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Berakhot 17 for kids: Prayers of the Heart

ברכות י״ז

🙏 After their regular prayers, the Sages added their own special words to God. This daf collects these personal prayers and favorite sayings, then explores whether a groom reciting Shema looks like showing off.

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Stories from Berakhot 17

Words to know

Rashi and Tosafot on Berakhot 17 in simple English

Rashi on Berakhot 17a, in English Tab translation (29)
  1. In the entourage above — This refers to the group of angelic princes of the nations: when there is strife among the princes above, strife immediately breaks out among the nations below, as it is written, "and now I will return to fight with the prince of Persia" (Daniel 10:20).
  2. And in the entourage below — This refers to the group of the Sages.
  3. In a corner of light — In a lit corner.
  4. And what prevents us — From doing Your will.
  5. The yeast in the dough — The evil inclination within our hearts, which ferments (corrupts) us.
  6. I am not worthy — I was not important or fit to have been created.
  7. And now that I have been created — What is my significance? I am as though I had never been created.
  8. All the more so — In my death I am dust.
  9. Cleanse — Completely remove and finish.
  10. When he would conclude the book of Job — Because Job departed the world with a good name.
  11. He was accustomed to say — This expression was a regular saying of his.
  12. I — I who engage in Torah am a creature, and likewise my fellow, the ordinary person [who does not study], is also a creature.
  13. My work is in the city — Meaning, my work is more comfortable than his.
  14. Presumes — Aggrandizes himself by seizing my occupation.
  15. And lest you say — He would be right not to presume upon my occupation, for had he seized my occupation he would not have had an open heart to increase in Torah study as I do, and he would diminish [his Torah study] and have no reward.
  16. We have learned — That one who does less has reward equal to one who does more.
  17. As long as he directs his heart to Heaven — And regarding sacrifices, this is found at the end of tractate Menachot.
  18. Shrewd in fear [of Heaven] — To use every kind of strategy to achieve fear of his Creator.
  19. The purpose of wisdom — The essence of Torah is that it be accompanied by repentance and good deeds.
  20. One who studies not for its own sake would be better off had he not been created — This means he does not study in order to fulfill the Torah, but rather to provoke others. For in the chapter beginning "Makom Shenahagu" (Pesachim 50b), it is stated: Rava raised a contradiction — it is written, "Your kindness reaches to the heavens," and it is also written, "above the heavens." The first verse refers to one who engages in Torah not for its own sake, etc., while the latter deals with one who fulfills it in order to be honored. A similar implication is found in the Jerusalem Talmud on this chapter.
  21. And they ate and drank — They were sated from the radiance of the Divine Presence, as if they had eaten and drunk.
  22. Great is the assurance — For He called them secure and trusting.
  23. The house of the synagogue — Young children would regularly study before their teacher in the synagogue.
  24. The study hall — Where Mishnah and Gemara were studied.
  25. And they wait for their husbands — And give them permission to go study Torah in another city.
  26. Mafteri rabbanan — This refers to when the Sages would part from one another, as one would take leave of his colleague to return to his home and his land.
  27. Olamekha tireh be-chayekha (may you see your world in your lifetime) — meaning: may you find all that you need.
  28. Pikha yedabber chokhmot (your mouth shall speak wisdom) — they would say this as a formula of blessing.
  29. Yeyashru (shall be straight/upright) — from the term 'yashar' (straight), meaning: that you should understand Torah correctly, in accordance with the halacha.
Tosafot on Berakhot 17a, in English Tab translation (3)
  1. 'And may my soul be like dust to all' — Just as dust is never destroyed, so may it be Your will that my offspring never cease to exist, as it says, 'And your offspring shall be as the dust of the earth' (Genesis 28:14).
  2. 'I am a creature and my fellow is a creature' — meaning, he too has a heart like mine, able to distinguish between good and evil.
  3. 'One who studies not for its own sake would have been better off not created' — The question arises: didn't Rav Yehuda say in the name of Rav, in the chapter 'Makom Shenahagu' (Pesachim 50b), that a person should always engage in Torah and mitzvot even not for their own sake, since through engaging in them not for their own sake, one comes to do so for their own sake? The answer is that here the Gemara is speaking of someone who studies only in order to provoke his fellows, whereas there it speaks of someone who studies in order to be honored.
Rashi on Berakhot 17b, in English Tab translation (21)
  1. There is no breach, and no going forth — meaning sustained by the charity of the Holy One, Blessed be He, and not by any merit that is theirs.
  2. And they are sustained by force — meaning by their own merit; the verse is speaking of the righteous, and calls them 'far from the charity' of the Holy One, Blessed be He.
  3. And this disagrees with [the opinion of] Rav Yehuda — for he said that the stubborn-hearted are the wicked.
