Berakhot 11a — the Talmud in English

Gemara:

The Gemara raises an objection:

Granted, Beit Hillel explain their reasoning

“and when you walk on the way,” and its meaning is in any posture,

and

in this way they also answer

the reasoning of Beit Shammai,

and explain the verse that Beit Shammai brought as proof for their words in another manner.

But Beit Shammai—

what is the reason they did not say

that the explanation of the verse “when you lie down and when you rise up” is according to its plain meaning, referring to the times of recitation,

and [agree] with Beit Hillel?

The Gemara explains: Beit Shammai held that

if so,

that the intent of the verse is to establish a time for reciting the Shema,

let the verse say, “in the morning

and in the evening ”

,”

so that there would be no doubt about the intent of the verse, and because of

what

did the verse state

“when you lie down and when you rise up”?

Rather, necessarily, the intent of the verse “when you lie down and when you rise up” is not only to establish a time for reciting the Shema, but also to establish in what manner the Shema is to be recited:

at the time of lying down—

he should recite it in a state of

actual lying down. And at the time of rising—

he should recite it in a state of

actual rising.

The Gemara wonders:

And Beit Shammai, this “and when you walk on the way,”

from which Beit Hillel learned that a person recites the Shema in every posture—

what do they do with it?

How will they interpret this verse?

The Gemara explains:

That verse—

they need it for that which was taught in a beraita,

to teach us this halakha:

“And you shall speak of them

when you sit in your house”—

to exclude one occupied with a mitzva,

who is exempt from reciting the Shema.

“And when you walk on the way”—

to exclude a bridegroom

who is occupied in his thoughts with a mitzva, who is not required to interrupt his thoughts, but is exempt from the mitzva of reciting the Shema.

From here they said

the Sages:

One who marries a virgin,

who is distracted by thoughts of intercourse for the mitzva,

is exempt

from reciting the Shema.

And

one who marries

a widow—

is obligated

to recite the Shema.

The Gemara discusses:

What implication

is there from these verses to exclude one occupied with a mitzva and a bridegroom, who are exempt from reciting the Shema? The Gemara explains:

Rav Pappa said:

The word “on the way” is superfluous, and comes to teach that his obligation is

like [ [A0120]]“as”]

that of a

the way,

meaning that “when you sit” and “when you walk” were equated with “on the way”:

Just as the way—

when he goes to attend to a matter of

permission

the verse is speaking, so that only he is obligated to recite the Shema,

so too everyone

who is occupied or distracted in thought because of a matter of

permission

is obligated to recite the Shema; one occupied or distracted in thought because of a mitzva, which is not a matter of permission but an obligation, is exempt from reciting the Shema.

The Gemara raises an objection: From where is it established that the verse speaks only of one walking on a way of permission? After all, “way” is written without qualification,

and

for

might we not be dealing

with a case

where he is going to attend to a mitzva, and even so the Merciful One said that he should recite

the Shema!?

The Gemara answers

If so,

that even one walking on the way to attend to a mitzva should recite the Shema,

let the Merciful One write “when sitting” and “when walking

on the way. And because of

what

was it written

“when you sit” and “when you walk”?

Necessarily, to teach that only

“when sitting” of your own and “when walking” of your own is what obligates you

to recite the Shema.

But

when walking

and sitting for a mitzva, you are exempt,

you are exempt from reciting the Shema.

The Gemara raises an objection:

If so,

if it is as you say, that the reason for the bridegroom’s exemption from reciting the Shema is that one occupied with a mitzva is exempt from a mitzva —

even one who marries a widow also

should be exempt, since he too is performing a mitzva.

The Gemara answers:

This one,

one who marries a virgin,

is distracted

by thoughts of intercourse and is therefore exempt.

But this one,

one who marries a widow—

is not distracted.

The Gemara raises an objection:

If

the reason for the exemption is only

because of distraction—

even if his ship sank at sea also

he should be exempt, since he is distracted by his sorrow.

And if you would say, so too,

that indeed he too is exempt from reciting the Shema—this cannot be said, for if so,

why then [ [A0192]]“why”]

did Rav Abba bar Zavda say in the name of Rav:

A person who is

a mourner

over his dead, even though he is distracted by his sorrow, is

obligated in all the mitzvot stated in the Torah, except for phylacteries, for “splendor” is stated concerning them, as it is said

[Ezekiel 24:17]

“Your splendor is bound upon you.”

