Berachot 9: From When Do We Recite the Shema in the Morning?

Again we are told the story of Rabban Gamliel's returning very late from a wedding celebration.  Is one permitted to recite the evening Shema after midnight?   It is agreed that in special circumstances like these, the Shema should still be recited even until dawn.  This is compared and contrasted with the roasting of the Paschal Lamb (Exodus 12:8).  The rabbis consider more detailed information regarding the timing of the sacrifice and consuming that sacrifice.  

Rabbi Eliezer says that in the evening, you slaughter the sacrifice from when the sun sets until midnight you eat it.  And you burn what remains from the sacrifice.  Rabbi Yehoshua says that in the evening, you slaughter the sacrifice, from when the sun set you eat it.  And until what time do you eat it? Until the time when you left the land of Egypt, meaning the morning.

The rabbis speak about the people of Israel preferring to be released earlier without any possessions when given the other option of waiting a day and leaving with possessions.  Further conversation share the promise of redemptions made to Moshe at the burning bush.  We learn about a conversation where G-d told Moshe to tell Israel that G-d 's name is "I will be what I will be".  In addition,  "I was with you in the is enslavement and in this redemption and I will be with you in the enslavement of the kingdoms" in the future.  Moshe suggested that he only share the past works of G-d.  He knew that the people of Israel would be anxious when learning that more suffering will come to us in the future.

A new Mishna asks From when does one recite the Shema in the morning?  From when a person can distinguish between tehelet, sky-blue, and white.  Rabbi Eliezer says that this will be when one can distinguish between sky-blue and leek-green.  One must finish reciting the Shema until the end of the period when we rise, sunrise, when the sun begins to shine.  Rabbi Yehoshua says that one may recite the morning Shema until three hours of the day which is also considered when we rise, for Kings are known to rise from their sleep at three ours of the day.  Finally, our Mishna tells us that we are permitted to recite the Shema from the appropriate time onward without consequence.  One who says the Shema is still considered to be like one who studies Torah, and thus rewarded.  

Our Gemara notes that the rabbis attempt to describe the colours mentioned.  They refer to seeing the colours at night, and to the colours of the ritual fringes on a tallit.  There are further options regarding when we say the morning Shema from a baraita.  Rabbi Meir says that we must be able to distinguish between two animals.  Rabbi Akiva suggests that the day begins when one can see the difference between a donkey and a wild donkey.  Acherim through the Yerushalmi Talmud say that one can see another person from four cubits away and recognize that person.The halacha agrees with Acherim.

The rabbis consider Rabbi Zeira's juxtapositioning of redemption and prayer.  Several stories are told about this where the redemption of the evening prayer with the evening prayer.