Berakhot 51b — the Talmud in English

We shall act stringently,

and we shall not assist the right hand with the left hand.

“And he raises it a handbreadth from the ground”:

Rav Aḥa bar Rabbi Ḥanina said: What is the verse? —

Psalms 116:13:

“I shall raise the cup of salvations, and in the name of the Lord I shall call,”

and its meaning is that one raises the cup before calling in the name of the Lord.

“And he directs his eyes toward it” —

so that he will not divert his attention from it.

“And he sends it to the members of his household as a gift” —

so that his household will be blessed.

Ulla happened to come to the house of Rav Naḥman, ate bread, and recited the Grace after Meals

over the cup.

He gave the cup of blessing to Rav Naḥman. Rav Naḥman said to him: Let the master send the cup of blessing

also

to

his wife

Yalta.

He said to him:

Since you drank from the cup, your wife does not need a blessing, and she does not need to drink. For

thus said Rabbi Yoḥanan: “A woman’s fruit of the womb is blessed only from a man’s fruit of the womb,” as it is stated

Deuteronomy 7:13:

“And He will bless the fruit of your womb” —

“the fruit of her womb” is not stated, but rather “the fruit of your womb,”

and since the children are called the husband’s “fruit of his womb,” necessarily the woman is blessed with children only by virtue of her husband. It follows that since her husband drank, she does not need a blessing separately.

It was also taught so: Rabbi Natan says: From where [do we know] that a woman’s fruit of the womb is blessed only from a man’s fruit of the womb? —

For it is stated: “And He will bless the fruit of your womb” —

“the fruit of her womb” is not stated, but rather “the fruit of your womb.”

Meanwhile,

in the meantime,

Yalta heard

that he did not want

to send her a cup of blessing. She arose in anger

in anger,

and entered the wine cellar

the house in which wine was stored

and smashed four hundred wine-jars.

barrels.

Rav Naḥman said

to Ulla:

Let the master send her

another cup

in order to appease her.

He sent her: “All this wine in the cellar is a cup of blessing”

all the wine found in the barrel is considered a cup of blessing, and you may drink from it.

She sent him: “From peddlers come words, and from rags come lice.”

peddlers multiply words, just as rags multiply lice, and her intention was that he was multiplying words like a peddler.

Rav Asi said: One does not converse over a cup of blessing

those reclining at the meal are not permitted to speak from the time that the one who leads the blessing takes the cup in his hand until he finishes reciting the blessing over it.

And Rav Asi said: One does not recite a blessing over a cup of calamity.

And the Gemara explains:

What is “a cup of calamity”? —

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said:

That he should not take for the cup of blessing

a second cup,

that is, he should not conclude the meal with an even-numbered cup — that is, the second or fourth cup. -

For in their time, in everything that was done in pairs there was concern of harm through demons.

It was also taught so: One who drinks pairs

pairs of cups

should not recite

the Grace after Meals over the even-numbered cup,

because it is stated

Amos 4:12:

“Prepare to meet your God, O Israel,” and this one is not prepared,

for he recites a blessing over a cup of calamity, which is not fitting.

Rabbi Abbahu said, and some say: It was taught in a beraita: One who eats while walking recites

the Grace after Meals

standing,

that is, he must stop walking in order to recite the blessing with concentration in one place.

And when he eats standing, he recites while seated,

for while seated he concentrates more than while standing

. And when he reclines and eats, he sits and recites the blessing,

so that he will recite it with awe, and not while reclining in a manner of arrogance.

And the halakha is, in all of them

in every manner in which he eats, while walking, standing, or reclining

he sits and recites the blessing, and

they were more stringent with the Grace after Meals than with other blessings, because its obligation is from the Torah.

We shall return to you, chapter “Three who ate.”

Mishna:

These are the matters between Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel

over which they disagreed

in

the laws of

the meal:

a. Kiddush.

Beit Shammai say: One blesses

first

over

the sanctity of

the day, and afterward one blesses over the wine “

Who creates the fruit of the vine.”

And Beit Hillel say: One blesses

first

over the wine, and afterward one blesses over the day.

b. Drinking wine before the meal.

Beit Shammai say:

At first

one washes the hands

for the meal,

and afterward one pours the cup,

and drinks it immediately, before the blessing over the bread.

And Beit Hillel say:

At first

one pours the cup,

and drinks it immediately, before washing the hands,

and afterward one washes the hands.

c. The manner of placing the towel after drying the hands from the washing water.

Beit Shammai say:

After washing the hands,

he dries his hands with a cloth [

towel]

and places it on the table

in order to use it during the meal.

And Beit Hillel say:

He should not place the towel on the table, but only

on the cushion

on which he leans during the meal.

d. The order of concluding the meal.

Beit Shammai say: One sweeps [

sweeps]

the house

of food remnants that fell during the meal [if they sat on the ground. And if they sat beside the table, one cleans the table],

and

only

afterward one washes

the final water

over the hands.

