Berakhot 3a — the Talmud in English

The Gemara raises an objection:

The contradiction of Rabbi Meir against Rabbi

Meir.

The statements of Rabbi Meir contradict one another, for in the second beraita it is brought in his name that the time for reciting the Shema is from the time when people enter to eat their bread on the night of Shabbat, which is after the emergence of the stars, whereas in the final beraita it is brought in his name that the time is from the time when the priests immerse themselves, which is before twilight.

The Gemara answers:

Two tannaim in accordance with Rabbi Meir,

the two tannaim who taught these two beraitot indeed disagree as to what Rabbi Meir’s position is.

The Gemara raises an objection:

The contradiction of Rabbi Eliezer against Rabbi Eliezer.

The statements of Rabbi Eliezer contradict one another, for in the Mishna we find that, according to him, the time for reciting the Shema begins when the priests enter to eat their teruma, that is, at the emergence of the stars, whereas in the beraita it is brought in his name that the time is from the time when the day was sanctified on the eve of Shabbat, that is, from sunset or from twilight.

The Gemara answers:

Two tannaim in accordance with Rabbi Eliezer.

The two tannaim, the one who taught the Mishna and the one who taught the beraita, indeed disagree as to what Rabbi Eliezer’s position is.

And if you wish, say: The first part,

what we taught at the beginning of the Mishna, that the time for reciting the Shema is from the time when the priests enter to eat their teruma,

is not Rabbi Eliezer’s,

these are not Rabbi Eliezer’s words, but the words of the “Sages”; and what we taught, “the words of Rabbi Eliezer,” refers only to the end of the time for reciting the Shema, for according to Rabbi Eliezer it is only until the end of the first watch.

We learned in our Mishna:

“Until the end of the first watch,”

the words of Rabbi Eliezer.

And the Gemara is astonished, whichever way one considers it:

What does Rabbi Eliezer hold?

If he holds that the night consists of three watches ,

that the night is divided into three parts, and each part is four proportional hours, and the end of the first watch is at the end of four hours, then

let him say

explicitly that the time for reciting the Shema is

“until four hours,”

which is a more familiar time than “the end of the watch.”

And if he holds that the night consists of four watches,

and each watch is three proportional hours ,

let him say: “Until three hours,”

which is the end of the first watch.

The Gemara answers:

Actually, he holds

that Rabbi Eliezer holds that

the night consists of three watches,

and this teaches us

by his saying “until the end of the watch,” and not giving a sign according to hours—

that there are watches in the heavens,

in which groups of angels change, and their song is divided into three parts, with each group saying one part,

and there are watches on earth,

and there is an indication for every person on earth to know the times of these changes of watches , as will be explained:

For it was taught

in a beraita:

Rabbi Eliezer says: The night consists of three watches, and during each and every watch the Holy One, blessed be He, sits and roars like a lion

over the destruction of the Temple and the exile of Israel,

as it is stated [A0134]] [Jeremiah 25:30]:

[Jeremiah 25:30]:

“The Lord from on high shall roar, from the abode

of His holiness He shall give forth His voice; roaring He shall roar over His habitation”—

three “roars” are mentioned in the verse corresponding to the three watches, during which the Holy One, blessed be He, roars.

And a sign for the matter

by which we can know the times of the watches:

The first watch,

at the time when

a donkey brays.

The second,

at the time when

dogs bark.

The third,

when

a nursing infant nurses from his mother’s breasts,

and a woman speaks with her husband .

And concerning this Rabbi Eliezer alluded by saying, “until the end of the first watch.”

And the Gemara considers the matter whichever way one considers it:

What is Rabbi Eliezer counting,

with these signs that he gave for identifying the times of the watches?

If he is counting the beginnings of the watches,

if they are signs for the times of their beginnings, then for the

beginning of the first watch—

why do I need a sign,

for

it is evening,

and its time is clear: it is from the beginning of the night, when the stars emerge.

If he is counting the ends of the watches,

if they are signs for knowing when the watches end, then the sign that he gave for the

end of the final watch—why do I need it,

for at the beginning of

the daytime

its time is clear, when the day begins at dawn?

The Gemara explains:

Rather, he counts the end of the first watch, the beginning of the final watch, and the middle of the middle one,

a donkey braying is a sign of the end of the first watch; an infant nursing and a woman speaking are signs of the beginning of the final watch; and dogs barking is a sign of the middle of the second watch. And these are the times when the Holy One, blessed be He, roars like a lion .

And if you wish, say: all of them count the end of the watches,

all the signs were given to make known the times of the ends of the watches,

and if you would say

that the end of the watch is still

the last one is not needed

as a sign, for it is already the beginning of the day, and if so

what practical difference does it make,

what benefit is there in this sign?

There is a benefit in it

for the case of reciting the Shema by one who sleeps in a dark house and does not know the time for reciting the Shema

of the morning

when

when its time arrives.

Since a woman speaks with her husband and an infant nurses from its mother’s breasts,

it is a sign that the night has ended and the time for reciting the Shema has arrived; through it he knows that he must

rise and recite

the Shema.

Rav Yitzḥak bar Shemu’el said in the name of Rav: The night consists of three watches, and over each and every watch the Holy One, blessed is He, sits and roars like a lion, and says: “Woe to the children, for because of whose sins I destroyed My House and burned My Sanctuary

and exiled them among the nations of the world.”

It was taught:

in a beraita that the Holy One, blessed is He, roars three times each day over the destruction of the Temple:

Rabbi Yose said: Once I was walking on the road, and I entered one of the ruins of Jerusalem in order to pray .

.

Elijah, remembered for good, came and watched [and waited ]

and waited

for me at the doorway until I finished

the

my prayer.

After I finished

the

my prayer,

he said to me

Elijah:

“Peace be upon you, my rabbi!” And I said to him: “Peace be upon you, my rabbi and my teacher!”

And he said to me

Elijah:

“My son, why did you enter this ruin”?

I said to him: “To pray.”

And he said to me: “You should have prayed on the road

and not in a ruin.”

And I said to him: “I was afraid lest passersby interrupt me,”

and therefore I did not pray on the road.

And he said to me:

nevertheless, you should not have entered a ruin; rather

you should have prayed a short prayer,

the prayer of “Havinenu.”

At that time I learned from him

three things:

A.

I learned that one does not enter [

that there is a prohibition to enter]

a ruin.

B.

And I learned that one prays on the road .

C.

And I learned that one who prays on the road,

if he fears that passersby will interrupt him,

prays a short prayer.

And Elijah added

and said to me: “My son, what sound did you hear in this ruin?”

And I said to him:

I heard

a heavenly voice

that moans like a dove,

and says: “Woe to the children, for because of whose sins I destroyed My House, burned My Sanctuary, and exiled them among the nations.”

And Elijah said to me

Elijah:

“By your life and by the life of your head! Not only at this hour does it say so, but three times every single day it says so,

and not only this,

but at the time

when Israel enters synagogues and houses of

study halls and answers: ‘May His Name [

His name]

the great be blessed,’

the Holy One, blessed is He

as it were

shakes His head

in sorrow

and says: ‘Fortunate is the King whom they praise in His house,’

the Holy One, blessed is He, says this, as it were, about Himself, concerning the fact that they praised Him when the Temple existed.

“What is there for

a father

who exiled his children, and woe to the children who were exiled from their father’s table.”

The Gemara brings the reasons why one does not enter a ruin:

The Sages taught

They taught in a beraita:

For three reasons one does not enter a ruin:

A.

Because of suspicion —

lest they suspect that a prostitute is prepared for him there. B.

Because of

the danger of

collapse

for the walls of the ruin are unstable and liable to fall upon him.

C.

And because of the harmful beings,

demons, for their dwelling place is in places where people do not live.

And the Gemara discusses in what manner each of the three reasons is necessary:

“Because of suspicion”

what is it needed for,

and let it be derived

from the fact that there is a prohibition against entering a ruin

because of

concern for

collapse?”