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Berakhot 11 for kids: Lying Down for Shema

ברכות י״א

🛏️ Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel argue about how to sit or lie down when saying Shema. The daf also asks which blessings go with Shema, and which blessing to say before studying Torah.

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Stories from Berakhot 11

Words to know

Rashi and Tosafot on Berakhot 11 in simple English

Rashi on Berakhot 11a, in English Tab translation (22)
  1. When you sit in your house, excluding one engaged in a mitzva — The Gemara will explain below from where this is inferred.
  2. And when you walk along the way, excluding a groom — Even though a groom is also engaged in a mitzva, without this extra verse we would not have derived his exemption from the first verse. Since 'engaged in a mitzva' is not written explicitly in the verse, but rather we derive by way of exclusion from 'your house' to exclude one engaged in the performance of a mitzva, who has actual preoccupation [with action]. But a groom, whose preoccupation is merely one of thought — contemplating the matter of virginity — would not have been excluded without the extra verse.
  3. One who marries a virgin is exempt — because he is preoccupied with thoughts of the mitzva of intercourse.
  4. From where is this inferred — that it excludes one engaged in a mitzva.
  5. Like the way — 'when you sit' and 'when you walk' are juxtaposed to 'the way.'
  6. Are we not dealing with... — that is, from where do we know that the verse speaks only of a voluntary journey? The verse writes 'way' without specification, which by implication includes also a journey undertaken for a mitzva, and nevertheless the Torah said to recite [Shema].
  7. If because of preoccupation — you exempt him due to preoccupation of thought, then even one whose ship sank at sea should also be exempt.
  8. Why did Rabbi Abba say — meaning: why did he say that even though one is preoccupied with his grief, he is obligated in all the mitzvot except phylacteries, since the term 'splendor' is stated regarding them, as it says to Ezekiel, 'bind your splendor upon yourself' — and since phylacteries require 'splendor,' while a mourner is rolling in the dust in his grief, this is not splendor.
  9. He is preoccupied with the preoccupation of a mitzva — and since we are only deriving a mere exclusion, 'excluding a groom,' it is enough that it excludes him only for the preoccupation of a mitzva.
  10. And Beit Hillel say to you — granted that the verse comes to teach the exclusion of a groom, nevertheless it implies by the way it is phrased that it is specifically 'your walking' that creates the obligation, showing that one must recite Shema even while on the way.
  11. They are engaged in their work and recite [Shema] — below, in the second chapter (16a), we establish this.
  12. Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya leaned — in accordance with Beit Shammai.
  13. Like one who was told, 'your beard has grown,' and replied, 'let this be given over to the destroyers' — Your parable is like one who is told, 'your beard is fine and full,' and he replies, 'since you have praised it, let this great beard also be handed over to the razor and scissors that I will bring upon it to destroy it.'
  14. Now that I have leaned — it is as if I am praising your actions, for you were leaning and now you are upright.
  15. Beit Hillel also hold that one may lean — for they too permit reclining, as we said above: 'they lean and recite [Shema].'
  16. However — now, since until now you were upright and now you have leaned, if I do not straighten myself, the students will see and establish the halakha accordingly.
  17. You have not fulfilled... — just as one who acts according to the view of Beit Hillel is considered, according to Beit Shammai, to have done nothing, so too one who acts according to the view of Beit Shammai is considered, according to Beit Hillel, to have done nothing.
  18. MISHNA: In the morning one recites two blessings, etc. — as stated in the Jerusalem Talmud, Berakhot: these seven blessings correspond to the verse (Psalms 119:164), 'Seven times a day I praise You.'
  19. One long and one short — this refers to the two blessings after [Shema] in the evening. (Another version: the long one is 'True and Faithful' [Emet Ve'emuna], the short one is 'Lay us down' [Hashkivenu].)
  20. To conclude [with a blessing formula] — meaning, with the words 'Blessed are You.'
