Berakhot 8b (ח:) — the Talmud in English

And even

“Atarot and Divon”—

which are the names of towns and have no translation—he should read them three times,

for whoever completes his portions together with the congregation is granted length of days and years.

Rav Bibi bar Abaye thought to complete all the portions of the entire year

He intended to complete the reading of the portions—twice in the biblical text and once in the Targum—

on the eve of Yom Kippur,

on the day before Yom Kippur.

Ḥiyya bar Rav of Difti taught: It is written

in the portion concerning Yom Kippur [Leviticus 23:32]:

“You shall afflict your souls on the ninth of the month in the evening.”

This is difficult:

Does one fast on the ninth

of the month?

But one fasts on the tenth!

Rather,

the Torah wrote “on the ninth of the month”

to tell you

that

whoever eats and drinks on the ninth, Scripture ascribes it to him

as though he fasted on the ninth

and the tenth,

for this is the Torah’s intention: Prepare yourselves on the ninth of the month through eating and drinking, so that you will be able to fast on the following day. This obligation is expressed with the wording “you shall afflict,” to teach us that this eating is considered an affliction. If so, it is preferable to engage in eating and drinking on this day rather than in completing the portions. He thought Rav Bibi bar Abaye

to advance them,

to read the portions early and read them all in one Shabbat or in two Shabbatot.

A certain elder said to him: We learned

in a

beraita:

“Provided that he does not read them early

to read the portions

or read them late,”

but reads them together with the congregation.

As he instructed them,

as

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi commanded his sons: “Complete your portions together with the congregation, twice in the biblical text and once in the Targum.”

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi further commanded his sons:

“Be careful with the veins,”

when slaughtering a bird, be careful to cut the blood vessels in its neck so that all the blood will flow out. And

as

Rabbi Yehuda said,

as we learned

in the Mishna [Hullin 27b]:

“Rabbi Yehuda says: Until he slaughters the veins.”

He further commanded his sons:

“Be careful with an elder who forgot his learning because of circumstances beyond his control;

if, because of illness or the burden of earning a livelihood, he forgot his learning, be careful to honor him despite his having forgotten his learning,

for

it is

said: ‘The tablets and the fragments of the tablets lay in the Ark.’”

That is, although the fragments of the tablets, too, were treated with honor and placed together with the second tablets, so too one must honor a Torah scholar even though he has forgotten his learning.

Rava said to his son: When you cut meat, do not cut it when the meat is resting on the back of the hand,

but when it is on the table.

Some say

that the reason is

because of danger,

lest he cut his hand.

And some say

that the reason is

because of spoiling the meal,

lest he injure his hand even slightly, and the blood that emerges will soil the food and make it repulsive to those eating with him.

And Rava further instructed them: “Do not sit on an Aramean bed!”

lest he injure his hand even with any small wound, and the blood that emerges will soil the food and make the food repulsive to those reclining at the meal.

Regarding the meaning of this instruction,

some say

that he intended to command:

“Do not sleep without reciting the Shema,”

and he called one who lies down to sleep without reciting the Shema an “Aramean bed,” because one who does so makes his bed resemble the bed of a gentile.

And some say

that he intended to command:

“Do not marry a convert,”

meaning, do not marry a female convert.

And some say

that he meant it literally:

“An actual Aramean,”

that is, do not sit on a bed belonging to a gentile woman.

And because of an incident involving

Rav Pappa,

for Rav Pappa

went to her,

to the house of

an Aramean woman. She brought out a bed for him and said to him: “Sit!” He said to her,

Rav Pappa:

“I will not sit until you lift the bed,”

and I see what is lying beneath it. She lifted the bed

and they found a dead infant there,

and her intention had been to accuse him of having sat on the infant and killed it.

From here

the Sages said: It is forbidden to sit on an Aramean bed.

And Rava further instructed them: “Do not pass behind a synagogue while the congregation is praying,” this supports Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, for Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: It is forbidden for a person to pass behind a synagogue while the congregation is praying. Abaye said: But we said that it is forbidden to pass there only when there is no other entrance to the synagogue. But when there is another entrance, there is no concern, there is no prohibition in the matter.

And we said this only when there is no other synagogue

in the area.

