Berakhot 6b (ו:) — the Talmud in English

And all of them are written on its arm,

and all these verses are written in a single compartment in the tefillin of the arm.

Furthermore,

Ravin bar Rav Adda said that Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Anyone who is accustomed to come to the synagogue

every day,

and did not come one day, the Holy One, blessed be He, inquires about him

asking about him why he did not come.

As it is stated [Isaiah 50:10]:

“Who among you fears the Lord, who obeys the voice of His servant, who walks in darkness and has no light,

let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God.”

And this verse is expounded as follows: “Who among you fears the Lord”—the Lord asks, Where is that God-fearing person who was accustomed to rise early to come to the synagogue for prayer, but now did not come; rather, he went along a dark path, meaning, to attend to an optional matter. Therefore, “he has no light”—the day will not shine for him. And the matter depends on the reason why he refrained from coming, as the verse continues to explain. “

And if

he did not rise early to come to the synagogue because

he went

to attend to a mitzva,

then

he has light. But if he went to attend to an optional matter, he has no light.”

The verse concludes:

“Let him trust in the name of the Lord,”

meaning,

“For what reason,”

what is the reason that one who goes to attend to an optional matter has no light?—

Because he should have trusted in the name of the Lord

that He would provide him with his livelihood even if he rose early to come to the synagogue,

but he did not trust.

Rabbi Yoḥanan said: When the Holy One, blessed be He, comes to the synagogue and does not find ten there,

but fewer,

He immediately becomes angry. As it is stated there [Isaiah 50:2]:

there 50:2 ]:

“Why, when I came, was there no man; when I called, was there no one to answer?”

Rav Ḥelbo said that Rav Huna said:

Anyone who establishes

a fixed place for his prayer,

meaning that he always prays in the same place,

the God of Abraham

who established a fixed place for his prayer will be

his assistance,

just as He assisted Abraham our forefather.

And when he dies,

one who establishes a fixed place for his prayer

they say about him about him:

[concerning him]

“Woe,”

woe for

the pious man

who has been lost;

“Woe,”

woe for

the humble man

who has been lost,

one of the disciples of Abraham our forefather,

for he followed his ways.

The Gemara asks:

And from where do we know that Abraham our forefather

[what is the source]

established a fixed place

for his prayer?

The Gemara answers:

As it is written [Genesis 19:27]:

Genesis 19:27 ]:

“And Abraham rose early in the morning to the place where he had stood,”

meaning, where he had previously stood.

And

the reference is

not to standing, but

to

prayer, for

it is

stated [Psalms 106:30]:

Psalms 106:30 ]:

“And Phinehas stood and prayed.”

And

further,

Rabbi Ḥelbo said that Rav Huna said: One who leaves the synagogue should not take a large stride

because by doing so he demonstrates that sitting in the synagogue was a burden to him.

Abaye said: We said this

that this prohibition applies

only when leaving,

only when leaving the synagogue;

but

when entering,

when going to the synagogue,

it is a mitzva to run,

it is a mitzva to run,

as it is stated [Hosea 6:3]:

Hosea 6:3 ]:

“Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord,”

and pursuit denotes running.

Rabbi Zeira said: At first, when I would see the Sages

when I would initially see the Torah scholars

running to the lecture on Shabbat,

running on Shabbat to hear the lecture,

I would say: The Sages are desecrating Shabbat,

for it is prohibited to take a large stride on Shabbat.

Once I heard this that

was

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: A person should always run

to hear a matter of halakha,

even on Shabbat, as it is stated [Joshua 11:10]:

Joshua 11:10 ]:

“They shall follow the Lord; He shall roar like a lion,”

I too began to run,

and I too began to run.

Rabbi Zeira said: The reward for attending a lecture is for the running,

the primary reward received by those who run to hear a lecture from a Torah scholar is for the running.

Abaye said: The reward for attending the pre-holiday lecture

the reward of those who come to hear the lecture on the laws of the Festival on the Shabbat preceding it

is for the crowding,

is for the crowding there.

