My grandfather (with whom I was very close and in many way set my direction in life) was a graduate student of Electrical Engineering at CalTech, one of the top universities for science and engineering to this day. He told me about a student defending his thesis whose professors (to start things off) asked him to write down something basic. He turned to them and said (with a smirk), "I would have thought gentlemen of your caliber would already know that." He was hoping it would lighten the mood. It didn't; it was a bad move. I actually saw nearly the same thing in my own graduate career. One of the professors was my thesis advisor and I had never seen him get angry nor raise his voice. When the postdoc who was giving a presentation made a similar remark, I saw the back of my research adviser's neck turn an amazingly deep shade of red. It did not go well for the postdoc.
Talmud Bavli begins with Masechta Brachos, which begins with a mishna that begins with these words: מֵאֵימָתַי קוֹרִין אֶת שְׁמַע בָּעֲרָבִין/from when does one recite Shema in the evening? The gemara asks a seemingly straightforward question: תַּנָּא הֵיכָא קָאֵי דְּקָתָנֵי ״מֵאֵימָתַי״/where is Tanna standing that he begins with "from when?" In fact, Masechta Ta'anis begins with a similar question, wondering when one should start mentioning rain in Shmone Esrei. The gemara asks precisely the same question, and there Rashi explains: that is to say: from the fact that the Tanna asks "from when" one can infer that it is obvious to this Tanna that one is obligated to mention rain (at some point in the year in the first three brachos); from where do we see that such an obligation exists? The gemara in Ta'anis goes on to explain that it is part of a larger teaching and the Tanna wanted to draw you in to ask more. Moreover, the mishna here in Ta'anis itself gives a straightforward answer to its question: that one starts in Sukkos, though there is a dispute regarding exactly when.
Let's go back to Brachos. The gemara's question is the same, but Rashi explains it much differently. I would translate it thus: Where is the Tanna standing that he comes up to teach the obligation to say Shema by asking here when is the time of the saying? Moreover, the mishna doesn't give a time of day, but answers: from when the kohanim go in to eat their t'ruma.
Let's take a step back. Before starting this mishna, the Tanna expects you to know that there is such a thing as t'ruma, that a kohein can only eat t'ruma in a state of ritual purity, that if a kohein becomes tamei and cleanses himself of that tuma, he still can't eat t'ruma until after halachic nightfall (three stars are visible). So I need to have had enough Jewish education to know all that, but I don't know about Shema?! Before answering, the gemara poses a second question: "and why did the Tanna start with the evening recital of Shema? Let the Tanna teach the morning obligation first!" So... the gemara knows there is a morning obligation also. Something is very out of kilter here.
Of course, it is our perspective that is out of kilter. R' Nissim Gaon explains that we didn't need mishnayos for a long time because the father would explain things to his son. For example, R' Nissim Gaon says, while tying tzitzis, the father would explain about the obligation of tzitzis and how we know it and the significance of the knots, and so forth. Presumably the same for t'ruma and tahara and tuma.
What about reciting Shema? The father taught that to his son before he could even talk. Jews say Shema from their very first words. It is very likely that they never learned the actual source in the Torah for it, because the obligation is ingrained into them like breathing. In fact, were I to ask you, my dear reader, why you need to breathe oxygen, you would likely answer, "to stay alive". And if I pressed, "but what is the mechanism by which it keeps you alive?" You would have a ready answer? Similarly, every Jew knows you have to say Shema evening and morning. The source? Oh... I never thought about it.
Now the gemara reads beautifully: From where is the obligation to say Shema and why start with the evening recital as opposed to the morning recital? First answer: because that's how the verse is written: ״בְּשָׁכְבְּךָ וּבְקוּמֶךָ״/when you lie down and when you get up. That is, the very same verse that reveals to us the obligation, also gives it a natural ordering of evening before morning. The gemara gives a second answer: from the creation of the world, as it says, ״וַיְהִי עֶרֶב וַיְהִי בֹקֶר יוֹם אֶחָד״/it was evening and there was morning; day one. Based on R' Nissim Gaon's principle that the seven laws of Noah are logical, and one is acknowledging the Creator. Since the creation is renewed each day, it would make sense to affirm our allegiance each day. Since the creation of the world splits each day into evening and morning, it makes sense to declare that allegiance each evening and morning. When? As soon as possible, with the same enthusiasm and alacrity with which the kohanim go to perform their unique mitzvah of eating t'ruma.
See? Logical.
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