Berakhot 31a — the Talmud in English

He brought a cup of white glass

[an expensive glass cup]

worth

the value of

four hundred zuz, and broke it before them

of the Sages,

and he saddened them.

Rav Ashi made a wedding feast for his son. He saw that the Sages were exceedingly merry. He brought a white glass cup

[a white glass cup, which is expensive],

and broke it before them, and he saddened them.

The Sages said to Rav Hamnuna the younger, at the wedding feast of Mar, son of Ravina: Let our master sing

[let him sing]

for us

a song.

He said to them: Woe is to us that we shall die

[that we shall die],

woe is to us that we shall die!

The Sages said to him

the Sages:

We—what shall we answer after you!?

as is the manner of singers, that the listeners answer after them?

He said to them:

Say and sigh after me:

Where is

[where]

Torah

in which we engaged,

and where is mitzva

which we fulfilled,

that protect

[that they should protect]

us

from the judgment of Gehinnom?

Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai: It is forbidden for a person to fill his mouth with laughter in this world,

as it is stated

[Psalms 126:2]

“Then our mouth shall be filled with laughter and our tongue with singing.”

And

when

will he do so? – In the future,

at the time when “they will say among the nations

the Lord has done great things with these.”

as stated at the continuation of the verse, but not before that.

It was said concerning Reish Lakish that throughout his life he never filled his mouth with laughter in this world, from the time he heard

this teaching

from Rabbi Yoḥanan, his teacher.

The Sages taught: One does not stand to pray either from

sitting in

judgment, nor from

deliberation in

a matter of halakha,

because since these matters require examination, he will come to contemplate them during his prayer.

And therefore one does not stand to pray

except from a decisive halakha,

which contains no aspect of uncertainty, requires no examination, and presents no concern that he will come to contemplate it.

And what is a decisive halakha?

Abaye said: Like that of Rabbi Zeira.

For Rabbi Zeira said:

We find in the Torah two forms of impurity in a woman who saw blood: a. The seven days from the time of her first sight are called “days of menstruation,” and any blood that she sees during them is “menstrual blood.” b. The eleven days after them are called “days of flux,” because it is not her practice to see blood during them, and if nevertheless she saw, she becomes a “flux-woman” and not a menstruant. And one who sees blood during those days of flux for one day or two days is called a “minor flux-woman,” and she is impure with the impurity of a flux-woman only on that day and the following day; and if she saw for three consecutive days, she is impure with the impurity of a “major flux-woman.”

A major flux-woman requires counting seven clean days free of blood so that she can immerse and become pure from the impurity of her flux; but a menstruant does not require counting seven clean days. Rather, she counts seven days from the beginning of her sight, and even if she was flowing throughout all seven days and stopped seeing only before the end of the seventh day, she immerses on the night of the eighth and becomes pure.

And all this is according to Torah law, but

the daughters of Israel were stringent upon themselves, so that even if they see a drop of blood the size of a mustard seed,

at any time, whether during their days of menstruation or during their days of flux, she

sits over it seven clean days!

For they were concerned that they might err in calculating the days of menstruation and flux, and during their days of flux they would think that they were menstruants and come to purify themselves without counting seven clean days; or that during their days of menstruation, if they saw blood for only one day, they would think that they were “minor flux-women” and come to purify themselves after one clean day.

Therefore, in every sighting they adopted the stringency of both: the stringency of a zava, who requires seven clean days, and the stringency of a nida, who becomes impure for seven days even through one sighting.

Rava said:

what is a decisive halakha? —

Like that of Rav Oshaya.

For Rav Oshaya said:

By Torah law, produce becomes liable for terumot and tithes only if they brought it into the house through the entrance, and the produce saw the face of the [entrance of the] house. And the seeing of the face of the house establishes the produce for liability for the tithe only after its work has been completed, such as the smoothing of the produce.

And the Rabbis prohibited eating regularly without tithing, even before the completion of its work. But eating by an animal is permitted before it has been established for the tithe, even by rabbinic law, because it is always considered an incidental eating. And it follows that

a person may employ a ruse with his produce in order to exempt it from terumot and tithes,

by

bringing it

into the house

with its chaff.