And Beit Hillel say: One washes the hands

first,

and afterward one sweeps the house.

e. A person who has, on the conclusion of Shabbat, a small amount of wine, only enough for one cup, and has not yet performed Havdalah, and wants to recite over it the blessing of Grace after Meals and also perform Havdalah over it—what should he do?

Beit Shammai say:

He should first bless over the

lamp,

and

afterward he should recite the blessing of

Grace,

and after it a blessing over the

spices,

and

at the end

perform Havdalah.

And Beit Hillel say:

This is the order of the blessings:

lamp and spices, Grace, and Havdalah.

f. The wording of the blessing over the lamp.

Beit Shammai say: “Who created the light of the fire.”

And Beit Hillel say: “Who creates the lights of the fire.”

And since the Mishna brought their dispute concerning the wording of the blessing over the Havdalah lamp, the Mishna brings [in parentheses] two additional laws concerning the Havdalah lamp, in which there is no dispute:

One does not bless

on the conclusion of Shabbat over the light of a lamp

not

over the lamp and not over the spices of idolaters, and not over the lamp

that was lit in honor of the dead,

and not over the spices

that were used to remove the smell

of the dead, and not over the lamp and not over the spices of idolatry,

because the accessories of idolatry are forbidden for benefit.

And one does not bless over the lamp until they benefit [

enjoy]

from its light.

g. One who did not bless in the place where he ate—where should he bless?

One who ate and forgot and did not bless

Grace after Meals, and left the place of his meal,

Beit Shammai say: He must return to his place and bless.

And Beit Hillel say:

Since he has already left, after the fact, if he wishes,

he may bless in the place where he remembered.

And until when does he bless

after eating? —

Until the food in his intestines has been digested.

h. One who has only a small amount of wine—must he reserve it for the cup of Grace after Meals?

If other wine came to them

after they had finished eating

the meal,

even

if there is there only that cup, Beit Shammai say:

If he wishes,

he blesses over the wine

and drinks it,

and afterward blesses over the meal

without a cup.

And Beit Hillel say: He blesses over the meal, and afterward

he blesses over the wine.

For he must reserve the cup in order to recite Grace after Meals over it.

And one answers Amen after an Israelite who blesses

even if he heard only the end of the blessing,

but one does not answer Amen after a Samaritan who blesses until he hears

him say

the entire blessing,

because some of the Samaritans would bless an image of a dove that they worshipped.

Gemara:

The Sages taught: The matters between Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel in

the laws of

the meal,

these are:

Beit Shammai say: He blesses over the day and afterward blesses over the wine.

For the blessing of the Kiddush of the day precedes the blessing over the wine because

the day causes the wine to come.

The obligation of Kiddush over wine takes effect only because the day is holy, and it follows that its essence is the blessing of the day; therefore, one should advance the blessing of the day.

And

another reason: because at the time of the appearance of the stars,

the day had already become holy, while wine had not yet come

to the table in order to sanctify over it, for they bring it only when one comes to dine.

And Beit Hillel say: He blesses over the wine and afterward

blesses over the day,

because

the wine causes the sanctification to be said,

for one cannot perform Kiddush unless he has a cup of wine.

Another matter [—

another reason] for the precedence of the blessing over wine, because

the blessing over wine is frequent,

as it is said every day ,

while the blessing of the day is not frequent

like the blessing over wine, because it is said only on Shabbatot and festivals, and the rule is:

that which is frequent and that which is not frequent—the frequent precedes.

And the halakha is according to the words of Beit Hillel,

that the one performing Kiddush first recites the blessing over wine, and afterward sanctifies over the day.

And the Gemara explains the words of Beit Hillel:

What is “another matter”? —

Why did they require an additional reason?

Their intention is to say:

And if you would say, there,

in the blessing of the day, there are

two,

two reasons to advance it: one, that the day causes the wine to come, and the second, that the day had already become holy while wine had not yet come,

and

if

here,

in the blessing over wine, there is only

one

reason to advance it [that the wine causes the sanctification of the day]—this is not an argument, for

here too there are two,

we have an additional reason to advance the blessing over wine, for

the blessing over wine is frequent and the blessing of the day is not frequent,

and the rule is

that which is frequent and that which is not frequent—the frequent precedes.

The Gemara asks: Why did the beraita need to conclude

“And the halakha is according to the words of Beit Hillel,”

for is it not

obvious

that the halakha follows them in their dispute with Beit Shammai,

for a heavenly voice emerged,

and a heavenly voice went out and proclaimed that the halakha follows them [as brought in Eruvin 13b]?

The Gemara answers:

If you wish, say:

The beraita was taught

before

the

heavenly voice emerged, and therefore it needed to inform us whose view the halakha follows.

emerged, and therefore it needed to teach us whose opinion is the halakha.

And if you wish, say:

It is possible that the beraita was taught

after

the

heavenly voice emerged,