  4. Gova'ei — the name of a nation in Babylonia; and in tractate Kiddushin (84b) it is stated that they were descended from the Gibeonites.
  5. The glory of the Torah twice a year — for the Jewish people would gather there in Adar to hear the laws of Passover from the teaching of Rav Ashi, and in Elul to hear the laws of the festival.
  6. People say: he has no work — one who sees him not performing labor does not understand that it is because of the Ninth of Av; rather, he assumes he simply has no work to do.
  7. Go out and see how many idle people there are in the marketplace — even on ordinary working days.
  8. We will return to you, 'One who was reciting' — [standard closing formula marking the end of this chapter].
  9. One whose deceased relative lies before him... is exempt from reciting Shema — because he is preoccupied with thoughts of the burial; this is similar to the case of a groom, who is exempt due to his preoccupation with a mitzvah.
  10. And their replacements — for it is customary for people to take turns carrying the bier, since everyone wishes to earn the merit of doing so.
  11. Those before the bier — meaning those who will take up carrying once the bier reaches them.
  12. And those after the bier — meaning those who have already carried it.
  13. Those before the bier, if they are needed, are exempt — if they are needed to carry it, they are exempt [from reciting Shema].
  14. And those after the bier — even if they are still needed, they are obligated, since they have already fulfilled their duty toward the deceased.
  15. But both these and those are exempt from the Amida prayer — since it is not a Torah-mandated obligation. Our teachers explained this to mean because they still have time [before the row], but it seems to me that this is not the proper meaning of 'exempt.'
  16. To the row — for they would comfort the mourner by forming a surrounding row around him upon returning from the burial.
  17. GEMARA: One who is not lying before him — for example, he is in one house and the deceased is in another.
  18. One who eats in another house — for it appears as mocking the poor [or the deceased], and so on.
  19. And he does not recline — as diners of importance do, reclining on their left side upon a couch.
  20. And he does not recite a blessing — he need not recite the blessing of HaMotzi.
  21. And he does not say zimmun — he need not recite the Grace after Meals [with an invitation to join].
Tosafot on Berakhot 17b, in English Tab translation (11)
  1. 'There is no breach' — this refers to Ahitophel, who breached a gap in the kingdom of the House of David.
  2. 'Outcry' — this refers to Geihazi, who was a leper, as it is written regarding him 'unclean, unclean shall he call out' (Leviticus 13:45), and that is the 'outcry.'
  3. 'And they are sustained by force' — therefore the text should be emended in [the passage about] the shofar blasts to read 'and they come to You by force,' and we should not read 'they do not come to You.'
  4. 'Twice a year' — but on Shavuot, which is only one day, they would not gather together so much, and perhaps a miracle occurred for them. I have seen in the Sefer HaIttim, composed by Rabbi Yehuda bar Barzilai, that he heard that a pillar of fire would descend from heaven upon them at the kalla gathering of Elul and the kalla gathering of Adar.
  5. 'Rav Sheisha, son of Rav Idi, said: Actually, you need not reverse the opinions' — Rabbeinu Chananel explains that the halakha follows Rav Sheishet, since he is the later authority, and the halakha follows Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, who said, 'Not everyone who wishes to assume the Name may assume it.' And wherever Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel's view is taught in our Mishnah, the halakha follows him, except in the cases of Arav, Sidon, and the final proof (Ketubot 77a). Rabbeinu Chananel ruled likewise. However, for us — since we never concentrate properly in prayer in any case — even a groom should recite Shema, for on the contrary, it would appear as presumptuousness if he did not recite it, as if to say, 'I am focused at all times.' But performing labor on the Ninth of Av should not be done.
  6. We return to you, [the chapter] 'One who was reciting.'
  7. 'One whose deceased relative is laid out before him' — Rashi's version reads 'one whose deceased relative [dies] after the morning prayer,' but it appears to the Ri that it should follow [directly] after [the chapter] 'One who was reciting,' since the end of that chapter deals with the recitation of Shema, and here too it begins with exemption from Shema. The Jerusalem Talmud's version likewise supports this.
  8. 'Exempt from the recitation of Shema' — the Jerusalem Talmud explains the reason: Rabbi Bun said, it is written, 'so that you may remember... all the days of your life' — 'the days of your life' refers to days when you are occupied with the living, not days when you are occupied with the dead. The correct text reads: 'exempt from the recitation of Shema, from prayer, and from phylacteries.'
  9. This is Rashi's version: 'those after the bier — even if the bier needs them, they are obligated,' because they were never accustomed to carry it, since they have already carried their portion. However, the wording is somewhat difficult to explain — what does it mean 'even if it needs them'? Surely they were not carrying the deceased at all! Therefore it appears that the correct version is that found in the printed texts: 'those before the bier and those after the bier — those whom the bier needs are exempt; those whom it does not need are obligated.'