For its work has still not been completed, and the seeing of the face of the house does not establish it for tithes. And since its entry into the house took place while it was exempt, it again does not become liable, even if he completes its work after bringing it into the house. And although he himself would be prohibited by rabbinic law from eating it regularly, he should do so

so that his animal may eat and be exempt from the tithe,

for they decreed only with regard to a person's regular eating.

And if you wish, say:

what is a decisive halakha?

Like that of Rav Huna.

For Rav Huna said in the name of Rav Zeira: One who lets blood from a consecrated animal while it is alive —

the

blood

is prohibited for benefit, and one commits sacrilege with it.

If he benefited from that blood, he becomes liable for a sacrilege-offering.

And although “one does not commit sacrilege with blood,” that refers to after the offering has been slaughtered in the Temple courtyard, because it is stated: “I have given it to you upon the altar to effect atonement,” and they expounded: “I have given it to effect atonement — but not for sacrilege.” But this exposition was said only concerning blood fit for sprinkling, which was given for atonement, but not concerning blood from letting; therefore, one commits sacrilege with it.

These three laws are considered “decisive halakhot,” because there are no questions or answers concerning them, and there is no concern that he will contemplate them during his prayer.

The Rabbis acted in accordance with the Mishna,

and prayed with solemn seriousness.

And

Rav Ashi acted in accordance with the beraita,

and prayed with a decisive halakha.

The Sages taught: One does not stand to pray either from sadness, or from laziness, or from laughter, or from frivolous conversation

of mockery,

or from frivolity

[arrogance and light-mindedness, which are the opposite of solemn seriousness],

or from idle matters.

Rather,

one stands to pray

with the joy of a mitzva,

such as words of consolation from the Torah, like the redemption from Egypt that we recite close to the Eighteen in the morning, and the psalm “A praise of David” before the afternoon prayer. [And outside the Land of Israel they recite eighteen verses before the evening prayer].

Likewise, a person should not take leave of his fellow either with conversation, or with laughter, or with frivolity, or with idle matters. Rather, with a halakhic matter,

that is, the joy of a mitzva, as it is stated: “The ordinances of the Lord are upright, rejoicing the heart” [Tur].

For thus we find among the earlier prophets

who lived in the generations preceding our generation,

that they concluded their words with words of praise and supplication.

Таннай Мари, сын сына Рава Хуны, сына Рава Ирмии бар Аббы, учил: человек не должен прощаться с товарищем иначе как после изучения галахического вопроса,

The tanna Mari bar baria of Rav Huna, son of Rav Yirmeya bar Abba, taught: A person should not take leave of his fellow except with a halakhic matter,

because

through this

he

will remember him.

Like that

which we find,

that Rav Kahana accompanied

[literally: accompanied him] on the road

Rav Shimi bar Ashi, from Mefum Nehara to Bei Tzinitai

[a place of palms]

of Babylonia.

When he arrived there

[at Bei Tzinitai],

he said to him: Master, surely people say: These palms

[palms]

of Babylonia have existed f

rom the days of

the first man until now.

He said to him: You have reminded me

[you have reminded me]

of a matter of Rabbi Yosei bar Hanina, for Rabbi Yosei bar Hanina said: What is the meaning of that which is written

[Jeremiah 2:6]

“In a land through which no man passed, and where no person dwelt”? -

But once no

man

passed there, how did

he dwell there? And what does the end of the verse come to teach us?

Rather, it is to tell you: Every land concerning which the first man decreed

that it should merit

settlement became settled.

And every land concerning which the first man did not decree settlement did not become settled.

Therefore people say about these palms that they are from the time of the first man, for he decreed that that place should be settled with palms.

Rav Mordechai accompanied Rav Shimi bar Ashi from Hagrunya to Bei Kifei, and some say: to Bei Dura.

The Sages taught: One who prays —

must direct his heart toward Heaven.

Abba Shaul says:

We find

a sign

for this matter, as it is stated [Psalms 10:17]:

“You prepare their heart; Your ear listens.”

And its meaning is that if they direct their heart to direct it toward Heaven, then He will listen to their prayer.

