Working the night shift- Shachart, Negel Vasser, Birkat HaTorah, HaMapil

Question:

I am starting a job soon that will require me to be up all night. My shift will end just before the zman for Shacharit with tallit and tefillin. I plan to daven shacharit after finishing work and then go to sleep, waking up around noon. The question is:
1) Should I do negel vasser before Shacharit if I did not sleep at night? With or without a blessing?
2) Should I say the Birkhat HaTorah as part of Shacharit as we normally do?
3)Should I say Hamapil and the rest of the “Bedside Shema” if I will be sleeping exclusively during daylight hours?
4) Should I perform Negel Vasser upon waking at noon?
5) Should I say the Birkhat HaTorah upon waking at noon?

Finally, instead of davening Shacharit exactly on the zman before going to sleep, I could go to sleep right away and wake up an hour before halachic noon and rely on those who say Shacharit may be davenned b’diavad until then, in order to daven Shacharit after waking up rather than before going to bed. Please provide me with guidance on these matters!

Answer:

1. You should wash negel vasser because it is the end of the night and because it is before you daven shacharit. There are two reason why we wash our hands in the morning, the first reason is because we most probably touched a covered part of our body during the night. The second reason is because now we are going to daven, and the same way the kohanim in the Bais Hamikdash washed their hands before doing their avoda, we also wash our hands before doing our avoda. Another reason is because during the night we got a ruach ra, and in the morning we get back out neshoma after sleeping. Both the first and second reason are important, because we do not make the bracha “al netilas yodayim” unless we have both reasons. Therefore, since you didn’t go to sleep, you would wash your hands, but without saying “al netilas yodayim”. The poskim say that if the person used the bathroom and wiped himself, since now he surely had an obligation to wash his hands, so he will then have both reasons, and he will be able to say the bracha. Therefore after also hashachar, wash your hands, use the bathroom,,, then you can say asher yotzar and al netilas yodayim.
2. Regarding Birkas Hatorah you can say it as part of shacharis in the morning since you are sleeping during the day before staying up all night. Regarding Elokai Neshoma, and Hamavir Sheino if you didn’t sleep during the nighttime, it is controversial and according to numerous poskim you can’t say it, as you didn’t get your neshoma back, and the tiredness has not departed you. Therefore, try to get someone to be motzei you with the bracha.
3. Hamapil is bracha that we only say at night, therefore you wouldn’t say it.
4. Yes, you should wash your hands upon waking at noon, since you slept for more than half an hour.
5. You will only say birkas Hatorah once a day. Regarding Elokai Neshoma, some say that if you will wake up before chatzos that you can say it, others however argue on this. (If someone was motzei you with these two brachos in the morning, you surely don’t say it again later.)
6. Davening Shacharis after zman tefilah is extremely b’dieved, even if you said kriyas shema before going to sleep. The Mishna Berura says that saying birkas kriyas shema after zman tefilla will be a bracha levatala, and that one can rely on the opinions that says that it is still possible to daven then only if the person was an “ones” and had no choice. You do have the choice. Besides, if the time of davening already came then you should daven right away and not push it off. Additionally, you may very likely oversleep until after noon, especially in the winter when the days are short and chatzos is before around 11:30.

Hatzlocho Rabba on your new Job

Sources:

1. Shulchan Aruch O:CH 4-13, M:B 28, 30,Ishei Yisroel 2 ftnt. 99, discusses if it is sufficient to touch a covered part of the body in order to be able to say al netilas yodayim. He brings the opinion of R’ S. Z. Auerbach zt”l that it isn’t sufficient.
2. M:B 47-28 quoting R’ Akiva Eiger, that since you slept during the previous day, you can say birkas hatorah.
3. Chayei Adam 35-4, M:B 239-8.
4. Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 2-8 and other poskim that the minhag is to wash when sleeping for more than half an hour. See Biur Halcha 4 D:H Dovid, that there are three opinions, the longest being three hours, and you are sleeping more than that.
5. Birkas Hatorah should be said in the morning, and is said only once a day. Regarding Elokai Neshoma see Machazeh Eliyahu vol. 1 1-7 thru 11, and Even Yisroel 9-63 D”H Siman 46. Others however argue on this, See M:B 46-24, Ishei Yisroel 5 ftnt. 43 in the name of R, Neuwirth zt”l, and YBCHL”CH R’ C. Kanievsky shlit”a, R’ Y. Cahen shlit”a. See Piskei Teshuvos 46 ftnt. 164.
6. M:B 58-25, Biur Halacha D:H Koyra.