Rava said: The reward for a shemata is the reasoning,

the reward for one who engages in a matter of halakha is the exertion and effort required to understand the rationale of the matter.

Rav Pappa said: The reward for visiting a house of mourning,

the reward of those who go to the house of a mourner is

silence,

for their silence.

Mar Zutra said: The reward for a fast,

the reward for the fast is

charity,

for the charity given to support the poor who fasted that day.

Rav Sheshet said: The reward for a eulogy,

the reward of those who eulogize the deceased is

raising the voice,

for raising their voices in an expression of sorrow and anguish, so that those who hear them will weep.

Rav Ashi said: The reward for attending a wedding,

the reward received by one who participates in a wedding is

words

for gladdening the groom with words.

Rav Huna

said: Anyone who prays behind a synagogue

appears to deny the One to whom the congregation is praying, and therefore

is called wicked.

As it is stated

[Psalms 12:9]:

“The wicked walk on every side.” “On every side”

[that is, outside the synagogue], the wicked walk.

Abaye said: We said this

we did not say that he is called wicked

except when he does not turn his face toward the synagogue;

only if he does not turn his face toward the synagogue.

But if he turns his face toward the synagogue, we have no issue with it.

If he turns his face toward the synagogue, he is not called wicked.

There was a certain man who was praying behind a synagogue

—an incident involving a man who prayed behind a synagogue—

and he did not turn his face toward the synagogue,

and he did not turn his face in prayer toward the synagogue.

Elijah passed by and saw him;

Elijah the prophet passed there and saw him.

He appeared to him as an Arab merchant.

He appeared before him as an Arab merchant.

He said to him

—Elijah said to him:

“You stand as though there are two authorities before your Master,

for you are praying outside in a direction different from that of those praying inside the synagogue.”

He drew a sword and killed him.

Elijah drew a sword and killed him.

A certain one of the Sages said

[one of the Sages]

to Rav Bibi bar Abaye—and some say

and there are those who say that

Rav Bibi

said this

to Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak:

The verse cited, “The wicked walk on every side,” concludes: “When vileness is exalted among the children of man.”

What is the meaning of “When vileness is exalted among the children of man”?

He said to him: “These are matters that stand at the pinnacle of the world,

like prayer, which ascends above,

and people treat them lightly.”

The Gemara brings another explanation:

Rabbi Yoḥanan and Rabbi Elazar both said

[they both said]:

Since a person becomes dependent upon the

assistance of

other people,

for example, when he borrows money from them, they treat him lightly until

his face changes like the krom.

As it is stated, “When vileness is exalted among the children of man.” What is

the meaning of

“krom”?

When Rav Dimi came, he said: There is a certain bird in the coastal cities, and krom is its name; when the sun rises, it changes

its color

into several hues.

So too, the face of one who is dependent upon other people changes because they treat him lightly.

Rav Ami and Rav Asi both said,

they both said that one who is dependent upon other people is

as though he were judged by two forms of judgment: fire and water!

As it is stated

[Psalms 66:12]:

“You placed a man over our heads; we came through fire and water,”

if you placed a creditor over us, who lent us money and demands its repayment, it is as though we have come through fire and water.

And

further

Rabbi Helbo said in the name of Rav Huna: A person should always be careful with the afternoon prayer

to pray at the beginning of its time,

for Elijah was answered only through the afternoon prayer,

as it is stated

[I Kings 18:36]:

“And it came to pass at the time of the afternoon offering that Elijah the prophet approached and said, and so on: ‘Answer me, O Lord, answer me.’”

He said “Answer me” twice because he intended to ask for two things:

“Answer me, that fire may descend from Heaven, and answer me, so that they will not say that this is an act of sorcery.”

Thus, Elijah prayed “at the time of the afternoon offering,” implying immediately at the beginning of its time.

