Berakhot 33b — the Talmud in English

Ravina said to Rava: What is the halakha?

He said to him: Just as with Kiddush: just as, although he recites Kiddush in the prayer, he recites Kiddush over the cup, so too with Havdala,

also, although he recites Havdala in the prayer, he recites Havdala over the cup.

We learned in the Mishna:

Rabbi Eliezer says: In the blessing of thanksgiving:

Rabbi Zeira was riding a donkey, and Rabbi Hiyya bar Avin was going along behind him. He said to him,

Rabbi Hiyya asked Rabbi Zeira,

Certainly [

is it true]

that you say in the name of Rabbi Yohanan, “The halakha is according to Rabbi Eliezer,

who says that Havdala is recited in the blessing of thanksgiving

on a Festival that occurs after Shabbat,”

because “Who grants knowledge” is not recited on it”?

He said to him,

Rabbi Zeira,

Yes!

Indeed, that is what I said in his name.

The Gemara was astonished: Since he had to say that it is so,

“the halakha,” it follows that they disagree

with Rabbi Eliezer in this law. And who are those who disagree?

The Gemara responds rhetorically:

And

if

not

have we found anyone who

disagrees? But the Sages disagree

with him,

the Sages

in the Mishna concerning where Havdala is recited.

The Gemara rejects this:

You may say that the Sages disagree in

the Mishna concerning Havdala on the conclusion of Shabbat during

the rest of the days of the year,

but Rabbi Zeira was speaking

of a Festival that occurs after Shabbat,

on which “Who grants knowledge” is not recited, and concerning this we have not found

anyone who disagrees?

And why did he have to say “the halakha” according to Rabbi Eliezer?

And

the Gemara still discusses that there is no difficulty concerning Rabbi Zeira, because

Rabbi Akiva disagrees,

and his view is that it is recited as a blessing by itself; therefore he had to say that the halakha is according to Rabbi Eliezer, and that it is not recited by itself even when the conclusion of Shabbat occurs on a Festival.

The Gemara rejects this: for this reason there is no need to say that the halakha is according to Rabbi Eliezer, because

do we in fact act according to Rabbi Akiva throughout the entire year, that now we should get up and act according to him,

and certainly Rabbi Zeira did not intend to exclude the view of Rabbi Akiva.

The Gemara explains why there is no possibility of reciting it as a blessing by itself when the conclusion of Shabbat occurs on a Festival: for on the conclusion of Shabbat during

the entire year, what is the reason that we do not act according to Rabbi Akiva—

because

only

eight

ten

blessings

they instituted

in the prayer,

eighteen they did not institute,

and this reason applies

here too

in the Festival prayer,

in which

seven blessings

they instituted, eight they did not institute,

and if so, Rabbi Zeira need not say “the halakha” in order to exclude Rabbi Akiva's view.

Rabbi Zeira said to him,

to Rabbi Hiyya:

It was not “the halakha

according to Rabbi Eliezer

” that was stated, but “we incline” was stated.

And the explanation of the matter is, as

it was stated,

Rabbi Isaac bar Avdimi said in the name of our Master: “The halakha,”

for this is what is proper to instruct in a public exposition.

And some say, “We incline,”

that only if an individual asks how to conduct himself when the conclusion of Shabbat occurs on a Festival, do they instruct him according to Rabbi Eliezer, to recite it as a blessing by itself.

Rabbi Yohanan said, “They agree”

that the Sages agree with Rabbi Eliezer: when the conclusion of Shabbat occurs on a Festival, he recites Havdala in the blessing of thanksgiving, and consequently they instruct the public in this manner.

And Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba said,

they do not instruct the public in this manner, but since in this situation

“the words of Rabbi Eliezer appear,”

if he acted according to him and recited it in the blessing of thanksgiving, they do not make him repeat it.

Rabbi Zeira said: Adopt

the version

of Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba in your hand,

who said “they appear,” because

he

was

precise and learned the shemua from the mouth of its master properly, like Rahava of Pumbedita,

who was careful to state it in the wording that he had heard from his teacher.

As we find

that Rahava said in the name of Rabbi Yehuda:

The Temple Mount had a double stoa, and there was one stoa within another stoa [

there were benches in it on which to sit, and they were arranged one within another], and he did not say that there were “benches,” as the wording of the Mishna, because he had heard from his teacher the wording “stoa.”

