Commentaire sur Berakhot 9:8

מקום שנעשו בו נסים – such as the place where the Israelites crossed the Sea of Reeds and the stream of Arnon (see Numbers, chapter 21, verses 13 and following), and the fords of the Jordan River [where the Israelites crossed – see Joshua, chapter 3 verse 14 and following] the stone on which Moses, of blessed memory, sat when he fought the war against Amalek (see Exodus chapter 17, verse 12) and other similar occurrences. And public miracles such as these require everyone to recite a blessing, but individual miracles such as person who sees a place where a [personal] miracle had occurred for him, he himself is obligated to recite a blessing, “Praised [Are You, O LORD] who performed for a miracle in this bless,” and his son and grandson are obligated to recite the blessing, “Praised [Are You, O LORD] who performed a miracle for my ancestors in this place.” And all these blessings of our Mishnah require the mention of the Name of God and His Sovereignty – for any blessing which lacks the mention of God’s name and His sovereignty is not a blessing.

Introduction The final chapter of Berakhot deals with various blessings recited upon different occasions, such as seeing certain things or when certain unusual events happen.

If one sees a place where miracles have been done for Israel, he says, “Blessed be the One who made miracles for our ancestors in this place.” If one sees a place where miracles happened to Israel, for instance the Sea of Reeds, or the place where the Israelites crossed the Jordan (see Joshua 3:17) a blessing should be recited.

[If one sees] a place from which idolatry has been uprooted, he should say, “Blessed be the One who removed idolatry from our land.” This blessing refers to idolatry which was uprooted from the land of Israel. According to the Talmud, if one sees a place outside of the land of Israel from which idolatry has been uprooted one should say, “Blessed be the One who removed idolatry from this place.” To both blessings one should add, “Just as it has been removed from this place, so may it be removed from all other places and may God turn the hearts of idolaters to Your worship.”

זיקין – A star that appears like it opens up the firmament and shoots like an arrow from place to place. Alternatively, it is a star that appears like it has a long tail.

Introduction This mishnah continues to list various blessings recited upon seeing or hearing things.

זועות – That the earth quakes and trembles.

[On witnessing] comets, earthquakes, thunder, or windy storms one says, “Blessed be He whose strength and might fill the world.” These are phenomena that “fill the world” for people see them at many places at the same time.

רעמים – Sound is that heard in the firmament from clouds that pour forth water from one to another, as it says (Jeremiah 51:16), “When He makes His voice heard, There is a rumbling of waters in the skies.”

[On seeing] mountains, hills, seas, rivers or deserts one says, “Blessed be He who made creation.” These are geological structures that were a part of God’s original creation.

ועל הרוחות – that come in a storm-wind in vehemence and are not found other than occasionally.

Rabbi Judah says: one who sees the Great Sea should say, “Blessed be He who made the Great Sea,” if he sees it at intervals. This is the second time that we have seen Rabbi Judah rule that blessings have to be specific to the situation. The first was in 6:1. Here too he distinguishes between the “Great Sea,” which is the Mediterranean and other seas. Over the former he recites a specific blessing, whereas over other seas in rivers he recites a more generalized blessing. However, he only recites this special blessing if he sees the Great Sea periodically, which the Talmud explains as being once in thirty days. One who sees the Great Sea every day does not bless every day.

ברוך שכחו מלא עולם – And if he desires, he should recite the blessing, “Praised [are You God] who is the Author of Creation” for all of these are acts of creation as it is written (Psalms 135:7), “[He makes clouds rise from the end of the earth;] He makes lightning for the rain ; [He releases the wind from His vaults],”but on the mountains and on the hills, etc., one says, “Who is the Author of Creation, specifically, but he is not able to make the blessing on them, “that His power fills the world” which are not seen in most of the world, but rather each and every person [recites the blessing] in his place.

For rain and for good news one says, “Blessed be He that is good and grants good.” Some commentators say that one blesses over rain only if it hasn’t rained for a long time. However, others say that in Israel, a very dry country, people are so happy when it rains for the first time that they also recites the blessing the first time it rains in the rainy season.

הים הגדול – The Mediterranean Sea that surrounds the world (at least as the ancients understood it).

For bad news one says, “Blessed be the true judge.” Today this is the blessing that a person recites upon hearing that someone has died.

ברוך שעשה הים הגדול – On account of its size and importance, establishes a blessing for itself.

