Berakhot 63a — the Talmud in English

And say: The Temple Mount, where wearing shoes is prohibited, should be derived

from spitting, which is prohibited there, by an a-fortiori inference

from wearing shoes. But in a synagogue, where wearing shoes is permitted, should one derive

spitting there

from wearing shoes, and conclude that it is permitted?

Since there is a reason to be more stringent with spitting than with wearing shoes, because spitting is repulsive, then

let us derive

in a synagogue that spitting is

like using it as a shortcut, and prohibit it?

Rather, Rava said:

What they permitted regarding spitting in a synagogue is because they were particular there only

as

as in

one’s own home. What

in

one’s own home, a person is particular about using it as a shortcut,

so that people should not pass through it, but

he is not particular about spitting or wearing shoes; so too in a synagogue

the same applies. Therefore, only

using it as a shortcut is prohibited

there, but

spitting and wearing shoes are permitted.

We learned in the Mishna: All those who concluded blessings in the Temple would say, “Forever.” Those who responded would say, “Blessed is the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever” [as explained in Ta'anit 16b]. The Gemara discusses: And why did they do this at such length?

Why did those reciting the blessings make them so long?

The Gemara explains:

Because one does not answer ‘Amen’ in the Temple,

but rather says, “Blessed is the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever.” Since those responding use a longer formula, it is appropriate that those reciting the blessings should also lengthen their blessings.

The Gemara inquires:

And from where is it derived that one does not answer ‘Amen’ in the Temple? —

As it is stated

[Nehemiah 9:5]: “And the Levites said, et cetera: Arise, bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting,” and

immediately afterward the verse says, ‘And let them bless Your glorious name, exalted above every blessing and praise!’ This means that those who respond are also required to offer a blessing,

and to say, “Blessed is the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever.”

Could all the blessings together have one praise, with the people responding only once after the final blessing, “Blessed is the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever,” on behalf of all the blessings together? The verse states: “Exalted above every blessing and praise,” to teach that for every single blessing, offer Him a separate praise on its own. We learned in the Mishna: They instituted that a person should greet his fellow in the name of the Lord

As it is stated [Nehemiah 9:5]: “And the Levites said, etc.:

‘Arise, bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting,’ and”

immediately afterward the verse says, ‘And let them bless Your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise!’

That is to say, the verse teaches

that those who respond are also obligated to offer a blessing:

to say, “Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever.” “Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever.”

as it is stated: “And Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, ‘The Lord be with you’; and they said to him, ‘May the Lord bless you.’” And it says [Judges 6:12]: “The Lord is with you, mighty man of valor.” And it says [Proverbs 23:22]: “Do not despise your mother when she is old.” And it says [Psalms 119:126]: “It is time to act for the Lord; they have voided Your Torah.”

The Gemara discusses:

What is the purpose of the phrase ‘And it says’?

Why was it necessary to derive this practice from all these verses? The Gemara explains: The Mishna intends to add the following:

And if you would say

that it is impossible to prove from the fact that Boaz greeted the reapers in the name of the Lord, because perhaps

Boaz said this on his own initiative

and in truth one may not do so —

come and hear a proof

that the angel also said to Gideon,

“The Lord is with you, mighty man of valor.”

Why was it necessary to derive this from all these verses? The Gemara explains that the Mishna intends to add the following:

And if you would say

that it is impossible to prove from the fact that Boaz greeted the reapers in the name of the Lord, since it is possible that

And if you would say

that this verse too cannot prove that one may greet another in the name of the Lord, because

it was the angel who said this to Gideon

not as a greeting, but as a messenger of God, informing him that the Divine Presence would rest with him —

come and hear a proof: “Do not despise your mother when she is old,”

meaning: Do not despise Boaz and say that he acted on his own initiative and improperly, for he was one of the elders of Israel, and one may rely on what he said: “The Lord be with you.” The Mishna further brings the source on which Boaz himself relied when he greeted the reapers in the name of the Lord: And it says: “It is time to act for the Lord; they have voided Your Torah,” which means that in order to fulfill God’s will, such as through the mitzva “Seek peace and pursue it,” it is permitted to do something that appears prohibited, such as uttering God’s Name in vain. Rava said: This verse “It is time to act for the Lord; they have voided Your Torah” is interpreted in two ways:

It is interpreted from its beginning toward its end,

and also

from its end toward its beginning.

