Berakhot 7b — the Talmud in English

Rabbi Yohanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai: From the day the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, there was no person who called the Holy One, blessed be He, “Master,”

that is, using the name of lordship [alef-dalet-nun-yod],

until Abraham came and called Him “Master,” as it is stated

[Genesis 15:8]:

“And he said, My Master

God,

by what shall I know that I shall inherit it?”

Rav said: Even Daniel was answered only on account of

the merit of

Abraham,

as it is stated [Daniel 9:17]:

“And now, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant and his supplications, and cause Your face to shine upon Your desolate Sanctuary, for the sake of my Master,”

and apparently

he should have said, “for Your sake,”

rather than “for the sake of my Master,”

but

certainly his intention was

“for the sake of Abraham, who called You Master.”

And

further

Rabbi Yohanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai: From where is it derived that one should not appease a person at the time of his anger? As it is stated

[Exodus 33:14]:

“My presence shall go, and I will give you rest.”

And

further

Rabbi Yohanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai: From the day the Holy One, blessed be He, created His world

there was no person who thanked the Holy One, blessed be He, until Leah came,

after giving birth to her fourth son,

and she thanked Him, as it is stated

[Genesis 29:35]:

“This time I will thank the Lord.”

The Gemara explains the reason that she called her first son

Reuben.

Rabbi Elazar said:

This name was given on account of the future, for

Leah said: “See the difference between this son of mine”

and

my father-in-law’s son,

that is, Esau, Isaac’s son and Leah’s father-in-law’s son:

For whereas

Esau,

my father-in-law’s son, although he sold his birthright willingly,

despite having sold the birthright of his own accord, as

it is written

[Genesis 25:33],

“And he sold his birthright to Jacob,” see

[that is, see]

what is written concerning him

[there, 27:41]:

“And Esau hated Jacob

for the blessing with which his father blessed him,”

and it is written

further [there, 36]:

“And he said, ‘Is it because his name is called Jacob that he has deceived me these two times?

He took my birthright, and now he has taken my blessing.’” Thus, he protested and claimed the birthright.

Whereas this son of mine,

who was born first,

although Joseph took the birthright from him against his will,

despite the fact that Joseph took it from him against his will , as

it is written

[I Chronicles 5:1]: “And the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel—for he was the firstborn.

But because he profaned his father’s couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph.” And nevertheless, I will not be jealous of him,

Reuben did not become jealous of Joseph; rather, he even exerted himself to save him,

as it is written

[Genesis 37:21]:

“And Reuben heard, and he saved him from their hands.”

Since the Gemara was occupied with the reasons for names, it explained the reason for the name of

Ruth,

the Moabite.

What is it,

why was she called by the name

Ruth

?

Rabbi Yohanan said: Because she merited, and David emerged from her, who refreshed the Holy One, blessed be He, with songs and praises.

The Gemara asks:

And from where do we derive that the name causes things?

From where do we know that a person’s name influences the events destined to befall him?

Rabbi Eliezer said: For the verse states,

[Psalms 46:9]:

“Come, behold the works of the Lord, who has placed desolations

in the land.” Do not read “shammot,”

as an expression of desolation,

but “shemot,”

names, meaning that God acts according to people’s names.

And

further

Rabbi Yohanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai:

A

difficult

calamity is it when someone in a person’s household is raised to

a wicked way of life, more than

that which will occur in the

war of Gog and Magog,

which is destined to come at the end of days.

As it is stated

[Psalms 3:1]:

“A psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.”

And it is written afterward,

that David prayed:

“Lord, how numerous are my foes; many rise against me.”

Whereas concerning the war of Gog and Magog it is written

only [Psalms 2:1]:

“Why do the nations rage, and the peoples contemplate futility?”

That is, what benefit do they derive from their actions?

Whereas “How numerous are my foes” is not written,

so it follows that the war of Gog and Magog is easier than a wicked way of life within a person’s household.

The Gemara continues to discuss the psalm that was cited:

“A psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.”

The Gemara wonders:

“A psalm of David”!?

It should have said, “A lament of David”!

Is it appropriate to say “a psalm of David” concerning his fleeing from his son Absalom, who had seized the kingship from him? It should have said, “a lament of David”!

The Gemara explains:

Rabbi Shimon ben Avishalom said: To what can this be compared? To a person against whom a large promissory note was issued,

before

he paid it,

he was sad,

because he did not have the means to pay it.

After

he acquired the means and

paid it,

he was

happy.

