Berakhot 16a (טז.) — the Talmud in English

And

further,

Rabbi Ḥama, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, said: Why were

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“tents” juxtaposed with “streams,” as it is written [במדבר כד ו]

Numbers 24:6]

“Like streams stretched out, like gardens by a river, like tents

planted, etc.”? —

To tell you: Just as streams elevate a person

who immerses in them

from impurity to purity, so too, tents

the study halls

elevate a person

who sits and studies in them

from the scale of liability to the scale of merit —

and it is effective in returning him to the proper path even after he has sinned.

We learned in the Mishna:

One who recites out of order has not fulfilled his obligation;

if he recited and erred, he must return to the place where he erred.

Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Asi were tying and erecting a wedding canopy

tying and erecting a wedding canopy

for Rabbi Elazar.

Rabbi Elazar

Rabbi Elazar

said to them: Meanwhile,

in the meantime, until you finish erecting it,

I will go hear a matter in the study hall, return, and tell it to you.

He went and found a tanna,

an amora who recited beraitot,

who was teaching

who taught

before Rabbi Yoḥanan

a beraita that states:

One who recited

the recitation of Shema

and erred

by omitting a word or verse

and does not know where he erred,

if he became aware that he had erred while he was

in the middle of a section,

and knows in which section he is,

he must return to the beginning

of the section and recite it through its end, for if he recites only the verse that he omitted, he will be found to be reciting out of order .

And if he knows that he completed one passage and now stands

between sections,

but does not remember which passage he completed,

he returns to the

space following

and begins to recite the passage “VeHaya Im Shamoa” .

And if he knows that he is about to recite “U’khetavtam,” but is uncertain

between one “writing” and the other —

not remembering whether he must say “U’khetavtam” in the first or second passage,

he returns to the point from which he recited

he recited from

“writing”

in the passage

first.

Rabbi Yoḥanan

said to the “tanna” who taught before him:

They taught

that he returns to the first “writing,”

only

in a case

in which he has not begun

the recitation of

“So that your days may be multiplied”; but

if

he has begun

the recitation of

“So that your days may be multiplied,”

he need not return, because we assume that

he followed his accustomed sequence and proceeded accordingly.

He recited the text up to this point according to his usual practice, and once he reached this verse, he certainly had completed reciting the first two passages .

Rabbi Elazar came

Rabbi Elazar

and told them —

to Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Asi — what he had heard in the study hall:

They said to him: Had we come only to hear this matter, it would have sufficed for us!

Mishna:

Workers

who were occupied with their work at the top of a tree or at the top of a tier of stones, and the time for reciting Shema arrived,

recite it at the top of the tree and at the top of the tier [בנין של אבנים] [a stone structure]. For reciting Shema requires intent only for the first verse, and it is possible to have this intent in those places.

a structure made of stones]. This is because when reciting the Shema, intention is required only for the first verse, and it is possible to have this intention in these places.

But they may not do so with regard to prayer.

They may not pray there, because prayer is a request for mercy and one must have intent throughout it; one who prays at the top of a tree or tier fears that he may fall, and because of his fear he cannot have intent.

.

A groom

who married a virgin on Wednesday [as was customary in the time of the Mishna]

is exempt from reciting Shema on the first night

from Thursday night

until the conclusion of Shabbat

which amounts to four nights

if he has not consummated the marriage —

as long as he has not had intercourse, because he is preoccupied with thoughts of intercourse, and he cannot have intent; he is exempt because this is a mitzva-related thought, and one occupied with a mitzva is exempt from another mitzva.

And this applies specifically to the recitation of Shema at night, when his thoughts are preoccupied; but he is obligated in the morning recitation of Shema, because the Jewish people are holy, and during the day he diverts his attention from thoughts of intercourse .

And there was an incident involving Rabban Gamliel

who married a woman and recited

the recitation of Shema on

the first night. His students said to him:

his students:

But

you taught us, our teacher, that a groom is exempt from reciting Shema!

He said to them: I will not heed you and nullify from myself

the recitation of Shema, which is acceptance of the yoke of

the Kingdom of Heaven, even for one hour.

Gemara:

The Sages taught: Workers recite

the recitation of Shema

at the top of a tree and at the top of a tier of stones.

But they may not pray there the Amida prayer,

but they may pray at the top of an olive tree or at the top of a fig tree

when they are occupied with them, because their branches are numerous and they can stand there without difficulty; there is no fear of falling there, and they can have proper intent there .

And

if they are standing at the top of

any other trees —

they descend and pray below.

But a homeowner —

in either case —

whether from an olive or fig tree, or from other trees,

descends and prays below.

Because he is his own master and is not bound to work, he is obligated to descend.

Because his mind is not settled,

because he fears that he may fall. Although they were lenient with workers because of the loss of work time, they were not lenient with a homeowner. With regard to the recitation of Shema, however, the law of a homeowner is the same as that of a worker, and he does not descend .

Rav Mari, son of Bat Shemuel, raised an objection to Rava: We learned in the Mishna: Workers recite

the recitation of Shema

at the top of a tree and at the top of a tier of stones,

even while they are occupied with their work.

Apparently —

the recitation of Shema does not require

intent.

For it is impossible to have intent while they are occupied with their work.

And we raise a contradiction: One who recites Shema must direct his heart, as it is stated: “Hear, O Israel.” And elsewhere [דברים כז ט]

Deuteronomy 27:9]

it says: “Pay heed and hear, O Israel.” [“Pay heed” means to direct it to the heart, that is, to have intent; and “hear” means hearing with the ear.]

Just as there

the “hearing” must be

with “paying heed,” so here

the recitation of Shema must be

with “paying heed.”