  21. Not to conclude [with a blessing formula] — such as the blessing over fruits and over mitzvot.
  22. GEMARA: What does one bless? — [Referring to] the two blessings before it in the morning — what are they?
Tosafot on Berakhot 11a, in English Tab translation (4)
  1. Lemma — Since the term splendor is stated regarding them. Rashi explains: a mourner wallows his pride in the dust (is in a lowly, degraded state), and it is not fitting to place something called splendor in place of ashes. One might ask: why do we need this reasoning? Let it be derived simply from the fact that it says to Ezekiel, 'bind your splendor upon you,' implying that generally it is forbidden. The Sar MiKotzi answered that we need Rashi's reasoning so that we not learn by a logical inference (kal vachomer) that other mitzvot are also forbidden to a mourner, just as tefillin are. Alternatively, we need Rashi's reasoning in order to obligate the mourner in tefillin after the first day, since the idea of 'wallowing his pride in dust' applies only on the first day specifically.
  2. Lemma — It was taught: Rav Yechezkel [said]: one who acted in accordance with Beit Shammai has fulfilled the mitzva, but Rav Yosef said: one who acted in accordance with Beit Shammai has not fulfilled anything. One might ask: isn't it obvious that the halakha is not in accordance with them? One can answer that since Beit Shammai are generally stricter than Beit Hillel, it is not obvious to say so. For the rule that one who acted in accordance with Beit Shammai has not fulfilled anything applies where Beit Shammai are lenient and Beit Hillel are strict; but here, regarding Shema, Beit Hillel do not invalidate the view of Beit Shammai. But one might still object: if so, what does the Gemara bring from the case of sukkah, that 'you have not fulfilled the mitzva of sukkah,' etc.? Rashi explained that just as one who acted in accordance with Beit Hillel has not fulfilled anything according to Beit Shammai, so too one who acted in accordance with Beit Shammai has not fulfilled anything according to Beit Hillel — but what comparison is this? There, Beit Shammai completely invalidate what Beit Hillel validate, whereas here, one who recited Shema according to Beit Shammai has fulfilled his obligation even according to Beit Hillel. Rabbi Shemaya therefore explained that the comparison is based on the fact that it says 'you have not fulfilled the mitzva,' even though by strict law he has fulfilled it, since being mostly, or with his head, in the sukkah is not forbidden except as a decree lest he be drawn after his table. Similarly regarding Shema, even though by strict law he has fulfilled his obligation after the fact, since according to Beit Hillel it is not proper, as stated in the Mishna, 'you deserve to be liable for your own life' — if one acts according to Beit Shammai according to Beit Hillel, he has not fulfilled anything. (See Tosafot on Sukkah 3a, s.v. de'amar.)
  3. Lemma — One is long and one is short. Rashi explains: the long one is 'Emet VeEmuna,' the short one is 'Hashkivenu.' This is difficult, for 'Hashkivenu' is also quite long — and indeed, it is proof that it is not counted among the 'short ones' in the Tosefta. Moreover, there are times when the formula is lengthened considerably with additions, such as 'Or Yom Hanaf.' Furthermore, 'Emet VeEmuna' is sometimes shortened considerably, as it is stated later, according to the opinion that one does not say the portion of tzitzit at night, one concludes with 'We thank You for having brought us out of Egypt,' etc. (later, in the chapter 'Hayah Koreh,' Berakhot 14b). Rabbeinu Tam therefore explains that the entire phrase refers to 'Emet VeEmuna' — one is long and one is short, meaning that sometimes one lengthens it and sometimes one shortens it, as will be explained later. And indeed we find a similar usage there (Yevamot 41a): 'one is betrothed women and one is married women,' 'one is virgins and one is non-virgins' [i.e., the same construction applies to a single subject in different states].
  4. Lemma — A place where they said to shorten — such as regarding the blessing over fruits and the blessing over mitzvot, one should not lengthen them.
Rashi on Berakhot 11b, in English Tab translation (24)
  1. Who forms light and creates darkness (Who makes peace and creates evil) — Later the Gemara will explain what the other blessing is, for the blessing of Yishtabach is not included in this count, since it comes after Pesukei DeZimra, like the blessing of Hallel, and they say it before the time for reciting Shema if they wish.