It is interpreted from its beginning toward its end

as follows:

“It is time to act for the Lord”

[there is a time for the Lord to bring punishment upon those who violate His will].

For what reason? —

Because

“they have voided Your Torah.”

from its beginning to its end it is expounded,

and also

from its end to its beginning it is expounded.

From its beginning to its end it is expounded

And

it is interpreted from its end toward its beginning

as follows: Sometimes righteous people who fulfill God’s will

“have voided Your Torah,”

and

for what reason? Because it is

“a time to act for the Lord,”

meaning that there is a time when it is necessary to set aside a Torah directive for the sake of Heaven, such as Elijah, who offered a sacrifice on Mount Carmel at a time when offering sacrifices outside the Temple was prohibited, in order to prove to the prophets of the Baal that the Lord is God. In this manner Boaz interpreted the verse with regard to greeting another in the name of the Lord. It was taught: Hillel the Elder says: When those who gather in, spread out; when the scholars of the generation gather in [keeping to themselves] and do not disseminate Torah to students, you should spread the words of Torah and teach them to students. And if it is a time when those who spread out are spreading out, gather in! That is, when the greatest scholars of the generation spread out and disseminate Torah, gather yourself in and do not assume authority to teach Torah to students. By adopting the trait of humility, you will thereby increase the honor of Heaven, and this too is included in “It is time to act for the Lord; they have voided Your Torah.”

And

from its end to its beginning it is expounded

as follows: Sometimes the righteous, who fulfill God’s will,

“have violated Your Torah.”

And

for what reason? Because

it is

“a time to act for the Lord,”

meaning that there is a time when it is necessary to set aside a matter of Torah for the sake of Heaven, such as Elijah, who offered a sacrifice on Mount Carmel at a time when offering on private altars was prohibited, in order to demonstrate to the prophets of the Baal that the Lord is God. In this manner Boaz expounded the verse with regard to greeting another in the Divine Name.

It was taught: Hillel the Elder says: At a time when those who gather in, spread out;

when the scholars of the generation gather in [keeping to themselves] and do not disseminate Torah to students, you should spread out the words of Torah and teach them to students.

And

And if you see a generation for whom Torah is beloved, spread it out

and disseminate Torah publicly,

as it is stated

[Proverbs 11:24], “There is one who scatters and nevertheless he gains still more, whereas one who withholds from what is right comes only to want.” And if you see a generation for whom Torah is not beloved, gather it in, and do not disseminate Torah. When you spread Torah while the listeners do not desire it, you are casting words of Torah into disgrace, as it is stated: “It is time to act for the Lord; they have voided Your Torah,” meaning that it is preferable to refrain from teaching Torah rather than to spread it when one keeps it gathered within himself for the sake of Heaven.

Bar Kappara taught:

If you see merchandise that is

cheap

[being sold inexpensively],

gather it and purchase it,

because it will eventually become expensive. He means that one who grows up in a generation that does not value Torah should study a great deal for himself, because in the end everyone will recognize its value.

whereas one who withholds more than is right comes only to want.”

And if you see a generation for which Torah is not dear, gather in,

He further taught

In a place where there is no

man

[an important person] who instructs the people in practical law,

there you should be

a

man

and instruct the public in the law.

Abaye said:

From Bar Kappara’s statement that one should issue practical rulings in a place where there is no man

derive

that

in a place where there is

a

man

who issues practical rulings,

there you should not be a man

and instruct the public.