Rava fell silent.

Rava.

Rava

said to Rav Mari:

Have you heard anything about this matter?

Rav Mari

said to him:

This is what Rav Sheshet said:

the explanation of the Mishna is as follows: “Workers recite at the top of a tree” —

and that is

that they interrupt their work and recite. So that they can recite with intent, they are permitted to interrupt their work. It follows that the Mishna too maintains, like the beraita, that reciting Shema requires intent.

The Gemara raises a difficulty:

But it was taught in a beraita: “Beit Hillel say: They engage in their work and recite

the recitation of Shema.” This proves that intent is not required, since it is impossible to have intent while engaged in work?

The Gemara answers:

It is not difficult —

this —

the Mishna is discussing

the recitation of

the

in which there is an obligation to have intent while reciting ,

and therefore they must interrupt their work while reciting it.

Whereas

this —

the beraita is discussing

the recitation of

the

which does not require intent, and therefore they may recite even while occupied with their work.

The Sages taught: Workers who were performing work for a homeowner —

recite Shema and recite its blessings before and after it. They eat their bread and recite blessings before and after it. They pray the Eighteen Benedictions. But they do not descend before the ark

when they pray on their own, they do not have a prayer leader descend to repeat the prayer,

and they do not raise their hands

because this would involve excessive interruption of their work.

And the Gemara raises a difficulty:

But wasn’t it taught

that laborers recite only an abbreviated prayer,

a kind of the Eighteen Benedictions,

namely, the prayer of “Grant us understanding” (Havineinu”), which consists of the first three and last three blessings in their full form, while the other eleven blessings are included in the middle blessing?]]

The Gemara answers:

Rav Sheshet said: This is not difficult—

this

the beraita that says that laborers are obligated to recite the entire Eighteen Benedictions, is in accordance with the opinion of

Rabban Gamaliel,

who said below [28b] that each day a person recites eighteen blessings.

And

that

this

the beraita that says that laborers recite only “Grant us understanding,” is in accordance with the opinion of

Rabbi Yehoshua,

who said [there] that each day a person recites a prayer that is a kind of the Eighteen Benedictions.

The Gemara rejects this:

If

the beraita that says that they recite “Grant us understanding” is in accordance with the opinion of

Rabbi Yehoshua,

then

why specifically

did it state this law specifically

with regard to laborers?

For according to his opinion,

even every person as well

recites a prayer that is a kind of the Eighteen Benedictions!?

Therefore, the Gemara explains that there is a different distinction between the beraitot:

Rather, both are in accordance with the opinion of Rabban Gamaliel, and

nevertheless

this is not difficult,

because

here—

where they recite a prayer that is a kind of the Eighteen Benedictions—the case concerns those who

work

for

their wages,

as they receive payment for their labor in addition to their meal, which is provided at the employer’s expense. Therefore, they must hasten their work, and they recite only a prayer that is a kind of the Eighteen Benedictions. But

here—

where they recite the Eighteen Benedictions—the case concerns those who

work

for

their

meal

alone,

and therefore they do not need to hurry so much.

And the Gemara proves that there is a distinction between those who work for their wages and those who work for their meal:

But wasn’t it taught

[as an affirmative statement]:

Laborers who were working for an employer—

recite the Shema and pray

a prayer that is a kind of the Eighteen Benedictions ,

and eat their bread, but do not

recite the blessing before it,

the blessing of “Who brings forth bread from the earth,” since it is not mandated by Torah law .

But they recite two blessings afterward,

because the obligation to recite Grace after Meals is from Torah law, as it is stated: “And you shall eat, and be satisfied, and bless.”]]

How

do they recite two blessings afterward?

The first blessing,

“Who sustains,”

is recited in its entirety, as it is properly formulated.

The second—

they begin with the blessing concerning the Land, and include “Who rebuilds Jerusalem” within the blessing concerning the Land, because the blessing concerning the Land and the rebuilding of Jerusalem are similar; and they do not recite the blessing of “Who is good and does good” at all .

In what case is this statement said? With regard to those who work for their wages, but if they perform their work for

their

meal

alone,

or if the employer was reclining and eating together with them,

and presumably waives his rights with regard to them—

they recite

all four blessings

in their proper form,

of Grace after Meals.

We learned in the Mishna:

A bridegroom is exempt from reciting the Shema.

The Sages taught: “When you sit in your house”—

to exclude one engaged in a mitzva; “and when you walk on the way”—

to exclude a bridegroom. From here the Sages said:

One who takes a virgin

into the wedding canopy

is exempt

from reciting the Shema,

but

one who takes

a widow is obligated

to recite the Shema.

And the Gemara explains:

What is the indication?

How is this matter derived from the implication of the verse?

Rav Pappa said:

“When you walk on the way” implies that the mitzva of reciting the Shema applies only when he is in a situation

like

that of a

“way,”

that is,

just as

walking on a

way

is

optional,

as when one goes about his business or the like,

so too here,

the obligation to recite the Shema applies only when he is engaged in an

optional matter; but when he is going to perform a mitzva, he is exempt.

And the Gemara raises a difficulty: Is it so that

we are not dealing

with this verse also in a situation

where he is going to perform a mitzva, and nevertheless the Merciful One said that he should recite

the Shema? Consequently, one engaged in a mitzva is not exempt from reciting the Shema.

The Gemara answers:

If so,

that the verse is also speaking of going to perform a mitzva,

then

let the verse say “when he walks.” What is the meaning of “when you walk”? Learn from this:

only

when you walk on your own way are you obligated

to interrupt and recite the Shema—

but

when walking

for a mitzva, you are exempt.