It was taught: Rabbi Yehuda said: This was the practice of Rabbi Akiva:

When he prayed with the congregation, he would shorten

his prayer

and rise, because of the burden upon the congregation.

And when he prayed by himself,

he would move far away from his place during the prayer, to such an extent that if

a person placed him

at the beginning of his prayer

in this corner,

he would

find him

at its end

in another corner!

And why so much?

Because

he performed many

bowings and prostrations

during his prayer.

Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba said: A person should always pray in a house that has windows, as it is stated

[in Daniel 6:11, after a letter had gone forth from the king that anyone who made any request of a god or any person besides the king for thirty days would be thrown into a lions' pit]: “And Daniel, when he knew that the writing had been signed, entered his house,

and windows were open for him

in his upper chamber facing Jerusalem” [windows were open for him in his upper chamber facing Jerusalem].

Another law was learned from Daniel's prayer:

Could a person pray the entire day

voluntary prayers, in addition to the obligatory prayers, without introducing anything new into the additional prayer? -

Behold, it is

already explicitly stated by Daniel,

[there]:

“And three times

a day he knelt upon his knees and prayed.” Behold, he prayed only three times, and no more.

Could it be that from the time Daniel came

into

exile prayer began,

and not at the time when the Temple existed and offerings were brought there, for the entire basis of prayer is in place of the offerings?

Разве

Is it not already stated

there: “And he prayed and gave thanks before his God, just as he had done

since before this” [he prayed and gave thanks before his God as he had done earlier], indicating that he had already prayed before the Babylonian exile?

[молился и благодарил перед своим Божеством, как делал это прежде]? Следовательно, он молился уже до вавилонского изгнания.

Could a person pray toward any direction he wishes?

The verse says

[there]:

“Toward Jerusalem.”

Could he include them all

the three prayers and recite them

at one time?

It was already made explicit by David

It has already been made explicit by David

that he should not do so,

as it is written [

Psalms 55:18 ]:

“Evening and morning

and noontime I shall speak and moan, and He shall hear my voice.”

Could he make his voice heard in his prayer

and pray aloud?

It has already been made explicit by Hannah,

that she did not do so,

for

it is

stated [

in her prayer, I Samuel 1:13 ]:

“And her voice was not heard.”

Could a person ask for his needs

specified in the middle blessings of the Shemoneh Esrei,

and then pray

the first three blessings, which are praise of the Holy One, blessed is He?

It has already been made explicit by Solomon,

that first he should arrange the praise and afterward ask for his needs,

as it is stated [

I Kings 8:28 ]

“To hear the song and the prayer.”

“Song”

this is prayer

of praise, namely, the first three blessings.

“Prayer”

this is a request

for his needs.

Thus Scripture placed “song” before “prayer,” and so it is proper to conduct oneself in the order of prayer.

And they further derived from this: although he has already said the “song” of praise in the recitation of Shema and its blessings,

a

person

does not say a matter of request

after “True and certain”,

until he joins redemption to prayer and says the first three blessings of the Shemoneh Esrei, and only afterward did they institute asking for his needs.

But after the prayer

he may add requests, and

even

if he wishes to lengthen it at its end

in the order of the confession of Yom Kippur, he says it.

It was also stated: Rav Hiyya bar Ashi said in the name of Rav: Although they said that a person asks for his needs

specifically

in the blessing “Who hears prayer,”

and not in the other blessings of the Shemoneh Esrei. But

if he comes to say

requests

after his prayer—

even in the order of the day

of Atonement, he says them.

Rav Hamnuna said: How many great halakhot

[great laws]

can be heard from these verses concerning Hannah:

A. [

“And Hannah was speaking over her heart” ]—

from here

we learned

concerning one who prays,

that

he must direct

his

heart

in his prayer.

B.

“Only her lips moved” —

from here we learn concerning one who prays,

that he must

articulate

and utter the prayer

with his lips,

and it is not sufficient that he meditate in his heart.

C.

“And her voice was not heard”—

from here: it is forbidden to raise one’s voice in his prayer.

D.

“And Eli considered her drunk” —

from here,

[from the fact that he reproved her for drunkenness]

that a drunk person is forbidden to pray.