לפרקים – At thirty day intervals

על הגשמים – He recites the blessing, “Who Is Good and Does Good” as whomever possesses land in partnership with another, for this is implies "הטוב והמטיב"/Who is Good and Does Good”; – Good – for himself and “who does good”- for another; but he who lacks land altogether should say, “We give thanks to You, O LORD our God for every drop [of rain] that you have caused to fall for us, etc.” And if he owns land on his own, he makes the blessing, “שהחיינו/Who has Kept Us Alive.”

בנה בית חדש וקנה כלים חדשים – whether he had it or something similar to it or he didn’t have something similar to them, he would recite the blessing “שהחיינו/who has sustained us.”

One who has built a new house or bought new vessels says, “Blessed be He who has kept us alive [and preserved us and brought us to this season.]”
One who blesses over the evil as he blesses over the good or over the good as he blesses over evil; one who cries over the past, behold this is a vain prayer.
How so? If his wife was pregnant and he says, “May it be his will that my wife bear a male child,” this is a vain prayer.
If he is coming home from a journey and he hears a cry of distress in the town and says, “May it be his will that this is not be those of my house,” this is a vain prayer.
Section one: This is the familiar blessing “shehecheyanu” which we recite upon eating new foods, receiving new things, at the beginning of holidays and at certain other events.
Section two: This is a difficult clause to explain. Albeck explains that this refers to one who tries to bless over something bad the blessing that he should say for the good, “Blessed be He that is good and grants good.” What he is trying to do is be hopeful that from something bad will come something good. Alternatively, he blesses the blessing for the bad, “Blessed be the true judge” because he fears that something bad will come from the good. These are both vain prayers because after the event has already happened it cannot be changed. Thus these are both specific cases of one who is crying over the past. Prayers are legitimate only if they are recited in anticipation of an event that has not yet occurred. The Rambam explains that this mishnah mandates reciting the blessing over the good for something that is now good even if it might eventually be bad. Similarly, one must recite the blessing over bad for something that is now bad even though it might eventually be good. As in Albeck’s explanation, the focus is on the present and not something that might change in the future.
Sections three and four: These are both examples of “crying over the past.” Once the child’s sex has been determined it cannot change. There is no use in crying out to God in hope that the house that is under distress is not one’s house because whatever house it is has already been determined. Once something has already happened one must be reconciled with one’s fate.

על הרעה מעין הטובה – It is explained in the Gemara (Tractate Berakhot 59b) such as the case where water floated on his land and flooded his grain for that year, even though the waters saturated the face of the earth but his field became even more praiseworthy for the coming years. Now, however, it is bad, and he recites the blessing, “[Praised Are You, O LORD] the Righteous Judge.”

ועל הטובה מעין רעךה – Such as the case where he found something [good] even though it is bad, for had he heard about it, the king would have punished him with whippings and sufferings and take it from him. Now, however, it is a “good thing, and he should recite the blessing, “הטוב והמטיב/Who is Good and Does Good.”

הצועק לשעבר – A person prays about something that already had occurred, this is a vain prayer, for what has occurred, has occurred.

שתים בכניסתו ושנים ביציאתו – When he is entering, he says, [“Praised are You, O LORD] that you will bring me into this city in peace” . When he has entered, he says, “I give thanks before You, that you have brought me into this city in peace.” Behold this is twice at his entrance. When he desires to leave, he says, “[Praised are You, O LORD] that you will take me out from this city in peace.” After he has left, he says, “I give thanks before You, that you have taken me out of this city in peace.” And so much [praise – before and after], why? Because a person must express gratitude before his Creator on what he has endured from the good, and he should pray about the future that should occur for good.

One who enters into a large city should say two prayers, one on entering and one on leaving. Ben Azzai says: four two on entering and two on leaving, he gives thanks for the past and cries out for the future. The following passage in Berakhot 60a explains our mishnah and gives the wording of the prayer. Some of this prayer might be familiar because it is part of the “tefillat haderekh,” the travelers’ prayer. Our Rabbis taught: What does he say on entering? 1. “May it be Your will, O Lord, my God, to bring me into this city in peace’. 2. When he is inside he says: “I thank You, O Lord, my God, that You have brought me into this city in peace.” 3. When he is about to leave he says: “May it be Your will, O Lord, my God, and God of my fathers, to bring me out of this city in peace.” 4. When he is outside he says: “I thank You, O Lord, my God, that You have brought me out of this city in peace, and just as You have brought me out in peace, so may You guide me in peace and support me in peace and make me proceed in peace and deliver me from the hands of all enemies and ambushers by the way.” This version has four prayers and hence it is the version of Ben Azzai (section two in the mishnah). According to the first opinion in the mishnah upon entering he would recite, “‘May it be Your will O Lord, my God, to bring me into this city in peace.” Upon leaving he would recite, “I thank You, O Lord, my God, that You have brought me out of this city in peace.” Ben Azzai also notes a general rule when referring to the past he uses the language of “thanking” and for the future he “cries out” which means he says, “May it be your will.”

