Shalom

[Dan Ben Noah]

Shalom

[muman613]

Does anyone know what time reference Rambam is using when he talks about the "fourth hour", "ninth hour", etc.?  I'm guessing it wouldn't be the same as our current A.M. and P.M. times.

Jewish time is based on dividing the day into equal sections... Here is a description of it:

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/526872/jewish/Hours.htm


HOURS

The hour has a special meaning in Jewish law. "The third hour of the day" doesn't mean 3:00 a.m., or three sixty-minute hours after sunrise. Rather, an hour in halacha is calculated by taking the total time of daylight of a particular day, from sunrise until sunset,1 and dividing it into twelve equal parts. A halachic hour is thus known as a sha'ah zemanit, or proportional hour, and varies by the season and even by the day.

For example, on a day when the sun rises at 5 a.m. and sets at 7:30 p.m., one sha'ah zemanit, or proportional hour, will be 72.5 minutes long. The third hour of the day will come to a close at 8:37:30 a.m.

This information is important because many observances in Jewish law are performed at specific times during the day. The calculation of these halachic times, known as zmanim ("times"), depends on the length of the daylight hours in that locale.

For more information regarding the various halachic times of the day, as well as some of their associated mitzvot, see About Zmanim.

To find out the halachic times for any location, see Zmanim-Halachic Times.

[muman613]

Oh wow, so I guess you have to do some math everyday.

The calendar is calculated every year based on the mathematics. I have a luchot which lists the zmanim and you can get apps for your phone or tablet which show the current times.

http://www.kaluach.org/zmanim.php
http://www.chabad.org/calendar/zmanim.htm
http://kosher.online.fr/mycal/KZmanJS.htm

[Tag-MehirTzedek]

Oh wow, so I guess you have to do some math everyday.

 myzmanim.com

 The times do not change drastically day to day. They are about the same, changing slightly from day to day.

[muman613]

Yes, we are supposed to say at least 100 brachot a day... If we do all the davening and do the brachot on meals and snacks and things we see then we are supposed to have accomplished the 100 blessings.

http://www.aish.com/sp/pg/100_Blessings.html

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/987904/jewish/How-Many-Blessings-does-a-Jew-Say-Each-Day.htm

How Many Blessings does a Jew Say Each Day?
By Yisroel Cotlar

Question:

I once heard that there is a certain amount of blessings we should attempt to say each day. How many is it, and what is the source of this idea?

Answer:

There is indeed such a teaching. We are to recite 100 blessings each day. The Talmud1 extrapolates this from a verse in Deuteronomy:2 "Now, Israel, what does G‑d, your G‑d, ask of you? . . . to walk in His ways . . . and to serve Him."

The Hebrew word for "what," mah (מָה), is phonetically similar to the word me'ah (מֵאָה), which means 100. In other words, the verse can be understood as saying: "Now, Israel, a hundred does G‑d, your G‑d, ask of you"—one hundred blessings.

There's a story behind this tradition. During the reign of Kind David, there was terrible plague that took the lives of exactly 100 people each day. The rabbis at the time perceived the plague's spiritual cause and instituted the practice of reciting 100 blessings per day. The plague immediately stopped.3

Saying 100 blessings is easier than you think. By just praying three times a day and reciting blessings before and after you eat, you will reach that total. Looking for the breakdown? You'll find it in the Code of Jewish Law.4

Reaching the total on Shabbat is a little trickier. The Shabbat Amidah consists of only seven blessings, as opposed to the nineteen that comprise its weekday counterpart. Several other blessings are also absent on Shabbat, such as the blessing over tefillin. Even counting the Musaf Amidah and the Grace after Meals for two Shabbat meals, somewhat of a deficit remains. (Four Shabbat Amidahs = 28; three weekday Amidahs = 57...)

The solution? Eat some extra snacks throughout the day. The blessings before and each snack will add up.5

Yom Kippur is even harder. With the shorter amidahs, and without any food blessings, the only solution is to make blessings over fragrant spices, fruit or herbs.6 In some communities, spice boxes are passed around the synagogue on Yom Kippur for this very reason.7 We compensate for the remaining blessings by answering Amen to the blessings on the Torah.

Let me know if this helps.

Yours truly,

Rabbi Yisroel Cotlar

FOOTNOTES
1.   Menachot 43b.
2.   10:12.
3.   Midrash Tanchuma, Korach 12.
4.   Alter Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 46:1.
5.   If this is not possible, answering Amen to the blessings before and after each aliyah during the reading of the Torah can be included in the count.
6.   Alter Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch, ibid.
7.   However, a substantial amount of time must elapse before one can repeat the blessing on spices on another aromatic product.