Berakhot 10b — the Talmud in English

Rav Hanan said: Even the master of dreams

who is an angel

says to a person: Tomorrow he will die! Let him not withhold himself from mercy. As it is stated: [A0005]

Ecclesiastes 5:6]

“For in the multitude of dreams and vanities and many words, for he should fear God.”

And this means: only God should he fear, and he should not be concerned about the words of the dream; and even if it came to him through a demon or an angel, he should turn to God in prayer.

Immediately —

“And Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord” [A0017]Isaiah 38:2.

Isaiah 38:2].

The Gemara clarifies:

What is “the wall”?

And it explains:

Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: From the walls of his heart,

that is, with all his heart.

As it is stated [A0024]Jeremiah 4:19:

Jeremiah 4:19]

“My innermost parts, my innermost parts! I shall writhe; the walls of my heart.”

Rabbi Levi said: Concerning the matter of the wall —

to mention the merit of the forefathers.

Hezekiah said before Him:

Hezekiah

:

“Master of the world, and what if

the Shunamite woman [A0033]who lived in Shunem, who did no more than make an upper chamber

who lived in Shunem], who did nothing more than build a small upper

one small wall—You revived her son [A0035]as follows

as will be explained below]?

. The father of my father,

King Solomon,

who covered the entire Sanctuary with silver

and gold —

all the more so

it is fitting to revive his son [Hezekiah].” [ A0049]Isaiah 38:3

Isaiah 38:3]

“Please remember how I walked before You in truth and with a whole heart, and I did what was good in Your eyes.”

The Gemara clarifies:

What is “and I did what was good in Your eyes”?

The Gemara explains:

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: That he joined redemption to prayer.

And he requested that He remember him now in this prayer—in the merit of his prayers that had been in order.

Rabbi Levi said: That he concealed the Book of Remedies

so that they would request mercy. And although in the eyes of people this deed is not good, for they seek a remedy, nevertheless, “I did what was good in Your eyes” — that they would request mercy from Heaven.

The Sages taught: King Hezekiah did six things; concerning three the Sages agreed with him,

the Sages

and concerning three the Sages did not agree with him,

the Sages.

Concerning three they agreed with him —

he concealed the Book of Remedies —

and they agreed with him

because their hearts were not submissive concerning the sick; rather, they would be healed immediately.

He smashed the copper serpent

that Moses had made so that they would see that it is not the serpent that kills, but the sin

— and they agreed with him

because in his generation they began to err and worship it, for they said that it possessed independent powers.

He dragged the bones of his father on a bed of ropes

and did not bury him honorably, on a dargesh and a fine bed, so that he would have atonement

— and they agreed with him, because

he did so for the sake of the sanctification of the Name: that he should be disgraced for his wickedness, and that the wicked should be chastised.

And concerning three they did not agree with him —

He stopped up the waters of the Gihon,

the waters of Shiloah, which is a small spring near Jerusalem, and he stopped it up so that if the kings of Assyria came they would not find water to drink

— and they did not agree with him,

since he should have trusted in the Holy One, blessed be He, who said, “And I will protect this city to save it.”

He cut off

the gold from

the doors

of the

Sanctuary

in the Temple

and sent them to the king of Assyria,

when he demanded a great deal of gold from him in exchange for withdrawing from the cities of Judah

— and they did not agree with him,

because he should have trusted in the Holy One, blessed be He.

He intercalated Nisan during Nisan —

and they did not agree with him .

And the Gemara understood that after the month had already been sanctified, Hezekiah reconsidered and decided to intercalate the year, and made it Adar; therefore it asked:

“Did Hezekiah not have

the exposition of the verse [Exodus 12:2],

‘This month shall be for you the beginning of months’ —

‘this’ is Nisan —

‘and there is no other after Nisan!’

for from the time that the month of Nisan had been sanctified, it was no longer possible to intercalate the year, since “there is no other month after Nisan”?

The Gemara answers:

Rather, he erred concerning the teaching of Samuel, for Samuel said: The year may not be intercalated on the thirtieth day of Adar, since it is fit to establish it as Nisan,

even though the new month had not been sanctified, since the witnesses had not yet arrived; and Hezekiah erred and

thought, “We do not say: Since it is fit.”

Rabbi Yohanan said in the name of Rabbi Yosei ben Zimra: Whoever attributes [his salvation] to his own merit —

who says in his prayer, “Do it for me through my merit”

— they attribute it to the merit of others. And whoever attributes [it] to the merit of others

and requests the mercy of Heaven or [salvation] through the merit of his forefathers —

they attribute it to his own merit.

Moses attributed [it] to the merit of others, as it is stated [A0166]Exodus 32:13:

Exodus 32:13]

“Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants”;

therefore

they attributed it to his own merit, as it is stated [A0170]Psalms 106:23:

Psalms 106:23]

“And He said that He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen one stood in the breach before Him, to turn away His wrath from destroying.”