חייב אדם לברך על הרעה – When one makes the blessing “The True and Righteous Judge,” on the bad things [that occur], one is obligated to recite the blessing in joy and with a full-heart, just as one recites with joy the blessing, “Who is Good and Does Good” on the good things [that happen].

Introduction The first half of the last mishnah of Berakhot contains halakhot concerning three different subjects. 1) Blessing God for bad things; 2) Proper respect due to the Temple; 3) Decrees the rabbis made concerning blessings said in the Temple and greeting others.

דבר אחר: "בכל מאדך" – with all of the measures that are measured out to you, whether for good or for retribution.

One must bless [God] for the evil in the same way as one blesses for the good, as it says, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). “With all your heart,” with your two impulses, the evil impulse as well as the good impulse. “With all your soul” even though he takes your soul [life] away from you. “With all your might” with all your money. Another explanation, “With all your might” whatever treatment he metes out to you. This section teaches that just as one blesses over the good, so too one must bless over the evil, as we saw in mishnah two above. The mishnah continues with a midrash, an exegesis of the first part of the Shema. The last section of this midrash explains how the rabbis derive the commandment to bless over the evil, just as one blesses over the good. It is because of this line that the entire midrash is brought here in our mishnah. The first line of the midrash is based on the two “bets” in the word “your heart (levav’kha)” The two bets are understood by the rabbis as a hint that one must worship God with both of one’s impulses the good impulse and the evil impulse. The other sections of the midrash should be clear.

לא יקל אדם ראשו – He should not act with irreverence.

One should not show disrespect to the Eastern Gate, because it is in a direct line with the Holy of Holies. One should not enter the Temple Mount with a staff, or with shoes on, or with a wallet, or with dusty feet; nor should one make it a short cut, all the more spitting [is forbidden]. This section teaches various laws concerning acting in a proper manner on the Temple Mount. We should note that according to the Rambam, even though the Bet Hamikdash, the Temple, lies in ruins, one must still act towards it with the same amount of respect that it was accorded when it existed. The Eastern Gate would open in the direction of the Holy of Holies, hence one had to be extra respectful when entering this gate.

כנגד שער מזרח – Outside of the Temple Mount where the low wall which is at foot of the Temple to the east, since it is designed that all of the gates correspond one opposite the other – the Eastern Gate, the Gate of the Women’s Court, the Gate of the Israelite Court and the Opening of the [Great[ Hall, and the [Holy] Hall and the House of the Holy of Holies in the First Temple.

All the conclusions of blessings that were in the Temple they would say, “forever [lit. as long as the world is].” When the sectarians perverted their ways and said that there was only one world, they decreed that they should say, “for ever and ever [lit. from the end of the world to the end of the world]. One of the central debates between the Sadducees and the Pharisees was over the concept of the next world, the “olam haba.” This was an important doctrine for the Pharisees, one that the Sadducees denied. In earlier times blessings in the Temple would contain the word, “leolam,” usually translated as “forever” but here understood as “for as long as the world has existed.” The Sadducees used this blessing as evidence that there is only one world. The blessing makes reference to one world and hence there is only one world. Therefore the Pharisees decreed that the blessing should read, “forever and ever (min haolom vead haolam)” which could also be translated as “for this world and for the next world.”

ובאפונדתו – A hollow region where they put money. Another explanation: Clothing that is worn on his skin to receive the sweat so that it would not soil the rest of one’s clothing, for it is shameful for a person to leave [his home] with only that [piece of] clothing.

