Berakhot 44b — the Talmud in English

Rav Yitzhak bar Avdimi said in the name of our teacher: For an egg,

egg,

and for kinds of meat,

meat,

at the beginning he recites,

over them,

“Who creates everything,”

and

at the end

he recites over them

“Who creates many living beings.”

But

for

vegetables,

vegetables,

he does not

recite a concluding blessing.

And Rabbi Yitzhak said: Even

for

vegetables

he recites a concluding blessing,

but

for drinking

water he does not

recite a concluding blessing,

and Rav Pappa said: Even

for drinking

water

he recites a concluding blessing.

Mar Zutra acted in accordance with Rav Yitzhak bar Avdimi

and did not recite a concluding blessing except over meat and an egg.

And Rav Shimi bar Ashi acted in accordance with Rabbi Yitzhak,

and recited a concluding blessing also over vegetables, but over drinking water he did not recite one.

And this is your sign,

a sign by which you will know which of the amoraim acted in accordance with whom:

one—

Mar Zutra, who was mentioned here alone, without his father’s name, acted in this law in accordance with Rav Yitzhak bar Avdimi, who was mentioned here

as two,

by his name and by his father’s name.

And two—

Rav Shimi bar Ashi, who was mentioned here by his name and by his father’s name, acted in this law

as one—

in accordance with Rabbi Yitzhak, who was mentioned here alone.

Rav Ashi said: I, whenever I remember, act in accordance with all of them

on the occasions when I remember, I act according to everyone’s view—and recite a concluding blessing over everything.

We learned

in tractate Niddah:

Anyone who requires a blessing after it—

requires a blessing

also

before it; and there are some that require a blessing before them but do not require a blessing after them.

The Gemara raises an objection:

Granted, according to Rav Yitzhak bar Avdimi,

the latter clause of the Mishna

comes to exclude vegetables

and water, over which one recites a blessing before them but does not recite a blessing after them. And likewise

according to Rabbi Yitzhak,

one can explain that the latter clause of the Mishna comes

to exclude water,

over which one recites a blessing before it but does not recite a blessing after it.

But according to Rav Pappa,

who holds that one should recite a blessing after everything—

to exclude what?

What does the latter clause of the Mishna come to exclude?

The Gemara answers: The Mishna comes

to exclude

mitzvot,

over which one recites blessings only before them and not after them.

The Gemara raises an objection:

And for the Westerners, who after

removing their phylacteries recite a blessing

after they removed their phylacteries, they would recite:

“Who sanctified us

with His mitzvot and commanded us to observe His statutes,”

it is still difficult:

to exclude what?

What does the Mishna come to exclude?

The Gemara answers: The Mishna comes

to exclude fragrances,

over which one recites a blessing before them but does not recite a blessing afterward.

Rabbi Yannai said in the name of Rav: Every

food

that is

the measure of

an egg—

eating the

egg

itself

is beneficial

to the body

from it.

When Ravin came, he said: An egg rolled

an egg that is lightly roasted and soft, so that it can be rolled, is better

than six kais of fine flour

of flour in the measure of six kais—measures that contain a log.

When Rav Dimi came, he said: An egg

rolled

is better

than six

kais of fine flour, whereas

a roasted one

an egg roasted for a long time, which is harder, is beneficial

than four

kais; and an egg

cooked

is superior to all of them, and concerning it Rabbi Yannai said above that

every

food

whose

measure

is an egg—

a

cooked egg

is better than it. Except for meat,

apart from meat, whose eating is better than eating an egg.

We learned in the Mishna:

Rabbi Akiva says: Even if he ate cooked vegetables

of vegetables, and this was his food, over which he established his meal—he recites over it after eating the three blessings of the Grace after Meals.

The Gemara raises an objection:

Is there anything that is cooked vegetables and is food?

Do people really establish their meal on vegetables?

Rav Ashi said: They taught this concerning the stalk of cabbage,

which is eaten as food.

