person that before he goes to bed he should look at all the things he did that day and if he finds that he did עבירות he be מקבל on himself that he won’t do those again, and also it's good to be מוחל anyone who might have sinned against you. [11]
  2. One should sleep on one’s side and not faced up or down. [12]

Sleeping alone

  1. It’s forbidden to sleep at night in a room by oneself. However, if there’s others in the house and not the room, one should leave the room door ajar at night (unless a man is sleeping alone in a room and the only other person in the house is a women in which case it’s forbidden to leave the door open because of Yichud.) [13] Some hold that it's enough to have the door closed and unlocked. [14]

References

  1. Mishna Brurah 239:1-2
  2. Mishna Brurah 239:1
  3. Mishna Brurah 239:2 writes that the people who say that you should say it before and everything else after don’t have to worry about it being a הפסק because it's all a שמירה and that isn't a הפסק. And the one who says that you say it after שמע goes like the S”A in סעיף א and then you say ישב and it isn't a הפסק because it is a שמירה. Yalkut Yosef (Brachot pg 667) writes that the Sephardic minhag is to say the Bracha before Shema.
  4. Mishna Brurah 239:9
  5. Yalkut Yosef (Brachot pg 664)
  6. Mishna Brurah 239:3
  7. Piskei Teshuvot 239:3. Mishna Brurah 239:4 says that it is מותר to speak if it is important, but once you said המפיל it is a הפסק between the ברכה and the sleeping. The רמ"א says that you shouldn’t speak rather one should go to bed right after Kriyat Shema Al HaMitah. So holds the Yalkut Yosef (Brachot pg 664).
  8. Halichot Shlomo (Tefilla pg 170)
  9. Piskei Teshuvot 239:3
  10. Mishna Brurah 239:6 writes that there are those that are more חמור and make you stand but we are מיקל.
  11. Mishna Brurah 239:9
  12. Mishna Brurah 239:6
  13. Mishna Brurah 239:9 writes that one shouldn’t sleep alone at night alone and this includes even sleeping in a room alone. However, Shaar HaTzion 239:17 writes that one may leave the door ajar if there are others in the house. Yalkut Yosef (Brachot pg 669, Sherit Yosef vol 3 pg 369) also holds that it’s forbidden but writes that if there’s no other option one should leave a light on in the room.
  14. Piskei Teshuvot 239:6, BeYitzchak Yikra of Rav Nevinsal 239:6