meta: {"file": "/data/tomer/Sefaria-Export/txt_done/Talmud/Bavli/Seder Zeraim/Berakhot/English/Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology.txt"}
text: Berakhot
  ברכות
  Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology
  
  
  Berakhot
  
  
  
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  There were some lawless men living in the neighborhood of R' Meir, and they used to bother him greatly. Once R' Meir prayed that they should die.  His wife, Beruriah, exclaimed, "What are you thinking?  Is it because it is written, "'Let sinners cease out of the earth"? (Tehillim 104:35) But is it written hoteim (sinners)?  It is written hata'im (sins)! 
  Look also at the end of the verse,  'And let the wicked be no more' — i.e. when 'sins will cease,' then 'the wicked will be no more.'  You should rather pray that they repent and be wicked no longer." 
  R' Meir prayed on their behalf and they repented. 
  A heretic said to Beruriah :  It is written, "Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear" (Yeshayau 54:1). Should a woman sing because she did not bear? 
  She answered him,  "Fool,  look at the end of the verse ;  for it is written, 'For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, says the Lord.' 
  But what does it mean, 'barren woman, you that did not bear?' Sing, O Knesset Yisrael, who are like a barren woman that has not borne children for Gehinnom — like you."
  
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  Our rabbis taught:  Hezekiah the King did six things. For three of them they praised him and for three they did not. 
  For three they praised him:  he hid away the Book of Healing – they praised him. He ground up the bronze snake – they praised him. He dragged the bones of his father on a bed of ropes – they praised him. 
  For three things they did not praise him:  he sealed up the waters of the Gihon spring – they did not praise him. He cut off the doors of the Temple and sent them to the king of Assyria – they did not praise him. He intercalated the month of Nisan in Nisan – they did not praise him.
  
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  Our Rabbis taught  One who prays must align his heart to heaven.  Aba Shaul says: the sign for this is  “…may You prepare their heart, may Your ear hearken.” (Psalms 10:17) 
  It is taught - R’ Yehudah said:  this was the custom of R’ Akiva - when he prayed with the community he would cut short his prayers, but when he prayed by himself one would leave him in this corner and find him in the other. And why so much? Because of his bowing and prostrations.
  R’ Chiyya bar Aba said:  One should always pray in a house with windows, as it says  “…where there were open windows…” (Daniel 6:11) 
  Perhaps one should pray all day? It is already made clear by Daniel  “…and three times a day…” (ibid.) 
  Perhaps this began once he went into exile?  It has already been said  “…just as he had done prior to this.” (ibid.) ...
  Perhaps one can pray toward any direction they like?  The verse states “…opposite Jerusalem…” (ibid.) 
  Perhaps one may say them all at once? It has already been made clear by David  “Evening, morning, and noontime…” (Psalms 55:18) 
  Perhaps one should make their voice heard during prayer?  It has already been made clear by Chana  “…and her voice was not heard…” (Samuel I 1:13) 
  Perhaps one should ask for what they need and then pray?  It has already been made clear by Shlomo  “…to listen to the cry (rina) and to the prayer (tefillah).” (Kings I 8:28) Rina is prayer and tefillah is request. 
  
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  "But Zion said. The Lord has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me" (Is. 49:14).  But forsaken is the same as forgotten!  R' Shimon ben Lakish said: Knesset Yisrael said before the Holy One,  "Master of the World! A man who marries a woman after his first wife remembers the deeds of the first; but You have forsaken me and forgotten me!" 
  The Holy One replied,  "My daughter, twelve constellations have I created in the firmament, and for each constellation thirty hosts, and for each host thirty legions, and for each legion thirty files, and for each file thirty cohorts, and for each cohort thirty camps, and in each camp I have suspended three hundred and sixty-five thousand myriads of stars, in accordance with the days of the solar year, and all of them I only created for your sake ; and yet you say, "You have forsaken me, You have forgotten me'!" 
  "Can a woman forget her nursing child ('ulah)?!" (Is. 49:15). The Holy One said,  "Can I forget the burnt-offerings ('olot) of rams and the firstborn of animals which you offered to Me in the wilderness?"  She said before Him,  "Master of the World! Since there is no forgetting before the throne of Your glory, perhaps You will not forget the incident of the Golden Calf!"  He replied,  "even 'these' will forget (be forgotten)" (ibid.). 
  She said before Him,  "Master of the World! Since there is forgetting before the throne of Your glory, perhaps You will forget the incident at Sinai!"  He replied,  "Yet I will not forget thee" (ibid.). 
  This is the meaning of R' Eleazar's statement in the name of R' Oshaya:  What is written, "even 'these' will forget (be forgotten)"? That refers to the incident of the Golden Calf; "Yet I will not forget thee"? That refers to the incident at Sinai. 
  
