Berakhot 32b — the Talmud in English

Rabbi Elazar said: Great is prayer, more than good deeds

without prayer,

for

behold,

there is no one greater in good deeds than Moses our teacher,

and

even so, he was not answered

because of his good deeds alone,

but through prayer.

As it is said

[Deuteronomy 3:26]

“Do not continue to speak to Me further about this matter,”

to request to enter the Land,

and

He only fulfilled his request to see the Land, for

immediately afterward it says, “Ascend to the summit of the peak

and lift your eyes westward, northward, southward, and eastward, and see with your eyes, for you shall not cross this Jordan.” And even though Moses certainly possessed good deeds, nevertheless he required prayer; this shows that prayer is greater than good deeds without prayer.

And Rabbi Elazar said: Greater is fasting than charity!

What is the reason? —

Because this

one

[the fast] he fulfills

with his body, and

whereas this

one

[the charity] he fulfills

with his money.

And Rabbi Elazar said: Greater is prayer than the sacrifices.

As it is said

[Isaiah 1:11]

“What are your many sacrifices to Me,

says the Lord,”

and it is written

there later,

“And when you spread out your hands,

I shall hide My eyes from you; even when you increase prayer, I do not hear.” Now, if sacrifices are greater than prayer, why was it necessary to say that He also takes no pleasure in their prayer, after He had already said that He takes no pleasure in their sacrifices? It must be that prayer is greater; therefore He added that He takes no pleasure not only in their sacrifices, but even in their prayer.

Rabbi Yohanan said: Any priest who killed a person shall not raise his hands

to bless Israel,

as it is said

[there, verse 15]

“Your hands are full of blood.”

And Rabbi Elazar said: From the day the Temple was destroyed, the gates of prayer were locked, as it is said

[Lamentations 3:8]

“Even

when I cry out and plead, He has shut out my prayer.”

Как сказано [Псалмы 109:13]: «Услышь мою молитву, Господи, внемли моему воплю; к моим слезам не будь безучастен». Из этого следует, что о молитве и вопле необходимо умолять Всевышнего, чтобы Он услышал их, тогда как слёзы предстают перед Ним в любом случае: ведь не сказано «увидь мои слёзы», и, следовательно, они уже видны Ему; поэтому просят лишь, чтобы Всевышний ответил на слёзы.

And although the gates of prayer were locked, the gates of tears were not locked.

As it is said

[Psalms 39:13]

“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and listen to my cry; do not be silent before my tears.”

It implies that concerning prayer and pleading one must beseech the Holy One, blessed is He, to hear them, whereas the tears are visible before Him in every circumstance, for it does not say, “You shall see my tears,” implying that they are visible before Him; therefore he requested only that the Holy One, blessed is He, respond to the tears.

Rava did not decree a fast on a cloudy day

[a day covered with clouds],

because it is said

[Lamentations 3:44]

“You have enveloped Yourself in a cloud, so that prayer may not pass through!”

For the cloud sometimes serves as an angel of mercy, but it is also possible that it serves as a barrier before the prayer, so that it does not ascend above.

And Rabbi Elazar said: From the day the Temple was destroyed, there ceased to be

[there ceased to be]

an iron wall between Israel and their Father in Heaven.

As it is said

[Ezekiel 4:3]

“And you, take for yourself an iron pan and place it as an iron wall between you and the city,”

and this corresponds to the iron partition that separates between Israel and the Holy One, blessed is He.

Rabbi Hanin said in the name of Rabbi Hanina: Whoever prolongs

his prayer, his prayer does not return empty!

And

from where do we know

this? —

From Moses our teacher!

For it is said concerning the episode of the calf, [Deuteronomy 9:26]

“And I prayed to the Lord,” and it is written afterward

[Deuteronomy 9:18]

“And the Lord listened to me also that time.”