  2. We say it as it is written — It is written in the verse: 'Who forms light and creates darkness, Who makes peace and creates evil.'
  3. For he has already exempted himself with 'An abounding love' — Since it contains an element of the blessing over Torah: 'Instill in our hearts to learn and to teach, to observe and to do, and to fulfill all the words of the teaching of Your Torah, and teach us the statutes of Your will.'
  4. Midrash — This is close to Scripture, such as the Mechilta, Sifra, and Sifrei, which are expositions on verses.
  5. For Talmud one need not recite a blessing — He means even before reciting 'An abounding love'; and this matter is proven in the second chapter.
  6. Even for Talmud one must recite a blessing — For this is the essence of Torah, from which halachic rulings emerge. Talmud refers to the reasoning behind the Mishnah's rulings and the resolutions of contradictory mishnayot, including filling in missing information.
  7. And he recites a blessing — The blessing over the Torah.
  8. And Rabbi Yoḥanan concludes it thus — For it requires an opening with 'Blessed' and a conclusion with 'Blessed.'
  9. Make sweet, Lord our God — May it be pleasant for us to engage in them out of love.
  10. Blessed are You, Lord, Who teaches Torah to His people Israel — This is the correct text, and we do not read 'teach me Your statutes,' for that would not be a blessing and thanksgiving for what has already been done, but rather a request; and when David said it (Psalms 119:12), he did not say it as a blessing but as a request. Rather, the meaning is: Lord, You Who are blessed, teach me Your statutes.
  11. And this is the most outstanding of the blessings — Over the Torah, because it contains thanksgiving to God and praise for the Torah and for Israel.
  12. We learned there — In tractate Tamid.
  13. The appointed one said to them — He is the deputy of the priests, as stated in tractate Yoma, where it says the deputy is the same as the appointed one (see Rashi there, 15b).
  14. Recite a single blessing — Later the Gemara will explain what this is; it is one of the blessings recited before Shema, for there the order of the entire morning Temple service is described, and it says that after they arranged the limbs on the ramp and salted them, they came down and went to the Chamber of Hewn Stone to recite Shema, and then it is taught: the appointed one said to them, 'Recite a single blessing,' and they recited a blessing and read the Ten Commandments.
  15. And they blessed the people — Together with the people.
  16. And for the service — For the service they performed, they would recite afterward: 'Accept, Lord our God, the service of Your people Israel and their fire-offerings and their prayer; receive it with favor. Blessed is He Who receives the service of His people Israel with favor.' Alternatively, it may refer to: 'That You alone we shall serve in awe.'
  17. And the Priestly Blessing — To bless the people; and for the rest of the prayer they had no time, nor had the time for reciting Shema yet arrived, as stated in tractate Yoma (37b): One who recites Shema with the members of the priestly watch or with the members of the non-priestly watch has not fulfilled his obligation, because the members of the priestly watch recite it early, etc.
  18. They add one blessing — This will be explained shortly.
  19. For the outgoing watch — For the priestly watches would change on Shabbat, as stated in tractate Sukkah (56b): the outgoing watch performs the morning daily offering and the additional offerings, and the incoming watch performs the afternoon daily offering and the frankincense bowls.
  20. What is the one blessing? — As taught in the first clause, which of the blessings does he mean?
  21. It was not stated explicitly — He did not hear explicitly from Reish Lakish stating what the 'one blessing' was, namely 'Who forms light.'
  22. That is to say — Since it is taught: 'Recite one blessing.'
  23. Blessings do not hold each other back — If one recited the first blessing but not the second, he has fulfilled his obligation with the one he recited, and the other does not invalidate it, meaning one is not dependent upon the other. And from this Rabbi Zeira understood that Reish Lakish holds that this 'one blessing' refers to 'Who forms light.'
