Taanit 16b — the Talmud in English

The Gemara now understands that what Rabbi Judah said—that he must have his house empty—means that he has no livelihood in his house. Therefore, the Gemara wonders: Why did Rabbi Judah state two conditions, that he must be “burdened and without means,” and that he must have “his house empty”? After all,

“burdened and without means”—

is the same as “his house empty”!

Rav Hisda said:

“‘His house empty’ does not mean that he has no livelihood in his house. Rather,

this means that his house is empty of transgression,

that objects of violence and robbery are not found in his house.”

“And his reputation is good”—

Abaye said: This is

a man

concerning whom no evil name went out

even

in his youth.

That is, he was always, even in his youth, of good and fitting character.

It is stated in the prophecy of Jeremiah:

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

What is “‘it raised its voice against Me’”?

Mar Zutra bar Toviyya said in the name of Rav—and some say, Rabbi Hama said in the name of Rabbi Elazar: This is an unsuitable prayer leader who goes down 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 says before them twenty

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

And the Gemara wonders: Are

these

the additional blessings

six

? But

there are seven

[of them],

as we learned: ‘For the seventh he says, “Blessed is He who has mercy upon the land,”

so we have seven additional blessings!

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said:

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

what

is the meaning of what the tanna stated

“seventh”?

It means that it is the

seventh of

the blessing that is

lengthy.

That is, the blessing which he began to lengthen, the blessing “Redeemer of Israel,” which is one of the eighteen ordinary blessings of the prayer. But in truth, in the counting of the additional blessings, it is the sixth blessing [as was explained in the Mishna].

As it was taught in a beraita: In the blessing

of

“Redeemer of Israel,”

the one who goes down before the ark

lengthens it, and in its closing

[at the end of the blessing]

he says: “He who answered Abraham on Mount Moriah, may He answer you and hear the voice of your cries on this day. Blessed are You, Redeemer of Israel.”

And they,

the people,

answer after him: Amen.

And the synagogue attendant says to them: “Sound, sons of Aaron, sound!”

And he returns

the one who goes down before the ark

and says:

“He who answered our forefathers at the Red Sea, may He answer you and hear the voice of your cries on this day. Blessed is He who remembers the forgotten.”

And they answer after him: Amen.

And the synagogue attendant says to them: “Sound the alarm, sons of Aaron, sound the alarm!”

And so

they do according to this order

in each and every blessing.

In

one blessing

he says: “Sound,” and in

one blessing

he says: “Sound the alarm.”

And what we learned, that they answer after him “Amen”—

in what context are these words stated?—

In the outlying areas

[outside the Temple].

But in the Temple—

it is not so.

Rather, the attendant says this: “He who answered Abraham, may He answer you and hear the sound of your cries on this day, God of Israel, from world to world. Blessed are You, Redeemer of Israel.” And the people answer after him: “Blessed is the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever.”

And the reason is

because one does not answer “Amen” in the Temple.

And from where

do we have this matter,

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

As it is stated

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

“Arise, bless the Lord your God from world to world,”

and it is stated further in the verse:

“And they bless Your honored name, and exalted above every blessing and praise.”

That is, the people answer 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 at the end of the final blessing, once, “Blessed is the name of the glory of His kingdom, and so forth”]—

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

This implies:

For every blessing—

give Him

the Holy One, blessed be He,

praise.

But rather, what does he say in the Temple?

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

world,

blessed is He who redeems Israel.”

And they answer after him: “Blessed is the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and e

ver.”

And the synagogue attendant says to them: “Sound, priests, sons of Aaron, sound.”

And he returns and says:

“He who answered Abraham on Mount Moriah, may He answer you and hear the voice of your cries on this day. Blessed is the Lord, God of Israel, who remembers the forgotten.”

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

And the synagogue attendant says to them: “Sound the alarm, priests, sons of Aaron, sound the alarm,” and so forth.

And so too in each and every blessing.

In

one blessing

he says: “Sound,”

the priests,

and in one he says: “Sound the alarm,”

the priests,

until he completes them all.

And so Rabbi Ḥalafta instituted

doing

in

the city

“Sepphoris,”

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

And

so Rabbi

Hanania ben Teradion

instituted

in

the place called

“Sikhnin.”

And when this matter

came

before the Sages, they said: “They did not practice in this manner,”

not to say “Amen,” but rather “Blessed is the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever,”

except in the gates of

the East and on the Temple Mount.

And some say, as it was taught in a beraita

[that is, there are those who teach the beraita in this wording]:

“He says before them twenty-four blessings.”

That is:

eighteen

ordinary blessings,

that

are said

every day

in the Eighteen Benedictions prayer,

and he adds another six

blessings special to a fast.

And those six

additional blessings,

where does he say them?

Between

the blessing

“Redeemer

of Israel,” and

the

blessing

“Healer of the sick

of His people Israel.”

And he lengthens the redemption

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

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

And this was the practice in the outlying areas

[outside the Temple].

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

And why all this?

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

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

As it is stated: “Arise, bless the Lord your God from world to world, and let them bless the name of Your glory, exalted above every blessing and praise.”

For each and every blessing—

give Him praise.

The Sages taught:

For the first ones he says: “Blessed is the Lord, God of Israel, from world to world; blessed is He who redeems Israel,” and they answer after him: “Blessed is the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever.”

And the synagogue attendant says: “Sound, priests, sound.”

And he returns and says: “He who answered Abraham on Mount Moriah, may He answer you and hear the voice of your cries on this day.”

And for the second one he says: “Blessed is the Lord, God of Israel, from world to world; blessed is He who remembers the forgotten,” and they answer after him: “Blessed is the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever.”

And the synagogue attendant says: “Sound the alarm, sons of Aaron, sound the alarm.”

And he says: “He who answered our forefathers at the Red Sea, may He answer you and hear the voice of your cries on this day,” and they sound the alarm, sound, and sound the alarm.

And so too in each and every blessing.

In one he says “Sound,” and in one he says “Sound the alarm,”

, until he completes

all the blessings.

And so Rabbi Ḥalafta instituted in Sepphoris, and Rabbi Hanania ben Teradion in Sikhnin.

And when the matter came before the Sages, they said: “They did not practice in this manner,”

to answer “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 Judah says: It was not necessary to say remembrances, and so forth.”

Rav Adda from Jaffa said: What is the reason for Rabbi Judah?