Since phylacteries require splendor, whereas a mourner wallows in his sorrow in the dust, this is not splendor . And it follows that it is only for this reason that a mourner is exempt from the mitzva of phylacteries; why should he not be exempt from phylacteries and from the other mitzvot as well, such as reciting the Shema, because of the distraction of his mourning sorrow?

The Gemara answers:

There,

in the case of one who marries a virgin—

he is distracted with a mitzva-distraction,

and we learned from the verse that such a distraction exempts one from reciting the Shema. But

here,

in the case of one whose ship sank at sea and of a mourner—

he is distracted with a permission-distraction,

and this distraction does not exempt one from reciting the Shema; he is obligated to remove his sorrow and recite the Shema. [ [A0220]]And

And

since above Rav Pappa said that

Beit Shammai

held that “on the way” was stated to exclude “one occupied with a mitzva,” whereas here they derived this from the words “when you sit” and “when you walk,” it would appear that “on the way” is superfluous.

And the Gemara explains that

that “

on the way”

they need it

to exclude

those sent for a mitzva,

who, even though they are not yet occupied with the mitzva itself, but are only “on the way” to it, are nevertheless exempt from reciting the Shema].

And

the Gemara explains, on the other hand, the view of

Beit Hillel

—how they derived from “on the way” in the Mishna that “every person recites in his own manner,” when they too learn from “on the way” that one occupied with a mitzva is exempt from a mitzva.

They say

to you:

In any event, infer from it that

even on the way he should recite the Shema, since it is proven that if not for distraction, one may recite the Shema in every posture.

The Sages taught: Beit Hillel say: They stand and recite

the Shema, and likewise

they sit and recite

the Shema,

and

likewise

they incline and recite

while lying down, and likewise

they walk on the way and recite

the Shema. And likewise

they engage

in their work and recite

the Shema.

And there was an incident involving Rabbi Ishmael and Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah, who were reclining in one place

in the evening

. Rabbi Ishmael was inclined, and Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah was upright. When the time for reciting the Shema arrived, Rabbi Eleazar inclined himself

to recite the Shema, in accordance with the view of Beit Shammai, that at night one must recite it while lying down,

and Rabbi Ishmael straightened himself. Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah said to Rabbi Ishmael: Ishmael, my brother! I will give you a parable

about what you did.

To what is the matter comparable? To a person to whom they say: Your beard is grown

and very handsome.

He said to them:

Since you praised and lauded it,

let it be placed before those who destroy.

Let it be given to the razor and scissors, with which I shall destroy it! And he is acting irrationally.

So too you: All the time that I was upright—

you

were

inclined. Now that I have inclined myself

in order to recite the Shema, I am like one praising your action, that you were inclined, whereas

you straightened yourself

now!?

He said to him,

Rabbi Ishmael:

I

who straightened myself

acted in accordance with the words of Beit Hillel,

who hold that even at night one need not recite it while lying down.

And

whereas

you acted in accordance with the words of Beit Shammai.

And furthermore,

I did not do this only for that reason—

rather,

for an additional reason:

perhaps the students will see

what you did and think that the halakha is in accordance with Beit Shammai,

and they will establish the halakha for generations.

The Gemara discusses:

What is the meaning of “and furthermore”—

why did Rabbi Ishmael need an additional reason?

The Gemara explains: Rabbi Ishmael came to say that you should not object:

Perhaps Beit Hillel also have the view of “they incline,”

that it is possible to recite while lying down, and if so, there is no proof from Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah’s inclination that he holds like Beit Shammai.

This is not so, for

this applies only when

Beit Hillel hold that one may recite while lying down, specifically in a case

where he was inclined from the outset,

and he continues in his lying position and recites the Shema, in which case it is proper to do so even according to Beit Hillel.

But here,

since until now you were upright, and only now, in order to fulfill the mitzva of reciting the Shema, you brought yourself

into an inclined position, they say

the students who see you and me reciting while lying down:

Infer from this: They hold in accordance with Beit Shammai.