Hezekiah attributed [it] to his own merit, as it is written, “Please remember

how I walked before You,”

therefore

they attributed it to the merit of others, as it is stated [A0176]Kings II, 19:34:

II Kings 19:34]

“And I will protect this city to save it, for My sake and for the sake of David My servant.”

And this is [the teaching] of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi. For Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: What is the meaning of that which is written [A0182][in Isaiah 38:17] in “A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and had recovered from his sickness,”

in Isaiah 38:17, in the letter of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he was sick and recovered from his illness],

“Behold, for peace

I had great bitterness”?

Why was “bitterness” written twice?

To tell you that even when the Holy One, blessed be He, sent him

to Hezekiah

peace,

it was bitter for him!

Because the Holy One, blessed be He, told him that He was not doing this through his merit, but “for the sake of David My servant.”

The Gemara explains the words of the Shunamite woman [mentioned above], concerning what she said to her husband regarding the prophet Elisha [Kings II, 4:10]: “Behold now, I know that he is a holy man of God who passes by us continually;

let us make a small upper chamber.”

Rav and Shmuel

disagreed concerning this matter.

One said: It was an uncovered upper chamber,

open, whose ceiling and roof had been removed,

and they roofed it,

they made a ceiling and a roof for it.

And one said: It was a large portico, [A0200]a courtyard shaped like the letter het, with a roof surrounding it adjacent to the house

a courtyard shaped like the Hebrew letter het, with a roof around it adjoining the house],

and they divided it in two.

They divided it into two.

The Gemara raises an objection:

Granted, according to the one who says it was a portico,

this is why it is written “wall,” because

they divided it into two by means of a wall;

but according to the one who says it was an upper chamber,

what is “wall”?

For they did not add a wall, but rather a ceiling?

The Gemara answers:

They roofed it,

with a ceiling and a roof, and “wall” is derived from “ceiling.”

The Gemara raises an objection to the other view:

Granted, according to the one who says it was an upper chamber, this is why it is written “upper chamber”; but according to the one who says it was a portico —

what is “upper chamber”?

The Gemara explains: It was

the finest of the houses.

“And let us place there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp.”

Abaye said, and some say Rabbi Isaac: One who wishes to benefit from others’ property may benefit —

and there is no prohibition in the matter —

like Elisha!

As we find that Elisha benefited from the Shunamite woman’s property .

And one who does not wish to benefit

from others

should not benefit,

and this involves neither arrogance nor hatred —

like Samuel of Ramah!

As we find concerning Samuel of Ramah, that he did not wish to benefit,

as it is stated [A0246]Samuel I, 7:17:

I Samuel 7:17]

“And his return was to Ramah, for there was his house.”

Do I not know that his house was there?

And Rabbi Yohanan said that wherever he went, his house was with him,

that is, he carried with him all the utensils of his household, and likewise a tent for his encampment, and he did this so as not to benefit from others.

“And she said to her husband, ‘Behold now, I know that he is a holy man of God’” [A0252]Kings II, 4:9.

II Kings 4:9]

Rabbi Yosei son of Rabbi Hanina said: From here [it is derived] that a woman recognizes guests more than a man,

because a woman is found in the house more than a man.

And the Gemara clarifies:

“He is holy” —

from where did she know?

Rav and Shmuel

disagreed concerning this matter.

One said: She did not see a fly pass over his table.

For his eating was as though he had offered the daily offerings. Therefore no fly appeared, and we have already found this miracle in the Temple [Avot].

And one said: She spread a linen sheet over his bed,

and every stain was clearly visible on this sheet,

and she did not see a seminal emission on it,

and she understood from this that all his thoughts were concerning intellectual matters; therefore she called him holy.

“He is holy.”

Rabbi Yosei son of Rabbi Hanina said:

“‘He’ excludes [others], for only

he is holy, but his attendant is not holy.”

“And Gehazi approached to push her away” [A0276]Kings II, 4:27.

II Kings 4:27]

Rabbi Yosei son of Rabbi Hanina said:

“‘To push her away’ is an acronym, and it teaches

that he grasped the glory of her beauty”

by her breasts.

“Who passes by us continually” [A0282][there, verse 9].

There, verse 9]

Rabbi Yosei son of Rabbi Hanina said in the name of Rabbi

Eliezer ben Yaakov:

He did not pass there regularly, but only when he happened to come to Shunem; necessarily, the expression “continually” teaches that

whoever hosts a Torah scholar within his house and benefits him from his property, Scripture considers it for him as though he offers

sacrifices

“continually.”

And Rabbi Yosei son of Rabbi Hanina said in the name of Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov: A person should not stand in a high place and pray; rather, [he should stand] in a low place and pray. As it is stated [A0290]Psalms 130:1:

Psalms 130:1]

“From the depths I called You, O Lord.”

It was likewise taught: A person should not stand

during prayer

neither on a chair nor on a footstool.