Rav Yosef said: I know neither this [“

appears”]

nor this [“

agrees”]

do I know, but from Rav and Shmuel I know, for they instituted for us a pearl in Babylonia

to say on a Festival that occurs on the conclusion of Shabbat, in the fourth blessing, this addition:

“And may You, Hashem our God, make known to us the ordinances of Your righteousness, and teach us to perform the statutes of Your will, and grant us as an inheritance times of joy and Festivals

of freewill,

and cause us to inherit the sanctity of Shabbat, the honor of the appointed time, and the celebration of the pilgrimage Festival; between the sanctity of Shabbat and the sanctity of the Festival You distinguished, and the seventh day from the six days of labor You sanctified; You distinguished and sanctified Your people Israel with Your sanctity, and You gave us

Hashem our God, appointed times for joy,

etc.”

Mishna:

One who says, “For the nest of a bird Your mercies extend,” or “For the good may Your name be remembered,”

or

“We give thanks, we give thanks,” they silence him .

Gemara:

The Gemara discusses:

Granted, “We give thanks, we give thanks,” they silence him, because it appears as though there are two authorities.

And “For the good may Your name be remembered” also implies: for the good, but not for the evil. And we learned: A person is obligated to bless

for the evil just as he blesses for the good.

But “For the nest of a bird Your mercies extend”—what is the reason

they silence him?

Two amoraim in the West disagreed about it, Rabbi Yosei bar Avin and Rabbi Yosei bar Zevida. One said: Because he introduces jealousy into the work of Creation,

as though He has compassion only on certain species.

And one said: Because he makes the attributes [

commandments]

of the Holy One, blessed be He,

as though they were established because of

mercy, whereas they are only decrees,

which He established for Israel in order to make known that they are His servants, and that they observe His commandments only because of His command, and not because of their reasons.

That

prayer leader

who descended

to lead the prayer before the ark

before Rabba, and said: “You had compassion on the nest of a bird; have compassion and mercy on us!”

Rabba said: How well this young Torah scholar knows how to appease his Master.

Abaye said to him: But did we not learn, “They silence him”?

And

the Gemara explains:

Rabba too

had not forgotten this law, but only

wanted to sharpen Abaye .

There was one who descended before Rabbi Hanina. He said: “The great, mighty, awesome, majestic, powerful, fearful, strong, courageous, certain, and honored God.”

He waited for him

Rabbi Hanina

until he finished. When he finished,

he said to him:

But

have you finished all the praises of your Master? Why do I need all this?

For

we,

even

these three that we recite, if Moses our Teacher had not said them in the Torah [

Deuteronomy 10:17]

and the Men of the Great Assembly had not instituted them in the prayer, we would not have been able to say them,

and you said all this, and then what?

A parable to a flesh-and-blood king who possessed a million million gold dinars, and they praised him with silver,

is that not an insult to him!

And

further

Rabbi Hanina said: Everything is in the hands of Heaven except the fear of Heaven,

as it is stated [

Deuteronomy 10:12]

“And now, Israel, what does Hashem your God ask

of you, but to fear.”

The Gemara was astonished:

Is the fear of Heaven a small matter!?

But did not Rabbi Hanina say in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai: The Holy One, blessed be He, has nothing in His treasuries except a storehouse of fear of Heaven,

as it is stated [

Isaiah 33:6 ]

“The fear of the Lord is His storehouse”?

The Gemara answers:

Yes; with regard to Moses, it is a small matter.

For Rabbi Hanina said: This may be compared to a person from whom they request a large vessel, and he has one; it appears to him like a small vessel.

But if they request from him

a small one and he does not have one, it appears to him like a large vessel.

We learned in the Mishna: One who says

“We give thanks, we give thanks”—they silence him.

Rabbi Zeira said: Anyone who says “Shema, Shema” is considered like one who says “We give thanks, we give thanks.”

They raised an objection: One who recites the Shema and repeats it, behold, this is disgraceful.

It follows that only

“disgraceful” is what he is,

but

do we not silence him?

The Gemara answers:

This is not difficult: that which is considered only “disgraceful” is in a case

where

he says each word and repeats it, that is, he repeats and doubles each individual word,

that is, he repeats each individual word separately,

and

if

that which “they silence him” is in a case

where

he says each verse and repeats it, and then he appears to be accepting two authorities upon himself; therefore they silence him .

and then he appears to be accepting two authorities upon himself; therefore, they silence him.

Rav Pappa said to Abaye:

Why does he appear to be turning toward two authorities,

perhaps at first he did not direct his mind, but afterward,

when he repeated and doubled it,

he directed his mind?

He said to him:

For in his second reading he reveals that previously he had spoken like a man to his fellow,