Berakhot 2b (ב:) — the Talmud in English

Perhaps

the verse means

the arrival of its light,

that is, the rising of the sun’s light the following morning,

and what is the meaning of “and he shall be pure”? It means that the person becomes pure,

that he purifies himself by bringing his offerings, and only afterward may he eat teruma?

The Gemara answers:

Rabba bar Rav Sheila said:

If “and he shall be pure” means that the verse commands a person to bring his offerings,

then let the verse say: “and he shall purify himself,”

which is an expression of a command to perform an action.

What, then, is the meaning of “and he shall be pure,”

why does the verse use a form whose meaning is that he becomes pure by itself through this? Necessarily, the verse means that

“the day became pure,”

that the day became “pure,” meaning that the light completely disappeared, to the point that the stars emerged—a process that occurs by itself.

As people say: “the sun has set [שקעה החמה]

the sun has gone down

and the day has become pure” [ונטהר היום].

This too is the meaning of the verse “and he shall be pure”: the day became “pure.”

In the West,

in Eretz Yisrael [which is west of Babylonia],

here,

his proof,

Rabba bar Rav Sheila’s proof was not known to them. And

therefore

they raised the following dilemma: This

that which the verse says,

“and the sun sets,”

does it mean

the setting of his sun [שקיעת החמה]

the sunset,

and what is the meaning of “and he shall be pure”—

the day became pure?

Or perhaps,

“and the sun sets” means

the arrival of its light [זריחת החמה]

the rising of the sun,

and what is the meaning of “and he shall be pure”?—

The person becomes pure.

He must bring his offerings for atonement, and only afterward does he become pure with regard to eating teruma as well.

And afterward,

after they raised the dilemma, they returned

and resolved

this uncertainty

from a beraita.

From what is taught in the beraita,

from what we learn in the beraita cited shortly: “And the Sages say: From the time that the priests are entitled to eat their teruma.”

The sign of this is the emergence of the stars.

It follows that from the emergence of the stars the priests are permitted to eat teruma, and bringing an offering for atonement does not prevent them from eating teruma.

Infer from this

from the beraita that “and the sun sets” means

the setting of his sun, and what is the meaning of “and he shall be pure”?—

The day became pure.

And once the day has become pure and passed, the priests are permitted to eat teruma.

The Master said,

the tanna stated in our Mishna: “From when do we recite” ...

“from the time that the priests enter to eat

their teruma.”

The Gemara raises an apparent contradiction from another beraita:

But we raised a contradiction

from that which was taught,

“From when do we recite the Shema in the evenings? From

the time

that a poor person

who has no lamp with which to illuminate his meal

enters to eat his bread with salt,”

and the time for reciting the Shema continues

until the time that

the poor person

stands to leave his meal.

The Gemara explains its question: That which we learned in the

latter clause

of the beraita, that its time continues only until the poor person leaves his meal,

certainly disagrees with our Mishna,

since this time precedes all the times taught in the Mishna: The time of Rabbi Eliezer is the earliest of them all, and it continues until the end of the first watch.

But one must consider whether that which we learned in the

first clause

of the beraita, that its time begins when the poor person enters to eat his bread,

should we say that

this beraita

disagrees with our Mishna,

which established that its time begins when the priests enter to eat their teruma, that is, from the emergence of the stars—or not?

The Gemara answers:

No.

The beraita does not disagree with our Mishna concerning the beginning of the period, because the time when

a poor person

enters to eat his bread

and the time when

the time when

a priest

enters to eat teruma

are one measure,

they are the same time, namely, the emergence of the stars.

Nevertheless, we still find a contradiction from another beraita.

But we raised a contradiction

from that which was taught:

“From when does one begin to recite the evening Shema?”—

“From the time that people enter to eat their bread on Shabbat evenings.”

For on the night of Shabbat they eat earlier than on the other days of the week, because the meal has been prepared during the day,

the words of Rabbi Meir.

And the Sages say: “From the time that the priests are entitled to eat their teruma.”

The sign of this

as to when this time is—

the emergence of the stars.

And although there is no proof for the matter

that the day ends and night begins with the emergence of the stars, nevertheless we find

a remembrance, or indication, of the matter, as it is stated [Nehemiah 4:15]:

“

‘We were engaged in the work, and half of them held the spears, from the break of dawn until the emergence of the stars.’”

And it says,

and it is further stated there [verse 16]:

“‘The night was our guard for us, and the day was work.’”

Thus, the day extends from the break of dawn until the emergence of the stars. Consequently, from the emergence of the stars until the break of dawn is night.

Parenthetically, before the Gemara explains what it intends to challenge from this beraita, it first discusses the meaning of the beraita’s words:

What is the purpose of “and it says”?

Why does the beraita also cite the second verse, when the first verse already states that the daytime period extends from the break of dawn until the emergence of the stars?

The Gemara explains: The second verse is necessary, because

if you would say

if only the first verse had been stated,

from when the sun sets,

from sunset, even before the emergence of the stars,

it is night,

and likewise in the morning, the day begins only with sunrise, not at the break of dawn.

But they,

the laborers,

begin early and work late,

they began their work before the beginning of the day, which is at sunrise, and continued their work into the night. Therefore, the beraita adds:

come and hear

and learn proof from the second verse:

“‘The night was our guard for us, and the day was work,’”

Thus, “the day,” which is the time of their work, ends when “the night,” which is the time of guarding, begins. It follows that “the day” extends until the emergence of the stars, when the guarding began.

The Gemara now continues and concludes its question from the beraita:

It might have entered your mind that

the time when

a poor person

enters to eat his bread every day,

and the time when most

the time when most

people

who are not poor eat their meal on Shabbat evenings,

are one measure.

