Commentaire sur Berakhot 1:4
בַּשַּׁחַר מְבָרֵךְ שְׁתַּיִם לְפָנֶיהָ וְאַחַת לְאַחֲרֶיהָ, וּבָעֶרֶב שְׁתַּיִם לְפָנֶיהָ וּשְׁתַּיִם לְאַחֲרֶיהָ. אַחַת אֲרֻכָּה וְאַחַת קְצָרָה. מָקוֹם שֶׁאָמְרוּ לְהַאֲרִיךְ, אֵינוֹ רַשַּׁאי לְקַצֵּר. לְקַצֵּר, אֵינוֹ רַשַּׁאי לְהַאֲרִיךְ. לַחְתֹּם, אֵינוֹ רַשַּׁאי שֶׁלֹּא לַחְתֹּם. וְשֶׁלֹּא לַחְתֹּם, אֵינוֹ רַשַּׁאי לַחְתֹּם:
Le matin, il récite deux bénédictions avant lui (le Shema) ["yotzer ou" et "ahavah"], et une après ["emeth veyatziv"]; et le soir, il récite deux bénédictions avant ["ma'ariv aravim" et ahavath olam "] et deux après [" emeth ve'emunah "et" hashkiveinu "], une longue et l'autre courte. les deux bénédictions qui le précèdent. "Yotzer ou" est long, commençant par "Baruch" et se terminant par "Baruch", tout comme "ma'ariv aravim". "Ahavah" est court, se terminant par "Baruch", mais ne commençant pas par "Baruch."] Lorsque les sages prescrivent l'allongement d'une bénédiction, il n'est pas permis de la raccourcir. Lorsqu'ils prescrivent un raccourcissement, il n'est pas permis de l'allonger. Lorsqu'ils prescrivent la fermeture [avec "Baruch"], il n'est pas permis Lorsqu'ils prescrivent de ne pas fermer [comme dans les bénédictions sur les fruits et sur les mitsvoth], il n'est pas permis de fermer.
Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
שתים לפניה – [The two blessings before the recitation of the Shema] – “who creates light”/יוצר אור and “love” [i.e “with great love, You, O LORD have loved us”/אהבה רבה]
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
Introduction
This mishnah deals with the blessings that come before and after the Shema in the morning and evening. It will help you understand this mishnah if you open a siddur while learning it.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
ואחת לאחריה – [The blessing] “True and established/אמת ויציב”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
In the morning he recites two blessings before it and one after it; in the evening two before it and two after it, one long and one short. In the morning the Shema is preceded by two blessings. The first is called “Yotzer Or” and it deals with the creation of light and darkness. The second is called “Ahavat Olam” (in the Sephardi tradition) or “Ahavah Rabbah” (in the Ashkenazi tradition) and in it we thank God for choosing us as worthy of the Torah. The blessing after the Shema is called “Emet veYatziv” and it finishes with “Goel Yisrael.” The general theme is one of gratitude to God for redeeming Israel. In the evening there are two before the Shema, both of which are similar in theme to the two morning blessings. The first is “Hamaariv Aravim”, “who causes the sun to set” and the second is “Ahavat Olam,” similar to that in the morning. The blessing after the Shema is also similar in theme to the blessing after the Shema in the morning. It is called “Emet veEmunah” and it finishes with “Goel Yisrael” as does the morning’s blessing. The major difference between the morning and the evening is that in the evening there is a second blessing after the Shema called “Hashkivenu” whose theme is peace and wellbeing and mentions going to sleep at night. Of these two blessings the first is a long blessing and the second is short (according to Rashi’s explanation; for another explanation of “long and short” see below).
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
ובערב – [And in the evening] one recites [the blessing(s)]
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
Where they [the sages] said that a long one should be said, he may not say a short one; where they said a short one he may not say a long one The mishnah now proceeds to give some general rules concerning blessings. The basic gist is that if the sages said to recite a blessing in a certain way, the supplicant may not deviate from this prescribed manner. If the sages said that the blessing should be long, then it must be long. Rashi explains that long refers simply to the length of the blessing hence the first blessing recited after the Shema is long and the second is short. However, Maimonides explains that long refers to a blessing that begins and concludes with a blessing. This would be characteristic of the first blessing recited before the Shema in both the morning and evening but not of any of the other blessings. The first blessing of Birkat Hamazon would also be a long blessing.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
שתים לפניה – “One brings on the evening twilight/המעריב ערבים” and “With eternal love/אהבת עולם”.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
[Where they said] to conclude [with a blessing] he is not permitted to not conclude; where they said to not conclude [with a blessing], he may not conclude. Some blessings conclude with a blessing formula “Barukh At Adonai.” This is true for all of the blessings surrounding the Shema. However, other blessings begin with a blessing formula but do not end with an additional “Barukh” formula. This is true of blessings recited over food and other pleasures (smell, seeing things and others we will explore these blessing in chapter nine). Again, one cannot deviate from these formulas.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
And two afterwards – “True and Certain/אמת ואמונה” and “Cause us to lie down/השכיבנו.”
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
אחת ארוכה ואחת קצרה – Referring to the two [blessings recited] before the Shema, יוצא אור/”Who Forms light” is a “long” [blessing], in that it opens [with the words] “Praised [are You]” and concludes with “Praised [are You]” and similarly [with the blessing in the Evening service] “Who brings on the evening twilight” [which begins with “Praised are You” and concludes with “Praised are You”]. The blessing “Love” (“With great love” – and its evening equivalent “With eternal love”) is short as it concludes with “Praised [are You]” and does not open with “Praised [are You].”
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
לחתום – with [the word] “Praised [are You, O LORD].”
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
שלא לחתום – such as the blessings for fruits and blessing for the commandments.
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