  24. Granted, if you say they would recite 'Who forms light' — and not 'An abounding love' — even though the time had arrived when it would also be proper to recite it at night, all the more so, since by saying 'Who forms light' its proper time had certainly arrived, and nevertheless they would say only 'Who forms light' and nothing more — this is the meaning of: 'That is to say, blessings do not hold each other back.'
Tosafot on Berakhot 11b, in English Tab translation (4)
  1. And the Rabbis say: 'An eternal love,' etc. — Therefore the Sages instituted that we say 'an abounding love' in the morning and 'an eternal love' in the evening.
  2. He has already exempted himself with 'an abounding love' — until the words 'therefore let us recite them all.' In the Jerusalem Talmud it is stated that one has already exempted himself with 'an abounding love,' but only if he studies immediately, meaning right away, in that same place. Rabbi Yitzchak was asked: What of people like us, who do not study immediately after the morning prayer, since we are occupied and go about without studying until midday or later — why do we not recite the blessing over the Torah again when we begin to study? The Ri answered that we do not follow that ruling of the Jerusalem Talmud, since our own Gemara (the Babylonian Talmud) does not state it, and one need not study immediately. Moreover, even according to the Jerusalem Talmud, it is specifically 'an abounding love' that is not the primary blessing over Torah, since 'an abounding love' was instituted mainly for the Shema, and through it one is exempted from the blessing over Torah only if he studies immediately and does not have a lapse of attention. But the blessing 'Who has chosen us' and the blessing 'to engage in matters of Torah,' which are the primary blessings over Torah, exempt a person for the entire day. If you ask: how is this different from the sukkah, where one must recite a blessing over sitting in the sukkah before each and every meal? The answer is that Torah is different, because a person's mind is never free of obligation toward it, since one is required to study at every hour, as it is written, 'and you shall meditate on it day and night,' so it is as though he sits engaged in it the whole day without interruption. But eating in the sukkah has a fixed time. If you ask: why do we not recite a blessing for sleeping in the sukkah? The answer is that the blessing recited over eating, which includes sitting, exempts it as well. Alternatively, because perhaps he will not actually fall asleep, and the blessing would then be said in vain, since it is not within his power to sleep whenever he wishes. Rabbeinu Tam used to say that when a person rises from his bed at night to study, he need not recite the blessing over the Torah, because yesterday morning's blessing over the Torah exempts him until the next morning — but this does not seem correct. The French custom is to recite [certain] verses and the Priestly Blessing, as well as the passages 'These are the things that have no fixed measure' (a Mishnah, Pe'ah chapter 1) and 'These are the things whose fruits a person eats...' (a baraita, tractate Shabbat 127a), because of the ruling in the Jerusalem Talmud requiring that one study immediately [after the blessing]. But in truth this is not necessary, as I have already written.
  3. This is the correct version of the text: 'Blessed are You, Lord, Who teaches Torah to His people Israel' — but one should not read the version 'teach me Your statutes,' since that is not a blessing but rather a request that David made.
  4. And the Priestly Blessing — this does not refer to the actual raising of hands on the platform [duchan], since the priests would not stand on the platform until after the burning of the sacrificial portions, as it is stated in tractate Ta'anit (chapter 4, 26b) that the priests raise their hands three times a day, etc. If so, the mishnah should have taught four times — once before the burning and once after. Rather, it means that they recited the text of the Priestly Blessing without actually raising their hands, just as we recite it today.

Sources

Kid summary and story cards written by Tab from the William Davidson Edition English (Sefaria, CC BY-NC 4.0).

Tab translation (machine-assisted) of Rashi and Tosafot, from the Vilna Edition Hebrew (public domain) on Sefaria. May contain mistakes.

In the app, the Gemara text comes from Sefaria (William Davidson Edition, CC BY-NC 4.0; Hebrew/Aramaic Vilna Edition). Rashi and Tosafot Hebrew: Vilna Edition (public domain) via Sefaria.

Also spelled: Berachot, Brachos, Berachos, Brachot 11.