Berakhot 14a — the Talmud in English

And in the sections, he asks because of honor and responds with greetings to every person".

And the Gemara proves that thus one must add in our Mishna: for

it was also taught in

the beraita

as follows: One who recites the Shema, and his teacher or one greater than he encountered him,

in the sections, he asks because of honor, and needless to say that he responds

because of honor.

And in the middle, he asks because of fear, and needless to say that he responds

because of fear,

the words of Rabbi Meir.

Rabbi Yehuda says: In the middle, he asks because of fear, and responds because of honor. And in the sections, he asks because of honor, and responds with greetings to every person.

His brother asked [A0018]a name of an amora, who was

a certain amora, a sage of the Gemara period,] who was

a tannai [A0020]who taught beraitot

one who transmitted beraitot,

of the school of Rabbi Hiyya, from Rabbi Hiyya:

If he needed to ask or respond with greetings because of honor or because of fear

during

the time when he recites

the Hallel, and

likewise

during

the time of reciting

the Megilla, what is the ruling: may he interrupt?

And the sides of the uncertainty are:

Do we say

it is permitted to interrupt, by

a kal va-chomer,

for we find that in the middle of

the Shema—which is from the Torah—

he interrupts

to ask or respond with greetings, and if so,

the Hallel,

whose mitzva is only

rabbinic

is it necessary to ask?!

Or perhaps,

since Hallel and Megilla are read for

publicizing the miracle,

the law of their reading is

superior

to that of reciting the Shema with regard to not interrupting in them, because the virtue of publicizing depends on the continuity of the mention.

He said to him

Rabbi Hiyya to his brother:

He interrupts

as in the Shema,

and there is nothing to it!

Rabba said:

the laws of interruption in Hallel depend on the obligation to recite it:

On days on which an individual

recites the complete Hallel,

between one section and another he interrupts

to ask because of honor,

but in the middle of a section he does not interrupt

to ask because of honor, but because of fear .

And on days on which an individual does not complete the Hallel

but recites it with omissions,

even in the middle of a section he interrupts

to ask because of honor and because of fear .

The Gemara raises an objection:

Is that so? But Rav bar Sheva

who was an important person,

happened to come before Ravina, and it was a day on which an individual does not complete the Hallel, and

nevertheless

Ravina did not interrupt it

in order to ask him about his welfare ?

And the Gemara answers:

Rav bar Sheva is different, for he was not important in Ravina’s eyes,

and therefore he did not interrupt in order to ask after his welfare.

He asked of

Ashyan,

who was

a tannai of the school of Rabbi Ami, from Rabbi Ami:

A person

who is fasting, what is the ruling: may he taste

a dish, in order to know whether he needs to add seasoning to it?

And the sides of the uncertainty are:

Whether only the prohibition of

eating and drinking did he accept upon himself

when he accepted upon himself “a fast,”

or perhaps the prohibition of

the prohibition of

benefit

from food and drink

did he accept upon himself.

And

since even in mere tasting

there is

benefit, it is included in his prohibition.

He said to him

Rabbi Ami to Ashyan:

He tastes, and there is nothing

to it!

It was also taught thus: A taster,

tasting a dish,

does not require a blessing.

And one who is fasting tastes, and there is nothing to it.

How much

may he taste? —

Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Asi tasted up to the measure of a quarter [A0278][a quarter of a log] .

of a log, a liquid measure] .

Rav said: Whoever offers greetings

to his fellow before he prays,

it is as though he made it a private altar.

For by giving the honor of his fellow precedence over the honor of the Divine Presence, he resembles a person who offers his sacrifice on a private altar instead of bringing it to the altar before the Lord.

As it is stated

Isaiah 2:22:

“Cease for yourselves from

engaging with the honor of

man, whose breath is in his nostrils, for in what is he considered?”

According to its plain meaning, it should have said, “for what is he considered?” Therefore they expounded:

“Do not read”

“in

what

is he considered,” but

“in a private altar”

“is he considered.”

mah.”

ma.”

And Shmuel said:

There is no need to expound the verse, because its meaning is expressed as a question:

“In what did you consider him

that you gave precedence to asking after his welfare

and did not

give precedence to praying

to God?”

Rav Sheshet raised an objection

from our Mishna, which says:

“In the sections, one asks because of honor, and responds.”

But the recitation of Shema precedes prayer, so how is it permitted to ask after his welfare during it before prayer?

Rabbi Abba translated it:

The prohibition against asking after another’s welfare before prayer is only

when one rises early to go to his door

of his fellow before prayer in order to ask after his welfare , whereas our Mishna deals with a situation in which he encountered his fellow by chance [while he was reciting the Shema].

(Rabbi Yonah said in the name of Rabbi Zeira: Whoever attends to his affairs

before he prays is as though he built a private altar.)

They said to him: Did you say “a private altar”?

But this comparison applies only when one gives precedence to the honor of man over the honor of the Place, as when he asks after his fellow’s welfare before prayer, but not when attending to his own affairs.

He said to them: No.

I did not compare it to building a private altar, but merely

“it is forbidden,” I was saying. And it is in accordance with Rav Idi bar Avin. Rav Idi bar Avin said in the name of Rav Yitzhak bar Ashyan: It is forbidden for

a person to attend to his affairs

before he prays,

as it is stated

Psalms 85:14:

“Righteousness shall go before him, and he shall set his steps on the way.”

Its meaning is that he should first pray and vindicate his Creator, and only afterward turn to his way and his affairs.

And Rav Idi bar Avin said in the name of Rav Yitzhak bar Ashyan: Whoever prays and afterward sets out on the road, the Holy One, blessed is He, makes

his affairs

prosper for him. As it is stated

Psalms 85:14:

“Righteousness shall go before him, and

then the Holy One, blessed is He,

shall set his steps on the way.”

Rabbi Yonah said in the name of Rabbi Zeira: Whoever spends seven days without a dream is called “evil,” as it is stated

Proverbs 19:23:

“And he shall spend seven nights—

without being visited by evil.”

And they expounded:

“Do not read”

“he shall spend

seven

nights,” but

“he shall spend seven”

“nights.”

even.”

The explanation is that a bad dream is assistance from Heaven to awaken a person to correct his way; and if they did not show him a bad dream for seven days, it appears that he is not worthy of being visited from Heaven.

Rav Aha, son of Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba, said to

Rabbi Yonah:

Thus Rabbi Hiyya said in the name of Rabbi

Yohanan: Whoever fills himself with words of Torah,

and afterward

spends the night, no one announces evil tidings to him, as it is stated, “And he who is filled

with words of Torah

shall spend the night”—

“without being visited by evil.”

We learned in the Mishna:

“These are the sections”:

Rabbi Abbahu said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: The halakha is according to Rabbi Yehuda, who said: Between “your God” and “True and Firm,” one may not interrupt

at all, even in order to respond.

And furthermore,

Rabbi Abbahu said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: What is Rabbi Yehuda’s reason?

But the section of the fringes ends with “your God,” whereas “True and Firm” is the beginning of the blessing that follows the recitation; why may one not interrupt there as “between the sections”?

He explained that Rabbi Yehuda held that it is fitting to say them together,