он придёт к сердечной боли, как сказано [Притчи 13:12]:

The Gemara raises an objection:

Is that so? But Rav Hiyya bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: Whoever prolongs his prayer and examines it —

expecting that his request will be fulfilled by virtue of his prolonging it,

in the end

is not answered, and because his desire was not fulfilled, he

comes to heartache, as it is said

[Proverbs 13:12]

“Hope

[of prayer, an expression of entreaty and supplication]

deferred makes the heart sick.”

And

what is his remedy

so that he may obtain his request? —

He should engage in Torah, as it is said

at the end of the verse [there 3:18],

“And a tree of life is desire that comes,” and “tree of life” refers only to Torah, as it is said, “It is a tree of life to those who grasp it,”

and if so, this is difficult for Rabbi Hanin, who said that through prolonging the prayer he is answered.

The Gemara answers:

It is not difficult; this

that Rabbi Yohanan said, “In the end he comes to heartache,” refers to a case in which he

prolongs

his prayer

and examines it,

expecting it to be answered because he prayed with concentration. Whereas

this

that Rabbi Hanin said, “His prayer does not return empty,” refers to a case in which he

prolongs

his prayer

but does not examine it.

в молитве, и даже если ты не был услышан, крепись, и да укрепится сердце твоё, и уповай в дополнительной молитве на Господа!»

Rav Hama son of Rabbi Hanina said: If a person saw that he prayed and was not answered, let him pray again, as it is said

[Psalms 27:14]

“Hope in the Lord”

in prayer, and even if you were not answered,

“Be strong and let your heart be courageous, and hope

in another prayer

in the Lord!”

The Sages taught: Four

things

require strengthening!

A person must always strengthen himself in them with all his strength.

And these are: Torah, good deeds, prayer, and the way of the world

[a person’s occupation. If he is a craftsman, he must strengthen himself in his craft; and if he is a merchant, in his commerce. And if he is a warrior, he should strengthen himself in his warfare].

The Gemara explains:

From where

do we know that Torah and good deeds require strengthening? —

As it is said

[Joshua 1:7]:

“Only be very strong and courageous, to observe and to do according to all the Torah,”

and so they expounded:

“Be strong” in Torah, and “be courageous” in good deeds.

From where

do we know that prayer requires strengthening? —

As it is said: “Hope in the Lord, be strong and let your heart be courageous, and hope in the Lord.”

The repetition of the words of strengthening indicates that one must strengthen himself again and again in order to direct his heart properly.

From where is the way of the world? —

As it is said

during the war of Ammon and Aram, when Joab said [II Samuel 10:12]:

“Be strong, and let us strengthen ourselves for the sake of our people

and for the sake of the cities of our God, and the Lord shall do what is good in His eyes.” The repetition of the words of strengthening indicates that they should strengthen themselves again in the war, and likewise each person must strengthen himself in his occupation.

It is said [Isaiah 49:14]:

“And Zion said, ‘The Lord has abandoned me, and the Lord has forgotten me.’”

The Gemara asks: Behold,

“abandoned” is the same as “forgotten,”

so what does the repetition of the verse teach us?

Reish Lakish said: The Assembly of Israel said before the Holy One, blessed is He: Master of the Universe,

it is the way of the world that when

a person marries a woman

an additional one

in addition to

his

first

wife, he still

remembers

the

deed

of the first one,

even though he abandoned her; but

You,

not only have You

abandoned me,

but You have also

forgotten me.

The Holy One, blessed is He, said to it

the Assembly of Israel:

My daughter, I created twelve constellations in the firmament. And for each constellation I created thirty troops

[commanders of divided groups],

and for each troop I created thirty legions,

and for each legion I created thirty rahatons, and for each rahaton I created thirty kartons, and for each karton I created thirty gastras,

and upon each gastra I suspended three hundred and sixty-five thousand myriad stars,

corresponding to

three hundred and sixty-five

days of the solar year. And I created them all only for your sake. And you

still

said, “

I have been abandoned and forgotten!?”

In this manner the Gemara also explains the following verse [verse 15]:

“Can a woman forget her suckling child,

or have no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, but I shall not forget you.”