Here too,

concerning

David, once the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him

[II Samuel 12:11]: “Thus says the Lord:

Behold, I will raise evil against you from within your house,

and I will take your wives before your eyes,”

he was

David

sad.

He said:

Perhaps it will be a slave or a mamzer

who will rise against me,

who will have no compassion for me.

Once he saw that it was Absalom,

when he realized that it was his son Absalom,

he was happy,

because he thought that Absalom would certainly have compassion on him.

For this reason he said, “A psalm.”

And

further

Rabbi Yohanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai: It is permitted to provoke the wicked,

to quarrel with the wicked

in this world,

as it is stated

[Proverbs 28:4]:

“Those who forsake Torah praise the wicked, but those who keep Torah contend with them.”

It was taught likewise

in a beraita:

Rabbi Dostai, son of Rabbi Matun, says: It is permitted to provoke the wicked in this world, as it is stated: “Those who forsake Torah praise the wicked,

but those who keep Torah contend with them.”

And if a person whispers to you

[a difficulty]

to say

[to challenge this],

“But it is written

[Psalms 37:1]:

‘Do not vie with evildoers; do not envy the workers of iniquity’?”

This questioner interprets “vie” and “envy” as meaning to provoke and quarrel, and therefore understands the verse as saying not to provoke evildoers and workers of iniquity.

You

tell him

who raised this objection:

“One whose heart troubles him

because of transgressions in his possession

says

to interpret it

thus,

but this is not the intention of the verse.

Rather,

this is its interpretation:

‘Do not vie with evildoers, to become like evildoers.’

That is, do not desire the deeds of evildoers and wish to follow their ways. And the continuation of the verse is similarly interpreted:

‘Do not envy the workers of iniquity, to become like the workers of iniquity.’

That is, do not desire the workers of iniquity and wish to follow their ways.

And

so

the verse says

[Proverbs 23:17]:

“Let your heart not envy sinners,”

and here it is clear that the intention is not that one should not provoke and quarrel with sinners, for the verse continues:

“But rather, fear of the Lord all day.”

Certainly, then, the intention is that one should not desire to become like the sinners, but should wish to be like those who fear the Lord.

The Gemara objects:

“Is that so!”

Is it indeed so that it is permitted to provoke the wicked?

But Rabbi Yitzhak said: If you see a wicked person whose hour is playing in his favor,

shining its face upon him, meaning that he is successful in all his affairs,

do not provoke him, as it is stated [Psalms 10:5]: “The wicked, according to the height of his anger, does not seek, etc.’

His ways prosper at all times.”

“Prosper” means “succeed.”

means: “They succeed.”

Moreover, this wicked person is found deserving

this wicked person

in judgment

in Heaven, for at that time the judgments of suffering are removed from him, as

it is stated

later in the verse,

“Your judgments are on high, away from him,”

your judgments are removed and distanced from him.

Moreover, he sees the

fall of

his enemies, as it is stated

at the conclusion of the verse,

“All those who trouble him, He blows upon them.”

He causes his enemies to fall with ease, like a person who pushes away straw with a blow, and apparently his words indicate that one should not provoke the wicked.

The Gemara resolves this with several answers:

First answer:

It is not difficult. This

that Rabbi Yitzhak said—that all those who provoke him fall before him—refers

to matters concerning him,

to provocation concerning private matters and affairs that they have between them. Whereas

this,

what Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai and Rabbi Dostai said, that it is permitted to provoke the wicked, refers

to matters of Heaven,

for matters of Heaven, meaning Torah and mitzvot.

Second answer:

And if you wish, say: Both this and that concern matters of Heaven,

both Rabbi Shimon and Rabbi Dostai, and Rabbi Yitzhak as well, are speaking of provocation concerning spiritual matters,

and

nevertheless

it is not difficult

the contradiction between their statements. For

this,

Rabbi Yitzhak is speaking

of a wicked person whose hour is playing in his favor,

whose hour shines its face upon him and who is successful in all his affairs, whereas

this,

Rabbi Shimon and Rabbi Dostai are speaking

of a wicked person whose hour is not playing in his favor.

Third answer:

And if you wish, say: Both this and that,

both Rabbi Shimon and Rabbi Dostai and Rabbi Yitzhak, are speaking

of a wicked person whose hour is playing in his favor. And it is not difficult: this refers to a completely righteous person, and this refers to a righteous person who is not completely righteous.

A completely righteous person is permitted to provoke the wicked, while a righteous person who is not completely righteous is forbidden.

