Berakhot 3a (ג.) — the Talmud in English

The Gemara raises an objection:

The difficulty concerning Rabbi Meir in light of Rabbi

Meir.

Rabbi Meir’s statements contradict one another, for in the second beraita it is cited in his name that the time for reciting the Shema is from when people enter to eat their bread on Shabbat eve, which is after the emergence of the stars, whereas in the last beraita it is cited in his name that the time is from when the priests immerse themselves, which is before bein ha-shemashot.

The Gemara answers:

Two tannaim expressed differing opinions in accordance with Rabbi Meir,

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

The Gemara raises an objection:

The difficulty concerning Rabbi Eliezer in light of Rabbi Eliezer.

Rabbi Eliezer’s statements 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, namely, at the emergence of the stars, whereas in a beraita it is cited in his name that the time is from when the day became sanctified on Shabbat eve, namely, from sunset or from bein ha-shemashot.

The Gemara answers:

Two tannaim expressed differing opinions 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 Rabbi Eliezer’s position.

And if you wish, say: The beginning,

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

is not Rabbi Eliezer’s opinion,

these are not Rabbi Eliezer’s words but the words of the “Sages”; and what we taught as “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.

The Gemara wonders: In either event,

what does Rabbi Eliezer hold?

If he holds that there are three watches in the night ,

that the night is divided into three parts, each consisting of 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 there are four watches in the night,

and each watch consists of 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 there are three watches in the night,

and this teaches us that by saying “until the end of the watch,” rather than giving a sign based on hours,

he indicates that

there are watches in heaven

during which groups of angels change shifts, and their song is divided into three parts, with each group reciting one part;

and there are watches on earth,

and every person on earth has a way of recognizing the times when these watches change , as will be explained:

As it was taught

in a beraita:

Rabbi Eliezer says: There are three watches in the night, 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

[Jeremiah 25:30]:

“The Lord shall roar from on high, from His holy abode He shall give forth His voice; He shall roar, yea, He shall roar over His dwelling place”

—the verse mentions three “roars”

corresponding to the three watches, during which the Holy One, blessed be He, roars.

And a sign of the matter

by which we can know the times of the watches:

The first watch,

at the time when

the donkey brays.

The second,

at the time when

the dogs bark.

The third

when

an infant nurses from his mother’s breast,

and a woman converses with her husband .

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

The Gemara considers the matter:

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 these are signs for the times when the watches begin, then regarding

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 regarding the sign he gave for

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

For at the beginning of

the daytime

it is, and 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 midpoint of the middle one,

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

And if you wish, say instead: He is counting the ends of all the watches

: all the signs were given in order to determine the times at which the watches end,

and if you would say

that it is still the end of the final watch,

there is no need

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

what practical difference is there

: what benefit is there in this sign?

There is a practical benefit

for the case of one who recites the Shema while sleeping in a dark house and does not know when the time for the morning Shema is

,

when

its time arrives.

Once a woman speaks with her husband and an infant nurses from his mother’s breast

, this is a sign that the night has ended and the time for reciting the Shema has arrived. Through it, he knows that he must

get up and recite

the Shema.

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

and exiled them among the nations.”

It was taught:

In a beraita it was taught that the Holy One, blessed be He, roars three times each day over the destruction of the Temple:

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

.

Elijah, may he be remembered for good, came and stood watch

[and waited ]

for me at the entrance until I had finished

my

prayer.

After I had finished

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 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 that passersby would interrupt me

, and that is why 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 Havineinu.

At that time I learned three things from him

:

A.

I learned that one does not enter

[that it is prohibited 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 is afraid that passersby will interrupt him

prays a short prayer.

Elijah added

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

And I said to him:

I heard

a divine voice

that moans like a dove,

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

And he said to me

Elijah:

“By your life and by the life of your head! It is not only at this time that it says this; rather, it says this three times every day.

And not only this

, but whenever

Israel enter synagogues and houses of

study and respond: “May His

[His Name]

great Name be blessed,”

the Holy One, blessed be 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 be He, says this, as it were, about Himself, because they praised Him when the Temple existed.

What is it like for

a father

who has exiled his children? And woe to the children who have been exiled from their father’s table.

The Gemara presents the reasons that one may not enter a ruin:

The Sages taught

in a beraita:

There are three reasons one may not enter a ruin:

a.

Because of suspicion—

lest they suspect that a prostitute is waiting for him there. b.

Because of

the danger of

collapse,

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

c.

And because of harmful spirits,

demons, for they dwell in places where people do not live.

The Gemara discusses the circumstance in which each of the three reasons is necessary:

“Because of suspicion”

what need is there for this reason?

And let it be derived

that entering a ruin is prohibited

because of

concern about

collapse?