The Sages taught: Eating

of

spleen

is beneficial for the teeth and harmful for the intestines, whereas

the

leeks

are harmful for the teeth and beneficial for the intestines.

Every raw vegetable—

one who eats from it

becomes green.

The appearance of his face is taken away.

And everyone

who eats something that is still

small,

which has not fully grown,

becomes small.

He does not grow properly.

Everyone

who eats a whole thing that had

a soul,

such as small fish that are eaten whole—their eating causes him to

restore the soul.

And everyone

who eats the meat of an animal from the place

near the soul,

which the Gemara will explain below where this place is, his eating

restores

the

soul.

Eating

cabbage

is beneficial

for nourishment, while eating

while eating

beets

is beneficial

for healing.

Woe to the house

the belly,

through which turnips pass.

The Master said: Spleen—

it is beneficial for the teeth and harmful for the intestines. What is its remedy

for one who wishes to eat it for the benefit of his teeth but is concerned that he will be harmed in his intestines?

Chew it and throw it away

chew it and afterward cast it from his mouth, so that it will not harm his intestines.

Leeks—

they are harmful for the teeth and beneficial for the intestines. What is their remedy

for one who wishes to eat them for the benefit of his intestines?

Cook them and swallow them,

cook them for a long time, and they will not harm his teeth.

The additional clause that we learned in the beraita:

“Every raw vegetable—

becomes green,”

the Gemara explains:

Rabbi Yitzhak said: This applies only when he ate it

at the

first meal after bloodletting.

And Rabbi Yitzhak said: Anyone who eats vegetables before four hours

of the day, which is the time of the morning meal,

it is forbidden to speak with him

it is forbidden for people who have not yet eaten to converse with him.

What is the reason? Because of the odor—

for one who eats vegetables has a harsh odor for those who converse with him.

And Rabbi Yitzhak said: It is forbidden for a person to eat raw vegetables before four hours,

so that he will not be harmed on account of them.

Ameimar, Mar Zutra, and Rav Ashi were sitting. They brought raw vegetables before them before four hours. Ameimar and Rav Ashi ate

from the vegetables,

but Mar Zutra did not eat

from the vegetables.

They said to him,

to Mar Zutra:

What is your view

what is your reasoning, that you are not eating? If it is because you are concerned about that

which Rabbi Yitzhak said: Anyone who eats vegetables before four hours, it is forbidden to speak with him because of

the odor,

then

here we are, who are eating

behold, we have eaten vegetables before four hours,

and

nevertheless

you are speaking with us—and if you were concerned about Rabbi Yitzhak’s statement, you should have withdrawn from us?

(you are speaking with us), and if you were concerned about Rabbi Yitzḥak’s statement, you should have distanced yourself from us?

He said to them: I—

I hold in accordance with the other statement of Rabbi Yitzhak

the other dictum that Rabbi Yitzhak said.

For Rabbi Yitzhak said: It is forbidden for a person to eat raw vegetables before four hours,

and for that reason I did not eat.

An additional clause that we learned in the beraita:

“Everyone

who eats something

small

that has not fully grown

becomes small.”

The Gemara explains:

Rav Hisda said: Even a kid

a kid that is fat and good—even one whose value is

a zuz,

whose price is high, it is nevertheless not good to eat it, because in any event it has not fully grown.

And we said this only when it does not have

the small one

a quarter,

that is, it has not reached a quarter of its size,

but

if

it has

in the small one

a quarter,

a quarter of the size of the full-grown one of that species,

we have no concern,

and it is good for food.

And regarding what we learned additionally in the beraita:

“Everyone

who eats

a soul

restores the soul,”

Rav Pappa said: Even the small fish of the reeds,

very small fish found among reeds in a lake—they too restore the soul.

And regarding what we learned in the beraita:

“Everything near the soul—

restores the soul.” Rav Aha bar Yaakov said:

This means

the neck,

the neck of the animal, which is the place of slaughter, near the heart and intestines.