And the Gemara proves this distinction between a completely righteous person and one who is not completely righteous:

For Rav Huna said: What is the meaning of that which is written,

what is the explanation of the prophet Habakkuk’s question [1:13]:

“Why do You look upon traitors, remain silent when a wicked person swallows one more righteous than he?”

Does a wicked person indeed swallow a righteous person?

But it is written [Psalms 37:33] concerning a wicked person who desires to kill a righteous person,

“The Lord will not leave him in his hand,”

and

so

it is written [Proverbs 12:21]

“No trouble will befall the righteous.” But

the verse in Habakkuk speaks only of

a

righteous person more righteous than he,

meaning that he is more righteous than the wicked person, but is not completely righteous; him

the wicked person swallows,

the wicked person, but

a completely righteous person, he does not swallow.

Fourth answer:

And if you wish, say

to resolve the contradiction between Rabbi Yitzhak’s statement and the words of Rabbi Shimon and Rabbi Dostai as to whether it is permitted to provoke the wicked: in truth, a completely righteous person is permitted to provoke any wicked person, while what Rabbi Yitzhak said—that one should not provoke him—refers to a righteous person who is not completely righteous. And although ordinarily he is permitted to provoke a wicked person, when

his hour is playing in his favor, it is different.

For then it is forbidden for a righteous person who is not completely righteous to provoke him.

And further

Rabbi Yohanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai: Whoever establishes a fixed place for his prayer, his enemies fall beneath him, as it is stated

[Samuel II 7:10]:

“And I shall appoint a place for My people Israel, and I shall plant him and he shall dwell in his place, and he shall tremble no more, and the sons of iniquity shall no longer afflict him, as at first.”

As a reward for “I shall appoint a place,” the sons of iniquity shall no longer afflict him.

Rav Huna raised a contradiction [

he asked about an apparent contradiction between verses]:

It is written

in the aforementioned verse, which is God’s reply through the prophet Nathan to David, “and the sons of iniquity shall no longer

afflict him,” and

again

it is written

this verse with a change of wording in Chronicles [I 17:13]: “and the sons of iniquity shall no longer

destroy him.”

Why did Scripture change here, saying that they shall no longer only destroy him?

The Gemara replies:

At first, to afflict him,

when the Temple was built, it was built on the condition that the enemies would not be able to afflict Israel;

and ultimately, to destroy him,

after they sinned, affliction was decreed upon them, and prayer saved them from destruction.

And

further

Rabbi Yohanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar

Yohai: Greater is serving Torah than learning it,

serving Torah scholars is more important than learning from them,

as it is stated [Kings II 3:11]:

“Here is Elisha son of Shaphat, who poured water over Elijah’s hands.”

“Learned” from Elijah was not stated,

“Here is Elisha son of Shaphat, who poured water over the hands of Elijah.”

despite the fact that he learned Torah from his mouth,

but

only

“poured

water” over his hands was stated; this

teaches that serving is greater than learning.

Rabbi Yitzhak said to Rav Nahman: Why does the Master not come to the synagogue to pray,

what is the reason that the Master does not come to the synagogue to pray with the congregation?

He said to him,

Rav Nahman:

I am unable,

I cannot, because my strength has weakened.

He said to him,

Rabbi Yitzhak:

Let the Master gather ten people and pray,

let ten people gather for the Master, and let him pray with a quorum.

He said to him,

Rav Nahman:

The matter is burdensome for me,

the effort of gathering ten people is difficult for me.

Rabbi Yitzhak said to him: And let the Master tell the communal messenger: When the congregation prays, let him come and inform the Master! When the congregation stands for prayer, let him come and inform him, so that he may pray, at least at the same time that the congregation prays. He said to him, Rav Nahman: What is all this,

The matter is burdensome for me,

because it is difficult for me to take the trouble of gathering ten people.

Rabbi Yitzḥak said to him: Let my master tell the communal prayer leader, “When the congregation prays, let him come and inform my master!” When the congregation stands for prayer, he should come and notify him, so that he can pray at least at the same time that the congregation is praying.

He said to him, Rav Naḥman:

“When the congregation prays, let him come and inform my master!”

When the congregation stands for prayer, he should come and inform him, so that he can pray, at least, at the same time that the congregation prays.

what significance does this have?

He said to him,

Rabbi Yitzhak:

For Rabbi Yohanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai:

As Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai:

Rabbi Yitzḥak:

For Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai: