Does Rebbe Yehuda hold that bedieved one could daven
after Plag HaMincha because the Shnoes Elyiahu says the
reason he doesn't allow it is because to allow enough time to light the Menorah and Ketores etc, and the Chidushim and Biurim, says he holds that it is not is not night yet, even though one could daven Maariv because Maariv is keneged the burning of the limbs and fats which can begin straight away after the offering of the korbon?
Eliezer Meir Kahn, Israel
Dear R' Eliezer Meir,
The commentary of Rabbeinu Channanel - one of the earliest of the Rishonim - explains at great length the opinions of R'Yehudah and Chachamim on the Zemanei Tefilah (Berachos, 26a) Let us see what he has to say about the opinion of R'Yehudah.
The basic Machlokes between R'Yehudah and the Chachamim is in the length of time alloted for the bringing of the Korban Tamid. They both agree that Zemanei haTefilos - Shacharis and Minchah - are defined by the times for Hakravas haTemidim, but Chachamim hold that the Tamid Shel Shachar can be brought the entire morning until noon and the Tamid Shel Bein haArba'im can be brought the entire afternoon until evening, whereas R'Yehudah holds that just like in the morning there are only four (plus) hours to bring the Tamid Shel Shachar, in the afternoon there is the same amount of time to bring the Tamid Shel Bein haArba'im.
The Chachamim derive from the Pasuk (Bemidbar 28:3) Shena'im l'Yom Olah Samid, that the entire day is suitable for the Korbanei Tamid - the first half for the Shel Shachar and the second half for Shel Bein Arba'im. R'Yehudah derives from the Pasuk (Bemidbar 28:4) Es haKeves haEchad Ta'aseh Vaboker, that one has only until the end of the morning to sacrifice the Shel Shachar and the morning ends after four hours as we see by the Mahn (Manna). He then derives from Shena'im l'Yom Olah Samid that just as one has four and a quarter hours for the Shel Shachar, the same is true for the Shel Bein haArba'im (the extra quarter hour comes from the fact that He'ir haMizrach, which is when the Tamid Shel Shachar is sacrificed, is fifteen minutes before Netz haChamah). If you add four and a quarter hours to six and a half hours (half an hour after Chatzos haYom, the beginning of Minchah Gedolah) you get eleven hours minus a quarter of an hour - Plag haMinchah. After this time, Rabbeinu Channanel says, it is forbidden to bring the Tamid Shel Bein haArba'im because it is now considered night regarding Korbanos, and, by extension, one has lost their opportunity to daven Minchah.
Kol Tuv,
Yonasan Sigler
This is not a Psak Halachah