Rava said to his attendant: When you bring me a piece of meat

a piece of meat,

take the trouble and bring me

take the trouble yourself and bring me a cut of meat

from where it is near “the place of blessing”

from the meat adjacent to the place over which they recited a blessing at the time of slaughter. That is, from the neck.

The Gemara raises an objection concerning what we learned in the beraita, that eating

cabbage

is beneficial

for nourishment,

while eating

beets

is beneficial

for healing:

But is

cabbage for nourishment, and not

beneficial for nourishment

and not for healing? But it was taught: Six things heal a sick person from his illness, and their healing is a true healing, and these are they: cabbage, beets, dry sisin water,

a dish made from a herb,

and the stomach

of an animal,

and the womb

the womb of an animal,

and the lobe of the liver.

It follows that cabbage is also beneficial for healing.

The Gemara answers:

Rather, say: Cabbage

is beneficial for healing

and also for nourishment.

And concerning what we learned in the beraita:

“Woe to the house

the belly,

through which turnips pass.”

The Gemara raises an objection:

Is this so? But Rava said to his attendant

to his servant:

When you see turnips in the marketplace—

do not say to me: “With what shall I wrap bread,”

when you see turnips in the marketplace, do not say to me, “What shall I wrap for you with bread,” but understand by yourself that I want you to wrap this for me with the turnip; and this is difficult, for we learned that turnips are not beneficial for the belly.

The Gemara answers:

Abaye said:

What we learned in the beraita, “Woe to the house through which turnips pass,” applies when one cooked them

without

without

meat,

for then they are harmful to the body. But if he cooked them with meat, the fat that emerges from the meat causes the turnips not to harm him.

And Rava said:

the turnip harms the stomach only when he eats it

without

[without] drinking

wine after the eating, but when he drinks wine after the eating, the turnip no longer harms him.

after the meal; but when one drinks wine after the meal, the turnip no longer harms him.

It was stated: Rav said:

What we learned in the beraita, that eating turnip causes harm, refers to when he cooked it

without meat

as Abaye explained it].

And Shmuel said:

Eating the turnip causes harm when it is

without wood,

when he did not cook it except for a short time.

And Rabbi Yohanan said:

Eating the turnip causes harm when it is

without wine,

when he does not drink wine after it, [as Rava explained it].

Rava said to Rav Pappa: Sodeni!

[a seller of date beer], for Rav Pappa used to sell beer—

we, we break it:

we weaken the strength of the turnip

with meat and wine,

with meat and wine.

You,

for you are beer drinkers,

for wine is not abundant for you—

for wine is not available to you—

with what do you break it?

With what do you break the strength of the turnip so that it will not cause harm?

He said to him: With wood,

[with wood], for we cook the turnip extensively.

Like that which occurred with Rav Pappa’s wife,

and as Rav Pappa’s wife used to do,

after she cooked it

the turnip,

she broke it,

she weakened its strength

with eighty Persian logs

[with eighty pieces of large wood]. That is, after she cooked the turnip, she added a large quantity of wood to the fire, so that the turnip would be cooked more].

The Sages taught: A small salted fish sometimes kills

the one who eats it

on the seventh

[on the seventh day] after its salting, and sometimes

on

the day

seventeen

after its salting, and sometimes

on

the day

twenty-seven

after its salting,

and some say:

that also

on

the day

twenty-three

after its salting it can kill.

And we said this

that it can kill

only

specifically

when partially roasted and not roasted,

when it is partially roasted,

but when it is properly roasted

when it is thoroughly roasted—

we have no concern with it,

for it does not kill.

And

even when it is

not properly roasted, we said

that it kills

only when he did not drink after it

[when he did not drink after it],

beer

[beer].

But

if

he drank beer after it—

we have no concern with it,

and it does not kill.

We learned in our Mishna:

And one who drinks water when he is thirsty—

he recites a blessing before drinking: “that everything came to be through His word.”

The Gemara asks: What we learned in the Mishna, that specifically “when he is thirsty” does he recite Shehakol,

to exclude what—

from which manner does the Mishna come to exclude, so that one should not recite Shehakol over it?