Berakhot 8b — 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 sections together with the congregation, they lengthen for him his days and years.

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

he intended to complete the reading of the sections, twice Scripture and once translation,

on the eve of the Day of Atonement,

on the eve of the Day of Atonement.

It was taught by Hiyya bar Rav of Difti: It is written

in the section of the Day of Atonement [Leviticus 23:32]:

“And you shall afflict your souls on the ninth day of the month in the evening.”

And it is astonishing:

“On the ninth”

of the month

do they fast? But do they not fast 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 credits him

as though he fasted on the ninth

and the tenth,

for this is the Torah’s intention in saying: Prepare yourselves on the ninth of the month through eating and drinking, so that you will be able to fast on the following day, and this obligation is stated in the language “and you shall afflict,” to make known to us that this eating is considered affliction. And if so, it is preferable to engage on this day in eating and drinking rather than in completing the sections.

He thought

Rav Bibi bar Abaye

to advance them,

to advance the reading of the sections and read all of them on one Shabbat or on two Shabbatot.

A certain elder said to him: We have learned

in a

“provided that he does not advance

to read the sections

and does not delay them,”

but he should read them together with the congregation.

As he said to them,

as

Rabbi Joshua ben Levi instructed his sons: Complete your sections together with the congregation, twice Scripture and once translation.

And Rabbi Joshua ben Levi further instructed his sons:

“And be careful with the veins,”

when slaughtering a fowl, be careful to cut the blood veins in its neck so that all the blood will emerge,

as

he said,

Rabbi Judah, for we have learned

in the Mishna [Hullin 27b]:

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

And he further instructed his sons:

“And be careful with an elder who forgot his learning because of circumstances beyond his control,”

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

for

it is

said: “The tablets and the broken tablets are placed in the Ark,”

meaning that even the broken tablets are treated with honor and placed together with the second tablets; so too one must honor a Torah scholar despite his having forgotten his learning.

Rava said to his son: When you cut meat, do not cut it

when the meat is lying

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 with any small wound, and the blood that emerges will soil the food and make the food repulsive to those reclining at the meal.

And

Rava further instructed them:

“Do not sit on an Aramean bed”!

And regarding the interpretation 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 a gentile’s bed.

And some say

that he intended to command:

that you should not marry a convert,

that you should not marry a female convert,

and some say

that he intended it literally:

a genuine Aramean

that is, that they should not sit on a bed belonging to a non-Jewish woman,

and because of an incident that

occurred with

Rav Pappa, for Rav Pappa went to her,

he went 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 raise the bed,”

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

and they found a dead infant there,

and her intention had been to bring a false accusation against him, saying that he had 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 Joshua ben Levi,

for Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: It is forbidden for a person to pass behind a synagogue while the congregation is praying.

Abaye said:

And we said this

that it is forbidden to pass there

only when there is no other entrance

to the synagogue;

but where there is another entrance, we have no concern,

there is no prohibition in this.

And we said this only when there is no other synagogue

in the area;

but where there is another synagogue, we have no concern,

because the one who sees him thinks that he is going to pray in the other synagogue.

And we said this

that it is forbidden to pass

only

in a situation

where he is not carrying a burden,

that he is not carrying a load,

and is not running,

and he is not running,

and is not wearing phylacteries; but if one of these is present, we have no concern,

because one who sees him carrying a burden or running understands that because he is occupied he is not entering the synagogue, and not because of contempt; and likewise, if he is wearing phylacteries, it is clear that he fears Heaven, and it is understood that he is not refraining from entering because of contempt.

It was taught

in a

“Rabbi Akiva said: In three matters I love the

deeds 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 consult,

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

they consult only in a field.

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,

Rav Adda bar Ahavah said: What is the verse?

Where do we find this matter in the Torah? For it is stated [Genesis 31:4] regarding Jacob, when he called Rachel and Leah to consult with them about leaving Laban:

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

Учили

It was taught

in a

“Rabban Gamaliel said: In three matters I love the Persians: They are modest in their eating;

and modest in the lavatory; and modest in another matter,”

sexual relations. Concerning the downfall of Babylon at the hands of the kings of Persia, it is said [Isaiah 13:3]:

“I have commanded My consecrated ones,”

I have commanded the kings of Persia and Media to come to destroy it:

Rab Yosef taught:

“My consecrated ones”

these are the Persians, who are consecrated

and prepared for Gehenna.

We learned in the Mishna:

Rabban Gamliel says:

until dawn.

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel: The halakha is in accordance with Rabban Gamliel

that the time for reciting the evening Shema is 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

with a short interval of time between them: once

one time before dawn and

once

one time after dawn has risen,

and fulfills through them

his obligation, one,

through the recitation that he recited after dawn had risen, he fulfills the obligation of reciting the Shema

of the following day, and one,

through the recitation that he recited before dawn, he fulfills the obligation of reciting the Shema

of

the

night

that had passed.

The Gemara raises a difficulty:

This 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 ‘day’ and one of ‘night,’”

which means that through the recitation that he recited after dawn had risen he fulfilled the obligation of the recitation of the following day,

evidently

that after dawn has risen

it is daytime.

The Gemara answers:

No,

this is not a difficulty;

indeed,

until sunrise it is still

night,

and the reason that it calls it “day,”

and he fulfills through it the obligation of the day’s recitation, is because

there are people who rise

from their sleep

at that time,

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

Rav Aha bar Hanina said in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi: The halakha is in accordance with Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai

that one may recite the morning Shema from dawn, since the time of rising has begun .

There are those who recite this

that the halakhic ruling

of Rav Aha bar Hanina

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

one time before sunrise,

and once

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

through the recitation after sunrise he fulfills the obligation of reciting

of the day,

and one,

through the recitation before sunrise he fulfills the obligation of reciting

of the night .

The Gemara raises a difficulty:

This 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 day and one of ‘night,’ evidently

that until sunrise it is still

night.