The Gemara asks:

It is obvious

that if there is a great man in that place who issues practical rulings, one who is lesser than he should not issue rulings, since by doing so he violates the prohibition against “one who issues a halakhic ruling in the presence of his teacher”!

that

in a place where there is

The Gemara answers:

It was necessary

to state Abaye’s teaching

only when the two of them are equal,

that is, when he and the Torah scholar who is present in that place are equal in wisdom. Even so, he should not take the other’s position and teach in his place once that scholar has already been issuing rulings there regularly.

Bar Kappara taught: Which is a small passage on which all the essentials of the Torah depend? — It is the statement [Proverbs 3:6]:

“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will straighten your paths,”

that you should possess true knowledge of the Creator’s existence and that He watches over all your paths, rewarding the righteous and punishing the wicked. Then “He will straighten your paths,” because a person is led along the path he wishes to follow.

The Gemara answers:

Rava said:

“In all your ways acknowledge Him,”

even when engaging in a transgression!

Even when you are compelled to perform an act that has consequences for good and for evil,

direct your heart, while carrying it out, toward a mitzva-related purpose; and if you do so, then He will straighten your paths.

It is what is stated [Proverbs 3:6]:

“In all your ways know Him, and He will direct your paths,”

that you should possess true knowledge of the existence of the Creator, that He watches over all your ways, and that He grants reward to the righteous and punishment to the wicked. Then “He will direct your paths,” for along the path a person wishes to follow, he is led.

Rava said:

“In all your ways know Him,”

even when engaged in a transgression!

Even if you are compelled to perform an act that has consequences for good or for evil, set your heart on directing your action toward the fulfillment of a mitzva; and if you do so, He will direct your paths.

Bar Kappara expounded: A person should always teach his son a clean and easy craft.

The Gemara inquires:

And what is

this craft?

Rav Chisda said: A needlework of furrows —

the craft of needlework, whose stitches are made in rows, like furrows.

It was taught: Rabbi says: A person should never multiply friends

friends

within his house, as it is stated

[Proverbs 18:24]

“A man of friends comes to ruin,”

for a person who has many friends will ultimately quarrel with them, and they will harm him.

It was taught: Rabbi says: He should not appoint a steward within his house, for had Potiphar not appointed

Joseph as steward within his house, he would not

have

come to that matter

of the act involving his wife with Joseph.

It was taught: Rabbi says: Why was the section of the nazirite placed adjacent to the section of the sotah? —

To tell you: Whoever sees a sotah in her disgrace should separate himself from wine.

Hezekiah, son of Rav Parnakh, said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: Why was the section of the sotah placed adjacent to the section of terumot and tithes

which was stated before it? —

To tell you: Every

person

who has terumot and tithes and does not give them to a priest,

in the

end

he

will need a priest on account of his wife,

for in the end his wife will act unfaithfully toward him, and he will need to have her drink.

As it is stated

[Numbers 5:10]

“And each man’s sacred things shall be his,”

and [the verse] is expounded concerning one who withholds his sacred things [terumot and tithes] for himself and does not give them to a priest,

and adjacent to it is “Any man, if his wife goes astray,” and it is written

further immediately afterward

“And the man shall bring his wife

to the priest, etc.’”

And furthermore,

if he withholds the gifts for himself,

in the end

he himself

will need them. As it is stated

[in the continuation of the verse]:

“And each man’s sacred things shall be his,”

for in the end he will lose his assets and need to take the poor man’s tithe and the other gifts of the poor.

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzchak said: And if he gives them

the gifts to a priest, in the

end

he

will become wealthy, as it is stated: “A man who gives to the priest, his shall it be.”

And since at the beginning of the verse concerning “his sacred things” it says “his shall they be” in the plural, whereas at its end it says

“his shall it be”

in the singular, it implies that its end deals with his reward, that he will have

much wealth.

Rav Huna bar Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Elazar HaKappar: Whoever joins the Name of Heaven to his suffering,

and blesses over the evil, “Blessed is the Judge of truth,”

his livelihood is doubled for him,

as it is always available to him in abundance,

as it is stated

[Job 22:25]:

“And the Almighty shall be your treasure, and silver in abundance for you,”

and they expounded “your treasure” in the sense of distress and suffering: if at this time the name of the Almighty is in his mouth, his livelihood will be doubled. For “abundance” is an expression of doubling as the translation of “and you shall double” is “and you shall make fly” [Onkelos, Exodus 26:9].

Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said:

One who joins the Name of Heaven to his suffering,

his livelihood flies to him like a bird

and comes to him without difficulty,

as it is stated: “And the Almighty shall be

your treasure, and silver in abundance for him,”

and “abundance” is an expression of flight.

Rabbi Tavi said in the name of Rabbi Yoshiya: Whoever makes himself lax regarding words of Torah has no strength to stand on the day of distress, as it is stated

[Proverbs 24:10]:

“You have been lax on the day of distress; your strength is narrow,”

and they expounded: If you have been lax regarding Torah, then your strength will be narrow on the day of distress, for the angels who support a person at the time of distress do not help one who is lax.

Rav Ami bar Mattena said in the name of Shmuel: Even

if he became lax regarding

a single mitzva

alone, and did not take care to engage in it when it came to his hand, his strength will be narrow and slight on the day of distress.

For

it is

stated “You have been lax,”

which implies laxity

in any event,

even regarding a single mitzva alone.

Rav Safra said: Rabbi Abbahu used to relate

[the following story]:

When Hanina, the son of the brother of Rabbi Yehoshua, went down into the Diaspora, he was intercalating

there

years and establishing months

[whether the month would be deficient or full]

outside the Land of Israel,

and he acted unlawfully, for the year may not be intercalated outside the Land of Israel.

They sent after him

the Sages of the Land of Israel

two Torah scholars

to protest against him, and they were

Rabbi Yosei ben Kipper and the son of the son of Zechariah ben Kavutel. When he saw them

Hanina,

he said to them: Why have you come?

They said to him: We have come to study Torah!

Hanina proclaimed concerning them

Hanina:

These men are the great men of the generation, and their fathers served

in the priesthood

in the Temple. As we learned: Zechariah ben Kavutel says, Many times I read before him

[before the High Priest on the night of the Day of Atonement, so that he would not sleep]

from the Book of Daniel!

And the young priests would read then before the High Priest; thus, Zechariah ben Kavutel served in the Temple.

Hanina began

to issue rulings of halakha, and whatever

he deemed impure,

they

would deem pure

[Rabbi Yosei ben Kipper and the son of the son of Zechariah ben Kavutel]; and whatever

he

he

deemed forbidden,

they would permit,

and through this they wished to cause people to suspect him.

He proclaimed concerning them

Hanina:

These men are of emptiness; they are of chaos!

They said to him:

You said earlier that we are the great men of the generation, and that which

you have already built, you cannot destroy,

and say that we are “emptiness” and “chaos”; and likewise that which

you have already fenced in, you cannot breach!

He said to them: Why is it that I deem impure and you deem pure

what I deemed impure? And why is it that

I forbid and you permit!?

They said to him: Because you intercalate years and establish months outside the Land of Israel!

And it is forbidden to do so; and since he acted improperly, they refuted his words, in order to inform the public that one should not follow his rulings.

He said to them

Hanina:

But

also

Akiva ben Yosef intercalated years and established months outside the Land of Israel

when he went down to Nehardea? !

They said to him: Leave

off

Rabbi Akiva, who left no

sage

like him in the Land of Israel;

therefore, even when he went down outside the Land, he could intercalate years and establish months.

He said to them:

But

I too left no

sage

like me in the Land of Israel!

And if so, I too am fit to intercalate years outside the Land.

They said to him: Although when you left the Land of Israel you left no one like yourself,

but now there are those like you there. For the young goats that you left behind have become he-goats with horns

[that is, those Torah scholars whom you left there have become greater than you, and they have the power to gore you through excommunication, as follows].

And they sent us to you, and they also said to us: Go and tell him

in our name, “If he heeds

our voice and stops intercalating years,

it is well; but if not, let him be placed under a ban!”

to our voice and stops intercalating years,

all is well; but if not, he shall be placed under a ban!”