Taanit 16b (טז:) — the Talmud in English

The Gemara now understands that what Rabbi Yehuda said—that the person must have an empty home—means that he has no livelihood in his home. The Gemara therefore asks: Why did Rabbi Yehuda state two conditions, that he must be “burdened with children and without means” and that he must have “an empty home”? After all,

“burdened with children and without means”—

is the same as “an empty home”!

Rav Ḥisda said: “An empty home” does not mean that he has no livelihood in his home. Rather,

“an empty home” means

that his home is empty of sin,

that objects acquired through violence and theft are not found in his home.

“And his record is pleasing”—

Abaye said: This is

a person

about whom no evil reputation has spread

even

in his youth.

He was always, even in his youth, pleasing and worthy.

It is stated in Jeremiah’s prophecy:

“My inheritance has become to Me like a lion in the forest; it raised its voice against Me, therefore I hated it.”

What is the meaning of “it raised its voice against Me”?

Mar Zutra bar Toviyya said in the name of Rav—and some say that Rabbi Ḥama said in the name of Rabbi Elazar: This is a prayer leader who is unfit, who goes up before the Ark.

For the Holy One, blessed be He, hates him, and he raises his voice in prayer before Him.

We learned in our Mishna:

“And he recites before them twenty

four blessings: the eighteen recited every day, and he adds another six.”

The Gemara asks: Are

these

the additional blessings

six

in number? Surely,

there are seven

[they are seven]!

As we learned: “For the seventh he says: Blessed is He Who has mercy on the Land,”

so there are seven additional blessings!

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said:

The tanna does not mean that this blessing is the seventh of the additional blessings. Rather,

what

does the tanna mean by stating

“seventh”?

It means that it is the

seventh of

the blessing

that is extended.

That is, of the blessing that he began to expand—the blessing “Redeemer of Israel,” which is one of the eighteen regular blessings of the prayer. But in the reckoning of the additional blessings, it is actually the sixth blessing [as explained in the Mishna].

As it was taught in a beraita: In the blessing

the blessing

“Redeemer of Israel,”

the one who goes up before the Ark

extends the blessing, and in its conclusion

[at the end of the blessing]

he says: “May He Who answered Abraham on Mount Moriah answer you and hear the sound of your cry on this day. Blessed are You, Lord, Redeemer of Israel.”

And they,

the people,

respond after him: Amen.

And the synagogue attendant says to them: Sound the tekia, descendants of Aaron, sound it!

And he returns

the one who goes up before the Ark

and says:

“May He Who answered our forefathers at the Red Sea answer you and hear the sound of your cry on this day. Blessed is He Who remembers forgotten things.”

And they respond after him: Amen.

And the synagogue attendant says to them: Sound the terua, descendants of Aaron, sound it!

And so

they act in this order

with each and every blessing.

In

one

blessing he says: “Sound the tekia,” and in

another

blessing he says: “Sound the terua.”

As for what we learned, that they respond after him “Amen,”

when does this apply?

In the provinces

[outside the Temple].

But in the Temple—

it was not so.

Rather, the attendant would say: “May He Who answered Abraham answer you and hear the sound of your cry on this day, God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed is He Who redeems Israel.” And the people would respond after him: “Blessed is the Name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever.”

And the reason is

that one does not respond “Amen” in the Temple.

And from where

do we derive this matter,

that one does not respond “Amen” in the Temple?

As it is stated

in the book of Nehemiah, where the Levites said to Israel:

“Rise, bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting,”

and it is stated later in the verse:

“And let them bless Your glorious Name, exalted above every blessing and praise.”

That is, the people respond after them: “Blessed is the Name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever.”

One might have thought

[perhaps] that

for all the blessings there should be only one praise

[that they should say only once, at the end of the final blessing, “Blessed is the Name of the glory of His kingdom,” and so forth]—

The verse therefore states: “And exalted above every blessing and praise.”

This indicates that

for every blessing

give Him

the Holy One, blessed be He,

praise.

But what does one say in the Temple?

“Blessed is the Lord, God, God of Israel, from everlasting to

everlasting,

blessed is He Who redeems Israel.”

And they respond after him: “Blessed is the Name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever.”

ver.”

And the synagogue attendant says to them: Sound the tekia, priests, descendants of Aaron, sound it.

And he returns and says:

“May He Who answered Abraham on Mount Moriah answer you and hear the sound of your cry on this day. Blessed is the Lord, God of Israel, Who remembers forgotten things.”

And they respond after him: “Blessed is the Name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever.”

And the synagogue attendant says to them: Sound the terua, priests, descendants of Aaron, sound it, and so forth.

And so with each and every blessing.

In

one

blessing he says: “Sound the tekia,”

the priests,

and in another he says: “Sound the terua,”

the priests,

until he completes them all.

And so Rabbi Ḥalafta instituted

that they should act

in

the city of

“Tzippori,”

not responding “Amen,” but rather “Blessed is the Name of the glory of His kingdom,” and so forth.

And

so Rabbi

Ḥananya ben Teradyon

instituted that they should act

in

the place called

“Sikhnin.”

And when this matter

came

before the Sages, they said: They did not practice this way,

not responding “Amen,” but rather “Blessed is the Name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever,”

except at the eastern

gates and on the Temple Mount.

And some say, as it was taught in a beraita

[that is, some recite the beraita in this wording]:

“He recites before them twenty-four blessings.”

That is:

eighteen

regular blessings,

w

hich they

recite every day

in the Eighteen Benedictions prayer,

and he adds another six

special blessings for a fast.

And those six

additional blessings—

where does he recite them?

Between

the blessing

“Redeemer

of Israel” and

the

blessing

“Healer of the sick

of His people Israel.”

And he extends the redemption

[in the blessing “Redeemer of Israel,” as explained above],

and they respond after him “Amen” for each and every blessing.

And this is how they practiced in the provinces

[outside the Temple].

But in the Temple they would say: “Blessed is the Lord, God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting; blessed is He Who redeems Israel,” and they would not respond after him “Amen.”

And why so much?

Because one does not respond “Amen” in the Temple.

And from where do we know that one does not respond “Amen” in the Temple?

As it is stated: “Rise, bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting, and let them bless Your glorious Name, exalted above every blessing and praise.”

For every blessing—

give Him praise.

The Sages taught:

For the first blessings he says: “Blessed is the Lord, God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting; blessed is He Who redeems Israel,” and they respond after him: “Blessed is the Name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever.”

And the synagogue attendant says: Sound the tekia, priests, sound it.

And he returns and says: “May He Who answered Abraham on Mount Moriah answer you and hear the sound of your cry on this day.”

And for the second one he says: “Blessed is the Lord, God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting; blessed is He Who remembers forgotten things,” and they respond after him: “Blessed is the Name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever.”

And the synagogue attendant says: Sound the terua, descendants of Aaron, sound it.

And he says: “May He Who answered our forefathers at the Red Sea answer you and hear the sound of your cry on this day,” and they sound the terua, the tekia, and the terua.

And so with each and every blessing.

For one he says, “Sound the tekia,” and for one he says, “Sound the terua,”

, until he completes

all the blessings.

And so Rabbi Ḥalafta instituted in Tzippori, and Rabbi Ḥananya ben Teradyon in Sikhnin.

And when the matter came before the Sages, they said: They did not practice this way,

responding “Blessed is the Name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever,”

except at the eastern gates and on the Temple Mount.

We learned in our Mishna:

Rabbi Yehuda says: He did not need to recite the remembrances, and so forth.

Rav Adda of Jaffa said: What is the reason for Rabbi Yehuda’s opinion?