Pesachim 104a — the Talmud in English

He said to him Rav Yaakov bar Abba:

Rav Yaakov bar Abba:

But, Master, you said neither three nor seven.

For you said four. And whichever way you look at it: if you came to take hold of the lesser number, three is sufficient for you. And if you wished to increase, you should have said all seven?

Rava said to him

Rava:

Indeed

truly,

“between the seventh day and the six days of activity”

is not included in the count, and it was said only because

it is akin to the conclusion.

For the conclusion, that is, the end of the blessing, is “Blessed is He Who distinguishes between the sacred and the ordinary.” And “between the seventh day and the six days of activity” is similar to it, for it too is a distinction between the sacred and the ordinary.

And Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel: The one who makes havdala must say something akin to the conclusion adjacent to his conclusion! [

And likewise in all the extended blessings.]

And the Pumbeditans say:

he must say

something akin to

their opening.

He should repeat and say something akin to the beginning of the blessing adjacent

to their conclusion!

And we examined it:

What is the difference between them?

For in havdala the opening and the conclusion are identical [“Who distinguishes between the sacred and the ordinary”], and likewise in most blessings.

And we answer:

There is a difference between them in the case of a Festival that falls after Shabbat, when we conclude

in havdala, “Blessed is He Who distinguishes”

“between one sacred thing and another sacred thing.”

The one who says, “something akin to their opening adjacent to their conclusion” -

does not need to say

adjacent to the conclusion

“You distinguished between the sanctity of Shabbat and the sanctity of the Festival.”

Rather, he says there as usual, “between the seventh day and the six days of activity,” which is akin to the opening, “Who distinguishes between the sacred and the ordinary.”

And the one who says, “something akin to the conclusion adjacent to the conclusion” —

needs to say

adjacent to the conclusion

“You distinguished between the sanctity of Shabbat and the sanctity of the Festival.”

For it is akin to the conclusion, “between one sacred thing and another sacred thing.”

The substance: Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rabbi Oshaya: One who diminishes should not diminish below three.

And one who adds should not add beyond seven.

He raises an objection

from that which was taught in a beraita:

He says distinctions,

he must make distinctions

at the conclusion of Sabbaths, at the conclusion of Festivals, at the conclusion of Yom Kippur, and at the conclusion of Shabbat leading into a Festival

that is, when a Festival falls on it,

and at the conclusion of a Festival leading into its intermediate days.

But not at the conclusion of a Festival leading into Shabbat.

For it is not the way to escort the viceroy when the king enters; rather, all are drawn after the king.

One who is accustomed

one who is expert and knows how to say matters of distinction,

says many

distinctions,

and one who is not accustomed says one.

And this is difficult for Rabbi Elazar, who said that he should not diminish below three?

And we answer:

It is a dispute between tannaim!

For Rabbi Yohanan said: “The sons of the holy”

was

saying

a distinction

one [

and “the sons of the holy” is a tanna, as below].

And the people practiced

according to other tannaim who were in his generation and disagreed with him,

to say three.

Thus, the tannaim disputed this matter. And there is a tanna who holds like Rabbi Elazar in the name of Rabbi Oshaya, that it is possible to say only one.

And we explain:

Who are “the sons of the holy”?

Rabbi Menahem bar Simai.

And why did they call him “the sons of the holy”?

Because

he did not look at the image on a coin.

At the likeness of the man engraved on the coin.

Rav Shmuel bar Idi sent to

Rabbi Yohanan:

Hananiah my brother says

a distinction

one

only!

And we conclude:

The halakha is not like him!

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: The one who makes havdala must say something akin to the distinctions stated in the Torah,

as follows.

He raises an objection:

It was taught:

The order of the distinctions

that is, the seven distinctions

how does he say it?

a.

Who distinguishes between the sacred and the ordinary.

b.

Between light and darkness.

c.

Between Israel and the nations.

And between the seventh day and the six days of activity. [

And this distinction is not included in the count, as we said above, that he says it because he must say at the end of the blessing something akin to the conclusion.

And the tanna taught it in the middle of the order of the seven distinctions because one who says only three distinctions concludes with it, adjacent to the conclusion.]

d.

Between impure and pure.

e.

Between the sea and the dry land.

f.

Between the upper waters and the lower waters.

g.

Between priests, Levites, and Israelites.

And he concludes with the order of Creation

saying, “Blessed is He Who arranges Creation.” Because at the conclusion of Shabbat [which preceded the creation], the Holy One, blessed is He, began to arrange the work of Creation.

And others say:

He concludes

with “Creator of Creation.”

Rabbi Yosei bar Rabbi Yehuda says: He concludes

“Who sanctifies

Israel.”

For from all the world that He created, He sanctified only Israel. And therefore it belongs to the conclusion of Shabbat.

And the Gemara explains its difficulty:

And if it is so,

that one must specifically say something akin to the distinctions stated in the Torah, this is difficult:

But “between the sea and the dry land” contains no distinction written in it!

For we do not find in the Torah the wording of a distinction between the sea and the dry land.

And all the others are written in the Torah — [

a] “To distinguish between the sacred and the ordinary.” [

b] “And God distinguished between the light and the darkness.” [

c] “And I distinguished you from the nations.” [

d] “And to distinguish between the impure and the pure.” [

e] “And He distinguished between the waters that were beneath the firmament and the waters that were above the firmament.” [

f] “Between priests, Levites, and Israelites” will be explained below.

And we answer:

Remove from here “between the sea and the dry land”.

It should be erased from the beraita.

And we ask:

If so,

that “between the sea and the dry land” must be erased from the order of the seven distinctions, how are there seven distinctions stated in the Torah?

And one cannot say that the seventh distinction is what we learned in the beraita, that he says

“between the seventh day and the six days of activity.”

For this statement of distinction

also

is not considered part of the count of the seven distinctions stated in the Torah, but is the end of the blessing,

“something akin to the conclusion”

it is.

According to the one who says that he concludes with the order of Creation, “between the seventh day and the six days of activity” is also from the order of Creation.

And likewise according to the one who says that he concludes with “Creator of Creation.”

And according to the one who says that he concludes with “Who sanctifies Israel,” it is also akin to the conclusion, for He sanctified us with His commandments and gave us the Shabbat. Tosafot, “Between.”

And if so,

one has been subtracted

one is missing from the count,

and there are not seven

distinctions.

And we answer:

They say: Priests, Levites, and Israelites —

they are two matters.

For they are considered two distinctions, as explained below, and together there are seven.

One distinction is

between Levites and Israelites, for it is written: “At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi.”

And the second distinction is

between the priests and the Levites, for it is written: “The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses; and Aaron was separated to sanctify him as most holy.”

And we examined it:

With what conclusion does he conclude?

What is the halakhic ruling regarding the conclusion of havdala?

Rav said: “Who sanctifies Israel.”

And Shmuel said: “Who distinguishes between the sacred and the ordinary” [

He holds like the tanna of the Mishna in tractate Chullin [26b], that when a Festival falls on the conclusion of Shabbat, he concludes, “Who distinguishes between one sacred thing and another sacred thing.” And from this Shmuel learned that at the conclusion of an ordinary Shabbat he concludes, “Who distinguishes between the sacred and the ordinary.”]

Abaye pronounced a curse upon it [

In the language of a curse]

and some say Rav Yosef —

upon Rav’s statement.

For the halakha is not like him, but like Shmuel.

A tanna taught in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hanania: Anyone who concludes, “Who sanctifies Israel” and “Who distinguishes between the sacred and the ordinary” —

they prolong his days and years.