They also decreed that a person should greet his fellow in God’s name, as it says, “And behold Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, ‘May the Lord be with you.’ And they answered him, “May the Lord bless you’” (Ruth 2:. And it also says, “The Lord is with your, you valiant warrior” (Judges 6:12). And it also says, “And do not despise your mother when she grows old” (Proverbs 23:22). And it also says, “It is time to act on behalf of the Lord, for they have violated Your teaching” (Psalms 119:126). Rabbi Natan says: [this means] “They have violated your teaching It is time to act on behalf of the Lord.” The sages also decreed that it was permitted, and even worthy, to greet one’s fellow human being by using the name of God, as did Boaz and the other reapers. Usually decrees are meant to change a prior practice. Here the historical background is slightly unclear. My guess is that earlier generations thought that it was improper to use God’s name in greeting a mere human being. In contrast, according to the sages, since human beings were created in the image of God, there is a little bit of divine in every human being. In a sense then, greeting one’s fellow human being by using God’s name is like greeting God by using God’s name. Hence it is not only permitted, it is encouraged. The final two midrashim are not specifically related to the two decrees mentioned above but are rather general exhortations to heed the decrees of the sages. “And do not despise your mother when she grows old” means that one should learn from the elders and one should learn from what previous generations did. The last midrash is brought because of Rabbi Natan’s interpretation of the verse. Rabbi Natan switches around the order of the verse. When others, such as the Sadducees, have broken God’s laws, it is time to act for the Lord by making decrees. Congratulations! We have finished Berakhot! It is a tradition at this point to thank God for helping us finish learning the tractate and to commit ourselves to going back and relearning it, so that we may not forget it and so that its lessons will stay with us for all of our lives. Berakhot is perhaps the most religious relevant of all the tractates because its three major topics, the Shema, the Amidah and blessings, are all still practiced today. I hope that learning the roots of these rituals and prayers will enrich your own personal prayer experience, be it at the home or in the synagogue. We have only just begun Seder Zeraim. Tomorrow we begin Tractate Peah.

קפנדריא – to enter through one opening and to exit from the opposite opening in order to shorten his walk in that path. And the word KAPANDARIA [means] (using a phonetic etymology [in Aramaic] using the letters KUF, FEY, NUN and DALET and RESH, that is to say, that instead of going around rows of houses, I will shorten the distance of my walk and enter via this path.

ורקיקה – Which is prohibited on the Temple Mount.

מקל וחומר – From the shoe. Just as a shoe is not a form of disrespect, [yet] which is forbidden [to be worn on the Temple Mount], spitting which is an act of contempt, all the more so (see Tosefta Berakhot 6:19).

כל חותמי ברכות שהיו במקדש – He who makes a blessing says at the conclusion of each blessing (Berakhot 54a), “Praised is the LORD the God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting, Who Bestows Knowledge.” And thereafter, everyone responds, saying: “Praised be the Name of His glorious Kingdom forever and ever,” for we do not answer “Amen” after every blessing [that is recited] in the Temple, as it is written (Nehemiah 9:5), “Rise, bless the LORD your God who is from eternity to eternity;” And we say after that: “May Your glorious name be blessed, [exalted though it is above every blessing and praise]!” That is to say, that they would respond, “Praised be the Name of God’s glorious kingdom forever and ever.” And we learn here that in the First Temple [period], they would only say, “Praised is the God of Israel for eternity” and nothing more, and not “from eternity to eternity.”

משקלקלו המינים – Since they [the Sectarians] did not believe in the Resurrection of the Dead and said that that there is no world other than this one, Ezra and his court established that we should say, “from eternity to eternity,” to state that there are two worlds – this world and the next world, to remove from the hearts of the Sectarians who denied belief in the Resurrection of the Dead.

שיהא אדם שואל בשלום חבירו בשם – With the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, and we do not say that he should treat His (God’s) honor with disrespect in order to honor human beings, to bring forth the name of Heaven upon him, as we learned from Boaz (Ruth 2:4), “He greeted the reaper, ‘The LORD be with you! [And they responded, ‘The LORD bless you!]” And when Boaz said it, he did so willingly, and we do not derive [anything from] it: Come and hear from the angel who said to Gideon (Judges 6:12), “The LORD is with you, valiant warrior.” And if you say, but the angel did not ask the welfare of Gideon nor blessed him, but only through serving as God’s messenger, informing him that God’s presence is with him, and we don’t derive anything from it. Come and hear: Do not despise that you mother is old, and do not despise Boaz to say that he did so (i.e., greet the reapers] of his own accord, but that he was taught from the elders of your people, for there is upon what he can rely, as it states (Psalms 119:126), “It is a time to act for the LORD, for they have violated Your teaching.”

רבי נתן אומר: הפרו תורתך – Sometimes, we set aside the Torah in order to perform act for [the sake of] God, even the individual who intends to ask of the welfare of his neighbor, this is the will of the God, as it states (Psalms 34:15), “Seek amity and pursue it.” It is [thus] permissible to invalidate the Torah and to do something that appears forbidden.