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  We have a source for the blessing over food, from where do we learn the obligation for the blessing over the Torah?  R’ Yishmael says  ‘it is an a fortiori argument: If a blessing is said for temporal life, how much more so for eternal life!’  R’ Chiya bar Nachmani, the student of R’ Yishmael, said in the name of R’ Yishmael  ‘This is not necessary. For see, it says  “…for the good land He has given you.” (Devarim 8:10), and in another place it says  “… and I will give you the stone tablets…” (Shemot 24:12) 
  R’ Meir says  ‘from where do we learn that just as one blesses on the good, so too they bless on the bad?  The verse says  ‘the Lord, your God…has given you’ Meaning, which He has judged you. Bless him for every judgement He passes on you, be it for the good or bad. 
  R’ Yehudah ben Bateyrah says ‘this is not necessary. For see, it says  ‘good’ and ‘the good’. ‘Good’ refers to the Torah; as it says  “For I gave you good teaching…” (Misle 4:2) ‘The good’ refers to the building of Jerusalem; as it says “...this good mountain and the Lebanon.” (Devarim 3:25)
  
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  ... R’ Yochanan said:  from the day the Holy Temple was destroyed, a decree was issued on the houses of the righteous that they be destroyed, as it says “In my ears [spoke] the Lord of Hosts, "Truly, great houses shall become desolate, yea, large ones and good ones, without inhabitants.” (Isaiah 5:9)  R’ Yochanan also said:  In the future the Holy One will return them to their settled state, as it says “A song of ascents. Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion…” (Psalms 125:1) Just as in the future the Holy One will return Mount Zion to its settled state, so too in the future the Holy One will return the houses of the righteous to their settled state.
  
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  “If the Lord has incited you against me, He will accept an offering…” (Shmuel I 26:19) R’ Eleazar said:  The Holy One said to David: You call me a ‘stirrer-up’?!  Behold, I will make you stumble over a thing which even school-children know, namely, that which is written, "When you take the sum of the children of Israel according to their numbers, let each one give to the Lord an atonement for his soul when they are counted; then there will be no plague among them when they are counted.” (Shemot 30:12)  Immediately, the accuser stood up against Israel; and it is further written, “He stirred David against them, saying, ‘Go count Israel and Yehudah.’” (Shmuel II 24:1)  And when he did number them, he took no ransom from them and it is written, “So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning until the appointed time…” (Shmuel II 24:15) 
  What is meant by ‘the time appointed’?  Shmuel the elder, the son-in-law of R’ Hanina, answered in the name of R’ Hanina:  From the time of slaughtering the continual offering until the time of sprinkling the blood.  R’ Yochanan said:  Right up precisely to midday. 
  “And He said to the angel that destroyed among the people, It is enough (rav) …” (Shmuel II 24:16) R’ Eleazar said: The Holy One said to the angel:  Take a great man (rav) among them, whose death will atone for many sins. At that time died Avishai ben Zeruiah, who was equal in worth to the greater part of the Sanhedrin. 
  “And as he destroyed, the Lord saw and regretted the evil…” (Divre HaYamim I 21:15) What did He see? — 
  Rav said:  He saw our father Yaakov, as it is written, “And Jacob said when he saw them…” (Bereshit 32:3)  Shmuel said: He saw the ashes of Yitzchak, as it says, “"God will see for Himself the lamb…” (Bereshit 22:8)  
  R’ Yitzchak Nafcha said:  He saw the money of the atonement, as it says, “You shall take the silver of the atonements from the children of Israel and use it for the work of the Tent of Meeting; it shall be a remembrance for the children of Israel before the Lord…” (Shemot 30:16)  R Yochanan said:  He saw the Temple, as it is written, “On the mountain, the Lord will be seen.” (Bereshit 22:14)
  R’ Yaakov bar Idi and R’ Shmuel bar Nachmani argued on the matter. One said that  He saw the atonement money, the other that  He saw the Temple.  The more likely view is that He saw the Temple, since it is written, “…as it is said to this day: On the mountain, the Lord will be seen.”