Even if they are not three handbreadths high , because he is preoccupied with the thought that perhaps he will fall and is unable to concentrate,

nor in a high place

of three handbreadths

and pray; rather, he should stand in a low place and pray,

because

there is no haughtiness before the Omnipresent. As it is stated [A0302]Psalms 130:1:

“From the depths I called You, Lord.” And it is written: [

“From the depths I called You, O Lord.” And it is written [A0304]Psalms 102:1:

“A prayer of the afflicted when he is faint,”

“A prayer of the afflicted when he wraps himself,”

And Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, said in the name of Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov: One who prays must arrange his feet, one next to the other,

to resemble the angels. Since he is speaking with the Divine Presence, he must remove all bodily thoughts from his heart and make himself resemble an angel, as though he were an angel,

as it is stated

concerning the feet of the angels:

“And their feet were a straight foot,”

for they appeared like a single foot.

И сказал рабби Йоси, сын рабби Ханины, от имени рабби Элиэзера бен Яакова: что означает написанное

And Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, said in the name of Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov: What is the meaning of that which is written

“You shall not eat over the blood”?

The intention of the verse is to say:

“You shall not eat before you pray for your blood,” that is, before you pray for your life and needs.

Rabbi Yitzḥak said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said that Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, said in the name of Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov: Anyone who eats and drinks, and

only

afterward prays—

the verse says concerning him

(I Kings 14:9):

“But you have cast Me

behind your body.”

It would have been sufficient for the verse to say, “You have cast Me behind you,” and the word “your body” is superfluous. Therefore, he expounded:

Do not read it as “your body,” but rather as “your pride.”

And so

the Holy One, blessed be He, said:

“Is it appropriate that

after this person has become haughty

he should accept upon himself

the yoke of

the kingdom of Heaven?”

Мы учили в Мишне:

«А рабби Йехошуа говорит: до третьего часа». Сказал рабби Йехуда от имени Шмуэля: галаха соответствует мнению рабби Йехошуа!

Мы учили в Мишне:

«Тот, кто читает с этого времени и далее,»

We learned in the Mishna:

And Rabbi Yehoshua says: Until the third hour. Rabbi Yehuda said that Shmuel said: The halakha is in accordance with Rabbi Yehoshua!

We learned in the Mishna:

One who recites the Shema from this time onward,

after the third hour,

has not forfeited

all his reward; rather, he receives reward only like a person who reads one of the sections of the Torah.

Rav Ḥisda said that Mar Ukva said: Provided that he does not say

with his recitation the blessing

“Creator of Light,”

because then he forfeits his reward, since he is reciting a blessing in vain.

They raise an objection from a source

concerning a beraita:

One who recites the Shema from this time onward has not forfeited his reward, like a person who reads from the Torah; but he recites two blessings

before it, and one

after it!

This is a conclusive refutation of Rav Ḥisda; a conclusive refutation!

Some say

the reverse: This is what

Rav Ḥisda said that Mar Ukva said: What does “has not forfeited” mean?

He has not forfeited the blessings,

and he may recite them even after the third hour.

A beraita was also taught accordingly:

One who recites the Shema from this time onward has not forfeited his reward, like a person who reads from the Torah. But he recites two blessings before it, and one after it. Rav Mani said: One who recites the Shema at its proper time is greater than one who engages in Torah study. The proof is: Since it is taught in our Mishna: “One who recites it from this time onward has not forfeited his reward, like a person who reads from the Torah”—it follows that one who recites it at its proper time is superior.

Доказательство:

из того, что сказано

в нашей Мишне:

«Тот, кто читает с этого времени и далее, не лишился — подобно человеку, читающему Тору». Следовательно, тот, кто читает её в установленное время, выше.

Мишна:

Бейт-Шаммай говорят: вечером каждый человек должен склониться

на бок и

читать

Mishna:

Beit Shammai say: In the evening, every person should recline

on his side

and recite

the Shema while reclining. And in the morning he should stand and recite the Shema while standing, as it is stated: “When you lie down and when you rise.”

стоя, лёжа или идя,

как сказано: «И когда идёшь по дороге»,

то есть в любом положении, даже если он не стоит и не сидит.

Возразили Бейт-Шаммай Бейт-Гиллелю:

And Beit Hillel say: Every person recites it in his usual manner

whether standing, reclining, or walking,

as it is stated: “When you walk along the way,”

that is, in every situation, even when he is neither standing nor sitting.

Beit Shammai said to Beit Hillel:

If so, why is it stated

“When you lie down and when you rise”?

If not to teach the manner in which it must be recited, what does it teach?

Beit Hillel answered them: The verse comes to teach the time for reciting the Shema:

“When people are lying down”

to sleep at night,

and when people are standing

from their beds in the morning.

Rabbi Tarfon said: I was traveling on the road,

riding an animal, and I dismounted to the ground.

And I reclined to recite

the Shema

in accordance with the words of Beit Shammai, and I endangered myself because of bandits,

who could have killed me. Had I recited it according to the opinion of Beit Hillel, I could have continued riding my animal and quickly left the dangerous place.

The Sages said to him,

“You deserved to be liable for your own life!” You would have been liable for death, and had you died, you would have been responsible for your own death and guilty of causing it, since you transgressed the words of Beit Hillel.