Rabbi Yoḥanan said: One must also be careful with the evening prayer

to pray at the beginning of its time,

as it is stated

[Psalms 141:2]:

“May my prayer be established as incense before You, the lifting of my hands as the evening offering.”

“The evening offering” refers to the evening prayer, and this teaches that it should be adjacent to the afternoon incense.

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: The morning prayer as well

requires care to pray early,

as it is stated

[Psalms 5:4]:

“O Lord, in the morning You shall hear my voice; in the morning I will set my prayer before You and await.”

The repetition of the word “morning” teaches that one should pray it early.

And

further

Rabbi Helbo said in the name of Rav Huna: Anyone who

partakes of a groom’s feast but does not gladden him transgresses

[treats lightly]

five “voices”

with which the Holy One, blessed be He, blessed Israel.

As it is stated

in Jeremiah [33:11], which says in the name of the Lord: “There will yet be heard in Judah and in Jerusalem,”

“the voice of joy and the voice of gladness,

the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those saying: Give thanks to the Lord of Hosts.”

And if he gladdens him

the groom,

what is his reward?

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: He merits Torah, which was given with five voices. As it is stated

in the account of the giving of the Torah [Exodus 19:16]: five “voices”:

“And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning and a thick cloud upon the mountain

[the plural “voices” indicates a minimum of two],

and the voice of the shofar,” and so on. [Exodus

19]:

“And the voice of the shofar

grew increasingly strong; Moses spoke,

and God answered him with a voice.”

The Gemara asks:

“Is that so?”

After all, the Torah was given with more than five voices,

as it is written

later in the passage [Exodus 20:15]:

“And all the people saw the voices,”

which indicates that additional voices were present there.

The Gemara answers:

Those “voices”

mentioned in this verse are the same voices

that had occurred before the giving of the Torah.

That is, they are the voices already mentioned in the preceding verses, such as “the voice of the shofar

.” Rabbi Abbahu said:

one who gladdens the groom

is as though he offered

a

thanksgiving offering, as it is stated at the conclusion of the verse of the five voices: “A voice saying: Give thanks to the Lord ...

as it is stated at the end of the verse concerning the five voices: “A voice saying: Give thanks to the Lord” ...

they bring a thanksgiving offering to the House of the Lord.”

Rabbi Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said:

one who gladdens the groom

is as though he built one of the ruins of Jerusalem, as it is stated

at the conclusion of the verse of the five voices mentioned:

“For I will restore the captivity of the land as at first, says the Lord.”

And

further

Rabbi Ḥelbo said in the name of Rav Huna: Every person

who possesses fear of Heaven, his words are heeded,

accepted,

as it is stated [

Ecclesiastes 12:13]

“The end of the matter, everything is heeded: Fear God and observe His commandments, for this is the entire human being.”

And this is expounded as follows: At the end of his words, everything is heeded. And to whom? To one who fears God!

What

is the meaning of the conclusion of the verse,

“for this is the entire human being”?

Rabbi Elazar said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said: The entire world was created solely for the sake of

the creation of

this

one who fears Heaven.

Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: This person is equivalent to the entire world.

Rabbi Shimon ben Azzai says—and some say [

and there are those who say]

Rabbi Shimon ben Zoma says: The entire world was created solely to accompany this one,

to serve as an aid to one who fears Heaven.

And

further

Rabbi Ḥelbo said in the name of Rav Huna: Whoever knows that his fellow is accustomed to greet him with peace

should precede him,

taking care to precede him with a greeting of

peace, as it is stated [

Psalms 34:15]:

“Seek peace and pursue it.”

And if he greeted him

with

peace but he did not return it,

and did not greet him with peace in return,

he is called a robber. As it is stated [

Isaiah 3:14]

“And you have ravaged the vineyard; the theft of the poor is in your houses.”

But is not even the theft of a rich person still theft? Rather, the reference is to robbing a poor person, from whom there is nothing to steal except the failure to return his greeting.