And there is concern

that the students will see and establish the halakha for generations

in accordance with Beit Shammai; and in order to prevent this error, I therefore straightened myself.

Rav Yehezkel taught:

If a

person acted

in accordance with

in accordance with the words of Beit Shammai,

for example, he inclined himself to recite the nighttime Shema, or stood for the morning recitation—

he has acted!

And his recitation while inclined is considered a mitzva for him, since even according to Beit Hillel he fulfilled his obligation.

If he acted

in accordance with the words of Beit Hillel

and did not incline himself in the evening or stand in the morning—

he has acted,

he fulfilled his obligation, because the halakha is in accordance with Beit Hillel.

Rav Yosef said: If he acted in accordance with the words of Beit Shammai

for example, he was upright and inclined himself to recite the nighttime Shema —

he has done nothing at all!

It is not considered a mitzva for him at all, because [when one acts] in accordance with Beit Shammai in a place where Beit Hillel [is authoritative], it is not [valid].

And there is proof for this from what

we learned [

Sukkah 28a]:

One who was

in a large sukkah, but only

his head and most of his body were in the sukkah, and

if

his table was inside the house,

although the sukkah itself was not invalid—

the House of Shammai disqualify

it and prohibit eating in it, as a safeguard lest he be drawn outside during the meal; and if he ate, he did not fulfill his obligation,

whereas the House of Hillel deem it valid.

The House of Hillel said to the House of Shammai

that there is proof for their position:

Once, the elders of the House of Shammai and the elders of the House of Hillel went to visit Rabbi Yohanan ben HaḤoranit. They found him sitting with his head and most of his body in the sukkah, while his table was inside the house, and they did not say anything to him

the elders of the House of Shammai

.

They said to them,

the House of Shammai said to the House of Hillel: Is it really

from there

that there is

proof

for your position? On the contrary, that incident provides proof for our position. For

even they,

the elders of the House of Shammai,

said to him,

to Rabbi Yohanan ben HaḤoranit:

If this is how you have been acting

all along,

you have never fulfilled the mitzva of sukkah!

Rav Yosef understood that just as the House of Shammai said that one who violates their safeguard and follows the ruling of the House of Hillel has not thereby fulfilled the mitzva, so too, according to the House of Hillel, if one followed the ruling of the House of Shammai and reclined while reciting the Shema, he would not fulfill the mitzva by doing so, because this could lead to a problem: if he were unable to recline, he might fail to recite the Shema.

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: One who acted in accordance with the statement of the House of Shammai

is liable to receive the death penalty

at the hand of Heaven.

We learned

in our Mishna:

Rabbi Tarfon said: I was traveling along the road, and I reclined to recite the Shema in accordance with the statement of the House of Shammai, thereby placing myself in danger because of bandits. They said to him,

the Sages:

You deserved to endanger yourself

because

you violated the statement of the House of Hillel.

Mishna:

In the morning—

one recites

two blessings before it,

before reciting the Shema: the blessing “Who forms light” and “With abundant love”;

and one afterward,

“True and certain.”

And in the evening—

one recites two blessings before it,

“Who brings on evenings” and “Everlasting love”;

and two afterward,

“True and trustworthy” and “Lay us down in peace” [and the Sages instituted these seven blessings corresponding to the verse in Psalms: “Seven times a day I praise You”].

The two blessings recited afterward in the evening are:

one lengthy

one, “True and trustworthy,”

and one brief,

“Lay us down in peace.”

When they said that one should make lengthy

the wording of the blessing, such as the blessing “True and trustworthy,”

he may not make it brief

by shortening the wording of the blessing.

And when they said

to make it brief

in a blessing, such as “Lay us down in peace,”

he may not make it lengthy

by extending the wording.

Where they instituted

that the blessing conclude

with “Blessed are You”—

he may not

recite the blessing and

not conclude

it with that formula.

And if they instituted

that it not conclude

the blessing, such as the blessings over fruits and mitzvot—

he may not

recite the blessing and

conclude it.

Gemara:

The Gemara, the Talmudic discussion of the Mishna, asks:

What blessing does one recite

in the morning, the two blessings before it?

The Gemara explains:

Rabbi Yaakov said that Rabbi Oshaya said: