Berakhot 15a — the Talmud in English

And Rabbi Yohanan said: One who wishes to accept upon himself the complete

yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven ![](pamud.bmp "

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should relieve himself

so that his body will be clean when reciting the Shema and praying,

and wash his hands, put on tefillin, recite the Shema, and pray; and this is

the acceptance of the

complete yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: Whoever relieves himself

of his bodily needs

and washes his hands, puts on tefillin, recites the Shema, and prays, Scripture considers it for him as though he built an altar and offered a sacrifice upon it, as it is written [Psalms 26:6]

(Psalms 26:6),

“I wash my hands in cleanliness, and I go around Your altar, O Lord.”

Rava said

to Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba:

Does the Master not hold

that one who washes his hands before prayer, Scripture considers it for him

as though he immersed

his entire body in a mikva? For this is what is implied by

as it is written,

the expression

“I wash [A0031]in cleanliness”

“in purity,”

which means, “I wash myself,”

and not

is it said

“I make wash [A0036]my hands”

“my hands,”

which would mean that I wash my hands; and necessarily, the meaning is that in the merit of washing his hands he is considered as one who washes his entire body for prayer.

Ravina said to Rava: Have you seen this young Torah scholar who came from the West and said: “One who has no water with which to wash his hands

when he comes to pray,

wipes his hands

by rubbing them

with earth, a pebble, or a splinter of wood”?

He said to him

Rava to Ravina:

He has spoken well,

that young Torah scholar, for

is it written, “I wash with water”? It is written: “

I wash

in cleanliness”,

which means that he washes with

anything that cleans.

It is likewise demonstrated that there is no obligation to wash specifically with water:

for Rav Hisda cursed anyone who sought water at the time of prayer

[in certain circumstances, as follows].

And this applies

that Rav Hisda ruled that one should not seek water specifically

for the recitation of the Shema,

for its time is fixed, and if he seeks water he may let its time pass,

but for prayer

whose time is the entire day

he seeks

to wash his hands specifically with water.

The Gemara discusses:

And how much

what is the measure of the distance that he is required to travel in order to seek water?

Up to a parsa.

And this applies

that he must seek as far as a parsa, specifically

ahead of him

when he is traveling on the road, he must proceed up to a parsa and seek water for washing,

but

if there is no water ahead on the road, but only if he turns back

behind him, even one mil

[which is a quarter of a parsa]

he does not turn back.

The Gemara infers:

And from it

it follows from this statement that specifically a distance of

a mil

behind him

is what he does not turn back for; but for less than a mil he turns back.

Mishna:

One who recites the Shema

quietly

and did not make it heard to his ear has fulfilled

his obligation of reciting the Shema.

Rabbi Yosei says: He has not fulfilled.

If he recited and was not precise with its letters,

to articulate them properly with his lips,

Rabbi Yosei says he has fulfilled; Rabbi Yehuda says he has not fulfilled.

One who recites

words or verses from it

in reverse order—

placing the later before the earlier—

has not fulfilled.

If he recited and erred,

and does not know where he is holding now,

he returns to the place where he erred,

that is, the place up to which he knows that he recited properly.

Gemara:

What is the reason of Rabbi Yosei

that if he did not make it heard to his ear he has not fulfilled?

Because it is written, “Hear,”

and its meaning is

make heard

to your ear what you bring forth from your mouth.

The Gemara explains the other side:

And the first Tanna,

how will he interpret the meaning of “hear”?

He holds

that the meaning of

“hear”

is “understand,” teaching that one may recite

in every language that you hear.

The Gemara returns to explain the other side:

And Rabbi Yosei,

from where does he learn that one may recite in every language?

Both derive from “hear,”

for the meaning of the word “hear” is both that one may recite in every language that one hears and that one must make it heard to his ear.

We learned there [Terumot 1:2]:

(Terumot 1:2):

A deaf-mute who speaks but does not hear may not separate teruma,

because he does not hear the blessing that he recites at the time of separation,

but if he separated

after the fact,

his teruma is teruma.

The Gemara discusses:

Who is the Tanna

who stated this law, that

a deaf-mute who speaks but does not hear—

only

after the fact there is

a valid separation, but

initially he may not separate?