And if you say that also

the time when

a poor person

enters to eat his bread, and the time when

a priest

enters to eat his teruma

are one measure,

namely, the emergence of the stars, then it follows that the time stated by

the Sages

in the beraita, “from the time that the priests enter to eat teruma,”

is

the same as the time stated by

Rabbi Meir

“from the time that people enter to eat their bread on Shabbat evening,” since the time of the “poor person” and the “priest” is the same, and the time of the “poor person” and of “people” is the same. If so, over what did Rabbi Meir and the Sages disagree in the beraita?

Rather, infer from this

that the eating time of

the “poor person” is one measure, while that of the “priest” is another measure.

It follows that the first clause of the first beraita disagrees with our Mishna. This is the dispute between the Sages and Rabbi Meir in the second beraita: The Sages hold that the time begins when the priests enter, namely, at the emergence of the stars. Rabbi Meir holds that it begins when people enter, which is the same time as when a poor person enters to eat his bread on weekdays, and this is earlier than the time of the priests.

The Gemara rejects the proof:

No!

In fact, the time of

the “poor person”

who enters to eat his bread, and the time of

the “priest”

who enters to eat teruma

are one measure,

namely, the emergence of the stars, and the first beraita does not disagree with our Mishna in this regard.

But

the measure of

the “poor person”

who enters to eat his bread

and

the measure of

“people”

who enter to eat on Shabbat evenings

are not one measure,

and this is the dispute between the Sages and Rabbi Meir in the second beraita: According to the Sages, the time begins when the priests enter, which is the same as the time when the poor person enters to eat his bread. According to Rabbi Meir, the time begins when people enter to eat on Shabbat evenings, and that time is earlier than the time of the “priest” and the “poor person.”

The Gemara continues to ask about this:

and

because

are “a poor person” and “a priest” referring to the same measure of time?

And we raise a contradiction from

another beraita:

From when do they begin to recite the Shema in the evening? —

From the time

that the day became sanctified on the eve of Shabbat.

That is, from the time of bein hashmashot, which is a period when it is uncertain whether it is still day or whether night has already begun, and because of the uncertainty one is forbidden to perform labor,

the words of Rabbi Eliezer.

Rabbi Joshua says: From the time that the kohanim are purified to eat their teruma.

Rabbi Yehoshua says: From the time that priests are purified so that they may eat their teruma.

That is, at the emergence of the stars.

Rabbi Meir says:

From the time

that priests

who are impure

immerse

in order

to eat

at night

their teruma.

That is, a short time before bein hashmashot, while it is still day; they immerse early so that sunset will occur after their immersion.

Rabbi Yehuda said

to Rabbi Meir: How can it be that this time is referred to by the verse “when you lie down”

when priests immerse while it is still day!

That is, before bein hashmashot, when it is still day and is not the time for lying down.

Rabbi Hanina says: From the time that a poor person enters to eat his bread with salt.

Rav Aḥai—and some say Rabbi Aḥa—says: From the time that most people enter

to recline for their meal. This concludes the wording of the beraita.

The Gemara concludes its question:

And if you say

that the time of

“a poor person” and

the time of

“a priest” are the same measure,

then it follows that the time stated by

Rabbi Hanina, “

from the time that a poor person enters,”

is

the same as the time stated by

Rabbi Yehoshua, “

from the time that the priests are purified.” Yet the beraita indicates that they disagree about the beginning of the time for reciting the Shema.

Rather, is it not that one may conclude from this that the measure of “a poor person” is one thing, and the measure of “a priest” is another?

The Gemara’s conclusion is:

Conclude from this.

Indeed, they are two different times.

The Gemara discusses:

Which of them is later,

the time when a poor person enters to eat and the time when priests enter to eat teruma—which of these is the later time?

The Gemara proves:

It is reasonable that the time when

a

poor person

enters to eat his bread is later than the time when priests enter to eat their teruma, which is at the emergence of the stars.

For if you say that the time of

a

“poor person” is earlier,

and is before the emergence of the stars, then

Rabbi Hanina,

who said that the time is “from the time that a poor person enters to eat his bread,”

would be

the same as the time of

Rabbi Eliezer,

who said, “from the time that the day became sanctified on the eve of Shabbat,” which is also before the emergence of the stars.

Rather, is it not that one may conclude from this that the time when a

“

poor person

” enters to eat

is later,

after the emergence of the stars?

The Gemara’s conclusion is:

Conclude from this.

Indeed, the time of the “poor person” is after the emergence of the stars.

The Master said,

in the [third] beraita cited above:

Rabbi Yehuda said

to Rabbi Meir:

But do priests not immerse while it is still day?!

The Gemara asks:

Rabbi Yehuda has stated a good argument to Rabbi Meir;

what will Rabbi Meir answer him?

The Gemara answers:

And Rabbi Meir said to him as follows: Do you think that I am referring to your bein hashmashot,

which begins at sunset, so that according to your view the priests immerse before sunset?!

I am referring to Rabbi Yosei’s bein hashmashot.

As Rabbi Yosei said:

The duration of

bein hashmashot

is as short

as the blink of an eye,

the amount of time taken by a relaxed blink,

this

[the night]

enters and this

[the day]

departs.

That moment of transition is called bein hashmashot, and before it is certainly day.

And

because it is so brief,

it is impossible to determine it

and establish exactly when it occurs. Since this time is close to the emergence of the stars, the priests can immerse after sunset until close to the emergence of the stars, and since it is close to nightfall, it is considered the time of lying down.