  10. 'Both these and those are exempt from prayer' — but from Shema and phylacteries, which are Torah obligations, they are obligated. And the first clause, which states that one whose deceased relative is laid out before him is exempt from Shema and from phylacteries, implies all the more so that he is exempt from prayer; but the Mishnah did not need to state this in the first clause, since its purpose there was only to teach the distinction between the pallbearers and one whose deceased relative is laid out before him.
  11. 'And he does not recite a blessing' — Rashi explains: he is not obligated to recite a blessing. This implies that if he wishes to recite a blessing, he may. However, the Jerusalem Talmud states that if he wishes to be stringent, we do not listen to him [i.e., it is not permitted]. Therefore it appears that 'he does not recite a blessing' means he is not permitted to recite a blessing. The Jerusalem Talmud explains why: because of the honor of the deceased, or alternatively because he has no one to carry his burden [of responsibility]. The Gemara asks: but it was taught that he is exempt from taking the lulav — and one might think this refers to a Festival, during which he is not preoccupied with carrying his burden. The Gemara answers: Explain it as referring to a weekday, meaning the intermediate days of the Festival. The Gemara asks: but it was taught that he is exempt from the shofar blast — can you say this refers to a weekday and not a Festival? [Obviously it must refer to a Festival, which is a contradiction.] The Gemara answers: Rabbi Chanina said, since he is required to prepare a coffin and shrouds for the deceased — as we learned (Shabbat 151a) that one may walk to the edge of the Shabbat boundary at dusk [before a Festival] to bring him a coffin and shrouds — this is considered as if he were carrying his burden. This implies that on Shabbat and Festivals he is not permitted to recite blessings or pray, since he is preoccupied with going to the boundary to bring a coffin and shrouds. But this is difficult from the latter clause, which teaches that on Shabbat people recite blessings over him and include him in the zimun [invitation to Grace after Meals]; and so it is taught likewise in the Jerusalem Talmud: 'In what case is this said? On a weekday. But on Shabbat, he reclines and eats and recites a blessing, and they respond after him, Amen.' The Ri says that the first clause and the last clause disagree with each other in the Jerusalem Talmud. Rabbi Netanel used to say that perhaps it can be reconciled: certainly if his intention is to go to the boundary at dusk, then we can say he is preoccupied with going to the boundary and is not permitted to recite a blessing; but the latter clause deals with a case where he does not intend to go to the boundary. However, this reasoning does not fit with the reasoning based on the honor of the deceased. And from the Jerusalem Talmud's answer that the exemption from the lulav refers to the intermediate days of the Festival, when he is preoccupied with carrying his burden, we learn that on the intermediate days of the Festival the status of an onen [one whose relative died but is not yet buried] applies when the deceased is laid out before him. And since when the deceased is laid out before him the status of onen applies [even then], similarly, when it is incumbent upon him to bury the deceased, it is considered as if the deceased were laid out before him. And conversely, one whose deceased relative is laid out before him, but it is not his responsibility to bury him, does not observe the status of onen. This is also implied in the Jerusalem Talmud: 'If the deceased is handed over to the public, he may eat meat and drink wine; if handed over to the pallbearers, it is as if handed over to the public.' And perforce, 'handed over to the public' means even when he is still laid out before him — for if it meant when he is not before him, that would be obvious, since mourning status would take effect immediately once the deceased leaves the entrance of his house. And since the status of onen does not apply there, it follows that a person who is unable to bury his deceased relative — for example, one who dies in prison and the ruler does not permit him to be buried — it seems that he is not obligated to observe the status of onen, since it is not incumbent upon him to bury him, because he is unable to ransom him and bring him out for burial, as it is taught in Tractate Semachot (chapter 2): if the relatives despair of burying him, they mourn for him, and the law of onen ceases to apply to him. However, in the case of one whom the ruler has seized, even the law of mourning does not apply, for it is not comparable to despairing of burial — there, he will never bury him; but here, he still hopes to be able to reach a settlement with the ruler to allow him to bury him. And so too there is the incident involving Rabbi Eliezer the son of Rabbi Shimon in Bava Metzia (84b), where the law of onen ceased to apply to him. And there is also the incident where Rabbeinu Tam's sister died on Shabbat, and he was informed after Shabbat in another city, and he ate meat and drank wine, saying: since she has a husband who is obligated in her burial, I am not forbidden from meat and wine. And it is possible that Rabbeinu Tam himself, had he been in the same city, would have been lenient for the same reason.

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 17.