Rav Hisda said:

It is according to the opinion of

Rabbi Yosei

in our Mishna;

it is.

For we learned: “One who recites the Shema and does not make it heard to his ear has fulfilled”—the words of Rabbi Yehuda. Rabbi Yosei says: He has not fulfilled.

Rav Hisda infers:

Rabbi Yosei said “he has not fulfilled” only

with regard to

the recitation of the Shema,

which is a mitzva

from the Torah, but

the reason that a deaf-mute may not separate

teruma

is because

he cannot hear the

blessing, and

the obligation of a

blessing

is only

rabbinic.

And

therefore

the matter does not depend on the blessing—for it does not prevent the teruma from taking effect; consequently, although he does not fulfill his obligation through the blessing, his separation takes effect.

the blessing does not prevent the teruma from taking effect, and so, although he does not fulfill his obligation through the blessing, his separation is valid.

The Gemara raises an objection:

And from where

do we know that the Mishna in Terumot follows the view

of Rabbi Yosei, while Rabbi Yehuda holds that a deaf-mute may separate teruma initially?

Could it perhaps be that the Mishna follows Rabbi Yehuda?

And

perhaps it is Rabbi Yehuda.

And what he

said concerning the Shema as well,

said regarding the recitation of the Shema also, that he fulfills his obligation when he did not make it heard to his ear, means only

when he does not make it audible to his ear, applies only

after the fact, yes,

but

initially, no: he may recite only if he makes it heard to his ear.

Know

that Rabbi Yehuda holds that initially one must make it heard to his ear:

For it teaches: “One who recites

the Shema and does not make it heard to his ear has fulfilled.” The meaning of the expression “one who recites” is that only

after the fact—

yes,

but

initially, no: he may recite only if he makes it heard to his ear [and if so, it is possible to explain that the Mishna in Terumot follows Rabbi Yehuda, and its meaning is that a deaf-mute may not separate initially because he does not make it heard to his ear, contrary to Rav Hisda].

But the Gemara rejects the inference from the wording of the Mishna:

But the Gemara rejects the inference from the wording of the Mishna:

They said: This that it teaches “one who recites”

in the language of after the fact was not written to teach that he fulfills only after the fact, but rather to

inform you of the force of Rabbi Yosei,

and to reveal that his intention in what he

said, “he has not fulfilled,”

is

that even after the fact he has not fulfilled. For if

it were

Rabbi Yehuda

holds that one who recites and does not make it heard to his ear

has fulfilled even initially, [and it follows that what we learned in Terumot, that initially he may not separate, may be only according to Rabbi Yosei, in accordance with Rav Hisda’s words].

Thus, what we learned in Terumot—that one may not separate teruma initially—could indeed follow Rabbi Yosei, as Rav Ḥisda said.

The Gemara asks:

In accordance with whom did you establish

the Mishna in Terumot?

As Rabbi Yosei, and

if so, this is difficult:

But that which was taught: “A person should not recite the grace after meals in his heart

that is, in a manner in which he does not hear it with his ears ,

and if

after the fact

he recited

quietly

he has fulfilled”—who is it?

After all,

it is neither Rabbi Yosei nor Rabbi Yehuda,

for they do not hold so:

for if it is Rabbi Yehuda, he said that even initially he has fulfilled,

so why does it say, “He should not recite it in his heart”?

And if it is Rabbi Yosei,

the statement in the latter clause that “if he blessed, he has fulfilled his obligation” is difficult, for according to his opinion,

even after the fact, he has not

fulfilled his obligation, since Grace after Meals is from the Torah .

Rather, what is it?

Necessarily, this beraita is according to the opinion of

Rabbi Yehuda. And

it is evident that according to his opinion,

after the fact, no—

one does not fulfill the obligation of reciting Shema if he did not make it heard to his ear, but

initially, no. [And it follows once again that the Mishna in Terumot is according to Rabbi Yehuda, who says that a deaf person should not separate teruma initially, because he does not hear the blessing that he utters with his mouth.]

—and it follows once again that the Mishna in Trumot is according to Rabbi Yehuda: a deaf-mute may not initially separate the tithe, because he cannot hear the blessing that he utters.