But when there is another synagogue, there is no concern, for the observer will assume that he is going to pray in the other synagogue. And we said that it is forbidden to pass only in a situation where he is not carrying a load, where he is carrying no burden, and is not running, and is not running,

and is not wearing tefillin; but if one of these is present, there is no concern,

for an observer who sees that he is carrying a burden or running understands that he is not entering the synagogue because he is occupied, and not because of contempt. Similarly, if he is wearing tefillin, it is evident that he fears Heaven, and it is understood that he is not refraining from entering because of contempt.

It was taught

in a

beraita

Rabbi Akiva said: In three matters I admire the practices of

the

Medes:

When they cut meat, they do not cut

it

except on the table

and not on the back of the hand ;

when they kiss their companions,

they kiss only on the back of the hand

of the companion, and not on his face, because of saliva;

and when they take counsel,

when they consult about a matter and do not want another person to hear,

they take counsel only in the field.

it

Rav Adda bar Ahava said: What is the verse

where this matter is found in the Torah? For it is stated [Genesis 31:4] concerning Jacob, when he called Rachel and Leah to consult with them about leaving Laban: “Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his flock.” It was taught in a beraita: Rabban Gamliel said: In three matters I admire the Persians: They are modest in their eating

; they are modest in the lavatory; and they are modest in another matter,

marital relations.

“And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his flock.”

Regarding the downfall of Babylon at the hands of the kings of Persia, it is stated [Isaiah 13:3]:

“I have commanded those consecrated to Me,”

that is, I commanded the kings of Persia and Media to come and destroy it:

Rav Yosef taught:

“Those consecrated to Me”

are the Persians, who are consecrated

and prepared for Gehinnom.

We learned in the Mishna:

Rabban Gamliel says:

until dawn.

Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said: The halakha is in accordance with Rabban Gamliel,

that the time for reciting the evening Shema extends until dawn.

It was taught

in a beraita:

Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai says: There are times when a person recites the Shema twice during the night,

one with only a short interval between them: once

before dawn and

once

after dawn has risen,

and fulfills through them

his obligation, one:

through the recitation that he recited after dawn has risen, he fulfills the obligation to recite the Shema

of the following day, and one,

through the recitation that he recited before dawn, he fulfills the obligation to recite the Shema

of

the

night

that had passed.

The Gemara raises an objection:

This matter itself is difficult,

for these statements contradict one another.

You said

at first:

“There are times when a person recites the Shema twice ‘during the night,’ evidently

that the period

after dawn has risen

and until sunrise in its entirety is

night

[night]

and

if

you then teach: ‘He fulfills through them his obligation, one of the “day” and one of the “night,”’

meaning that through the recitation he recited after dawn has risen, he fulfilled the obligation to recite the Shema of the following day,

evidently

that after dawn has risen it is

daytime.

The Gemara answers:

No,

this is not a difficulty.

Actually,

until sunrise it is still

night,

and the reason he calls it “day”

and fulfills through it the obligation to recite the Shema of the day is that

there are people who arise

from their sleep

at that time.

The Shema says, “and when you rise”; therefore, the time of the obligation depends on the time of rising. Since from dawn onward there are people who arise from their sleep, that time is considered day with regard to the Shema.

Rav Aḥa bar Ḥanina said that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: The halakha is in accordance with Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai,

who permits reciting the morning Shema from dawn onward, since the time when people begin to rise has begun .

Some teach this

as the formulation of the ruling

of Rav Aḥa bar Ḥanina

that the halakha is in accordance with Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai

with regard to that which was taught,

in another beraita:

Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai says in the name of Rabbi Akiva: There are times when a person recites the Shema twice during the day;

once

before sunrise,

and once

after sunrise, and he fulfills through them his obligation, one

through the recitation after sunrise he fulfills the obligation to recite the Shema

of the day,

and one,

through the recitation before sunrise he fulfills the obligation to recite the Shema

of the night.

The Gemara raises an objection:

This matter itself is difficult,

for these statements contradict one another:

You said: ‘There are times when a person recites the Shema twice “during the day”; evidently,

that after dawn, even before sunrise,

it is daytime

[day]

and you then teach: ‘He fulfills through them his obligation, one of the day and one of the “night,”’ evidently

that until sunrise it is still

night.