For

the Holy One, blessed is He, said

to the Assembly of Israel: “Can I forget the burnt offerings of rams and the firstborn of the womb

[the firstborn of animals]

that you offered before Me in the wilderness!?”

It said

the Assembly of Israel

before Him: Master of the Universe, since there is no forgetting before the Throne of Your glory, perhaps

You will not forget me

even

the deed of the calf!?

He said to it: “Even ‘these’ may forget!”

That is the sin of the calf, concerning which they said, “They said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel.’”

It said before Him: Since there is forgetting before the Throne of Your glory, perhaps You will forget me

even

the deed of

Mount

Sinai!?

He said to it: “But ‘I’ shall not forget you!”

That is the event of Sinai, concerning which it says, “‘I’ am the Lord your God.”

And this is what Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rabbi Oshaya said: What is the meaning of that which is written, “Even these may forget

—this is the deed of the calf.

Whereas the verse that follows,

“But I shall not forget you,”

this is the deed of Sinai.

сказал стих [Псалмы 84:5]:

We learned in the Mishna:

The early pious ones would wait one hour

and pray.

The Gemara clarifies:

From where are these words

that it is proper to do so?

Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said:

There is a source for this in that which

the verse says

[Psalms 84:5]

“Happy are those who dwell in Your house,”

implying that at first they wait as “those who dwell in Your house,” and only afterward does it say, “They will yet praise You forever.”

And

further

Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: One who prays must wait one hour after

he has finished

his prayer, as it is said

[there 140:14]

“Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name; the upright will dwell in Your presence.”

This implies that after they gave thanks, they still sit before You.

It was taught likewise: One who prays must wait one hour before his prayer, and one hour after his prayer.

From where

before his prayer? —

As it is said, “Happy are those who dwell in Your house.”

From where after his prayer? —

As it is written, “Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name; the upright will dwell in Your presence.”

The Sages taught: The early pious ones would wait one hour

before their prayer

and pray for one hour, and then wait another hour after their prayer, with the result that each prayer lasted three hours for them, and the three prayers together lasted nine hours.

The Gemara is perplexed:

And since they spend nine hours of the day in prayer,

how is their Torah

preserved? At what time do they review their learning,

and how is their work done

when no time remains for them to earn a livelihood?

Rather, since they are pious, their Torah is preserved

within their hearts and is not forgotten,

and

so

their work prospers,

even though they have time to engage in it only a little.

We learned in the Mishna:

Even the king greets him [

in the middle of his prayer],

he must not answer him!

Rav Yosef said: They did not teach

that “he must not answer him,”

except with regard to kings of Israel; but with regard to kings of the gentiles, he interrupts,

because if he does not answer him, he will come into danger, for perhaps he will kill him.

An objection was raised: One who is praying and saw an assailant coming toward him,

or

saw a wagon coming toward him, must not interrupt his prayer, but shortens it,

and completes it

from it [that is, he finishes it]. Here it is evident that even in a place of danger one must not interrupt.

The Gemara answers:

This is not difficult—

this

that we learned in the beraita, “he must not interrupt,” refers to a situation in which

it is possible

for him

to shorten

and finish without becoming endangered, such as when he is standing close to the end of the prayer.

And

if

that

which Rav Yosef said, “he interrupts,” refers to a situation in which

it is not possible

for him

to shorten.

And the rule in this matter is:

If it is possible to shorten, he shortens; and if not, he interrupts.

The Sages taught: An incident occurred with a certain pious man who was praying on the road. A minister came and greeted him, but he did not return

that pious man

the greeting. The minister waited for him

the minister

until he finished his prayer.

After he finished his prayer, he said to him

the minister:

Empty one, is it not written in your Torah [

Deuteronomy 4:9]

“Only take heed for yourself and greatly guard your soul,” and

also

it is written

in it [Deuteronomy 4:15]

“And you shall greatly guard your souls,”

and if so,

when I greeted you, why did you not return my greeting,

and put yourself in danger?! For

if I had cut off your head with a sword, who would have claimed your blood from my hand!?

He said to him

that pious man:

Wait for me until I appease you with words!