And according to this explanation of the Mishna in Terumot, the Gemara asks:

Rather, this that Rabbi Yehuda son of Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi taught: “A deaf person who speaks but does not hear separates teruma initially”—whose opinion is it?

For

it is the opinion of neither Rabbi Yosei nor Rabbi Yehuda

who maintain this:

For if it is Rabbi Yehuda, he said

with regard to the silent recitation of Shema:

after the fact, yes; initially, no,

so how can a deaf person separate teruma initially?

And if it is Rabbi Yosei, he said

that if he did not make it heard to his ear,

even after the fact he has not fulfilled his obligation,

since the Sages instituted with regard to teruma that he should make the blessing heard to his ear, as with Shema, and if he does not make it heard, his teruma does not take effect .

Rather, it is always Rabbi Yehuda

who maintains that a deaf person separates teruma

even initially as well,

and the Mishna in Terumot that says “he should not separate” is according to the opinion of Rabbi Yosei , but after the fact his teruma is teruma, since the blessing is only rabbinic.

And

nevertheless

it is not difficult:

who said the beraita that he must initially make the blessing of Grace after Meals heard to his ears?

For

this,

the beraita stating that a deaf person separates teruma initially, is

his,

Rabbi Yehuda himself stated it.

And

if

this,

the statement found in the beraita that with regard to Grace after Meals one fulfills his obligation only after the fact, was stated by Rabbi Yehuda only according to

his teacher,

as follows:

For we learned: Rabbi Yehuda says in the name of Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah: One who recites the Shema must make it heard to his ear, as it is stated

[Deuteronomy 6:4]

“Hear, Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.”

And the meaning of the word “must” is that his obligation is only initially, but after the fact he has fulfilled it even if he did not make it heard to his ear. [And if so, it is reasonable that he is the tanna who taught in the beraita that the obligation to make the blessing of Grace after Meals heard to his ear is only initially] .

Rabbi Meir said

to Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah: even initially there is no need to make the recitation of Shema heard to his ear, for

he says, “

“And these words shall be”

“which I command you today shall be upon your heart.”

And its meaning is that

“after the intention of the heart are the ‘words’ themselves.”

That is, he need only direct his heart to the “words” stated here, but he need not make them heard to his ears.

And the Gemara concludes:

Now that you have arrived at this,

that we have found the opinion of Rabbi Meir that there is no need to make it heard to his ears even initially,

you may even say that Rabbi Yehuda, according to his teacher,

Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah,

maintains

that initially one must make the recitation of Shema heard to his ear,

and

nevertheless

it is not difficult

who said the beraita that one must initially make the blessing of Grace after Meals heard to his ears, for

this,

the beraita stating that a deaf person separates teruma initially,

Rabbi Meir

stated it.

And

if

this,

what we find in the beraita concerning Grace after Meals, and in the Mishna in Terumot concerning the teruma of a deaf person, that initially he must make it heard to his ear, was stated according to

Rabbi Yehuda.

We learned there

[Megilla 19b]:

“All are fit to read the Megilla, except for a deaf person, an imbecile, and a minor; Rabbi Yehuda validates a minor.”

And the Gemara discusses it:

Who is the tanna

who stated the law of

a deaf person

together with an imbecile, implying that

even after the fact, he does not

enable others to fulfill their obligation?

Rav Mattana said:

It is according to the opinion of

Rabbi Yosei.

For we learned: One who recites the Shema but did not make it heard to his ear has fulfilled his obligation; these are the words of Rabbi Yehuda. Rabbi Yosei says: He has not fulfilled his obligation.

And since he cannot fulfill the obligation of reading the Megilla even after the fact, he is exempt from reading it, and therefore he cannot enable others to fulfill their obligation, because he is not obligated like them. [But according to Rabbi Yehuda, who fulfills his obligation through his recitation after the fact, he can also enable others to fulfill their obligation after the fact.]

And the Gemara asks:

And from where [is this]?

From where do we know that the Mishna in Megilla is according to the opinion

of Rabbi Yosei, and

that its explanation is that even

after the fact as well, he does not

enable the others to fulfill their obligation?