It is forbidden to verbally study Torah in the morning before reciting the Birkat Ha’Torah blessing, which we recite as part of the morning Berachot each day. It is, however, permissible to learn silently or think Torah matters in one’s mind. Birkat Ha’Torah is required to allow us to learn verbally, but silent learning is permissible even before one recites the Beracha. King David alludes to this Halacha in the Book of Tehillim (119), when he writes, "I have preserved Your word in my heart, in order that I won’t sin against You" – meaning, before reciting Birkat Ha’Torah, he learns Torah only in his heart, silently, so that he won’t sin by learning before Birkat Ha’Torah. In the next verse, he writes, "Blessed are You Hashem; teach me Your statutes" – a reference to Birkat Ha’Torah. At that point, once he recites Birkat Ha’Torah, verbal study becomes permissible, and David therefore declares in the next verse, "With my lips I have related all the laws of Your mouth."
The Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909) writes that it is permissible before reciting Birkat Ha’Torah to reply to a Halachic inquiry without providing any explanation. Meaning, a person may answer, "Mutar" ("allowed") or "Assur" ("forbidden") in response to a Halachic question, even though he has yet to recite Birkat Ha’Torah. Since he is verbalizing only the word "permissible" or "forbidden," without giving any elaboration or reasoning, he is not actually speaking words of Torah, and this is therefore permissible before Birkat Ha’Torah.
Although we commonly call it "Birkat Ha’Torah," in the singular form ("the blessing over the Torah"), this Beracha actually consists of three Berachot: "Al Dibreh Torah," "Ve’ha’areb Na," and "Asher Bahar Banu." There is some debate among the Halachic authorities as to whether "Al Dibreh Torah" and "Ve’ha’areb Na" actually constitute a single Beracha, or are to be viewed as separate Berachot. The practical implication of this debate is whether or not one should answer "Amen" after he hears someone recite "Al Dibreh Torah." If this Beracha is distinct from the subsequent Beracha of "Ve’ha’areb Na," then one should answer "Amen," whereas if it part of the same Beracha as "Ve’ha’areb Na," then one should not answer "Amen" until the end of "Ve’ha’areb Na." The practice of the Sepharadim is to view the two blessings as separate Berachot, and therefore one who hears the Beracha of "Al Dibreh Torah" should answer "Amen."
It is customary to recite the verses of Birkat Kohanim immediately after Birkat Ha’Torah. We are required to learn Torah after reciting the Beracha, and the Sages chose the verses of Birkat Kohanim as the material we should read for this purpose. One reason given for the selection of these verses is the fact that they consist of sixty letters, which correspond to the sixty tractates of the Talmud. The recitation of Birkat Ha’Torah allows us to study Talmud, and we therefore immediately recite a series of verses that allude to this study. Incidentally, it has been suggested that we customarily refer to Talmudic scholars with the term "Ga’on" for a similar reason. The word "Ga’on" has the numerical value of sixty, and thus alludes to the Talmud, over which the scholar has achieved mastery.
(In truth, there are only 36 tractates in the Talmud, but 60 tractates in the Mishna.)
Summary: It is forbidden to verbally study Torah before reciting Birkat Ha’Torah in the morning, though one may study silently, think Torah thoughts, and issue a straightforward Halachic ruling (such as "forbidden" or "permissible") without providing explanation. One who hears the Beracha of "Al Dibreh Torah" should answer "Amen," as this Beracha constitutes a separate, independent Beracha.
