Question:
Hi,
Thanks so much for all your help –
I have a question regarding drinking coffee before Tefilla.
I am currently at home during the day with my 6 month old, and don’t have time to daven until a few hours after waking up when the baby takes a nap (still well within the time for Shacharit, though I do often say Brachot and Shma as soon as I put him down for his nap as it is often too close to the end of Zman Kriyat Shma)
Is it permitted to drink Coffee in the morning before saying Brachot and Shema, or must I recite Birkot Hashachar before I can have coffee?
When waiting until I have time to properly say Brachot, I am usually too tired to properly daven without coffee by the time I put the baby down for his nap, and end up saying Brachot and Shma, then having coffee, and then davening, but find that I am losing time to daven because I am drinking coffee, and must get it all done before the baby wakes up. If I could drink coffee while feeding the baby, I would save myself more time to daven, but of course only want to do what is permissible.
Thanks so much
Answer:
Before you drink your coffee you will want to say asher yotzar and al netilas yodayim, after using the bathroom and washing your hands, it would be better if you can also say just birkas hatorah, (from asher kidishanu until after what is said after the brachos) and then have your coffee. ( if that is also too hard then just say something that is a tefilla to H-shem such as the posuk ( Shema H-shem v’choneini…). This should take you less than one minute. The rest of the brachos you can say when you daven later. If this is also too hard for you, you can have your coffee even beforehand.
Sources:
Shulchan Aruch O:CH 89-3, M:B 89-23, Maharsham siman 89, Aruch Hashulchan 89-23, Yabia Omer 4-11, Halichos Shlomo Tefilla 2-2.
