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Berakhot 27 for kids: The Night Prayer Dispute

ברכות כ״ז

🌙 This daf keeps arguing about prayer times: does 'until' include the last moment or not? A witness about the daily offering helps answer the question. Then comes a famous story about whether the evening prayer is required, and how it led to a big change of leadership.

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Stories from Berakhot 27

Words to know

Rashi and Tosafot on Berakhot 27 in simple English

Rashi on Berakhot 27a, in English Tab translation (23)
  1. Heinu rabbanan — This is identical to the opinion of the Rabbis — because it was initially assumed that Rabbi Yehuda was referring to the last half of the afternoon prayer period.
  2. Mitpalel shel minḥah, etc. — The Rabbis follow their own reasoning that the time for the additional prayer lasts all day just like the afternoon prayer, therefore the frequent prayer takes precedence. Rabbi Yehuda follows his own reasoning that the additional prayer may only be recited until the seventh hour and no longer, making it a mitzvah whose time is passing, whereas the afternoon prayer still has time remaining until the midpoint of the afternoon.
  3. Shetei tefillot behadei hadadi — The last half of the seventh hour is the time for both prayers, since it was stated that the great afternoon prayer time begins from six-and-a-half hours and onward.
  4. Heikhi mashkachat lah — How do you find such a case? The time for the additional prayer has already passed once the sixth hour has gone by.
  5. Pelag rishonah — The first half, referring to the last afternoon period, and 'until' here means until and including — even though the tanna gave a sign for the second half by stating that the midpoint of the afternoon is from eleven hours minus a quarter, this is what he means: etc.
  6. Af anan nami teninan — We too have learned this — that according to Rabbi Yehuda, 'until' means until and including.
  7. She-mema'anin et ha-ketanah — A minor girl whose mother married her off after her father's death. By Torah law her betrothal is meaningless, since a minor lacks understanding, and the Torah gave the authority to betroth her only to her father, as it says, 'I gave my daughter to this man' (Deuteronomy 22). However, the Sages instituted a form of betrothal for her requiring formal refusal (mi'un), so that people would marry her rather than her going astray. Therefore, if after some time she refuses and says 'I do not want him,' she leaves the marriage and is permitted to anyone, without needing a divorce document. Rabbi Yehuda ben Bava testified that sometimes the court is obligated to teach her to refuse her husband — for example, where two brothers married two orphaned sisters, one an adult whose betrothal is by Torah law, and one a minor whose betrothal is only rabbinic, and the adult's husband died childless, so she falls before his brother for levirate marriage, becoming bound to him by Torah law. This bond forbids his own wife (the minor) to him, under the law forbidding the sister of a woman bound to him for levirate marriage, since she is considered like the sister of his wife. Rabbi Eliezer states in tractate Yevamot (109a) that we teach this minor to refuse her husband, thereby retroactively uprooting her betrothal and rendering all her previous relations as if they were not a valid marriage, in order to permit her husband to perform levirate marriage with her sister — for we learned, one may marry the sister of a woman who was raped or seduced (Yevamot 97a). Rabbi Yehuda ben Bava testified about this on the day that tractate Eduyyot was taught, establishing that the halakha follows Rabbi Eliezer.
  8. Al pi ed echad — based on one witness — who told her, 'your husband died overseas' (Yevamot 122a).
  9. She-niskal tarnegol — A rooster that pecked a hole in an infant's skull at the soft spot of the brain and pierced the brain, and it was stoned in accordance with the law of an ox that gored a person, as it is written, 'the ox shall be stoned' (Exodus 21), and we derive by verbal analogy 'shor-shor' from the laws of Shabbat that any animal, beast, or bird is treated like an ox (Bava Kamma 54b).
  10. Ve'al yayin ben arba'im yom — about forty-day-old wine — which has left the category of wine fresh from the press and entered the category of complete wine, so that the term 'strong drink libation' (Numbers 28) applies to it.
  11. Be'arba sha'ot — at four hours — and no later, which shows that he holds like Rabbi Yehuda, and since it says 'at four hours,' this shows that for Rabbi Yehuda, 'until' includes the stated time.
  12. Halakha ke-Rabbi Yehuda — The halakha follows Rabbi Yehuda — since this mishnah teaches that the daily morning offering is not brought after four hours, and the same applies to prayer.
  13. Bevechirta — Eduyyot is called 'the chosen [tractate]' because the halakha follows those testimonies [brought in it].
  14. Keshehu omer kechom hayom harei shesh sha'ot amur — When it says 'in the heat of the day' this already indicates six hours — that is, we find elsewhere that Scripture changed its wording and said, 'and he was sitting at the entrance of the tent in the heat of the day,' not 'in the heat of the sun,' implying the heat of the day generally, whether sun or shade, referring to the sixth hour.
  15. Ha mah ani mekayem vecham hashemesh — How then do I interpret 'and when the sun grew hot'? — which implies that the sun itself is hot while the shade is still cool.
  16. Be'arba sha'ot — at four hours — for before four hours even the sun is still cool.
  17. Mani — Whose opinion is this — that four hours is not called 'morning,' for it is written, 'and they gathered it morning by morning, and when the sun grew hot it melted,' and since it establishes that the melting occurred at four hours, this implies that this is not the time of gathering and is not called 'morning.'
  18. Arba sha'ot nami tzafra hu — Four hours is also called morning — for you said that 'until' is inclusive, and regarding the daily offering it is written, 'you shall perform it in the morning.'
  19. Lishnei bekarim — for two mornings — meaning they would only gather in the first three hours, which is the first morning.
  20. Tam amar Rav Kahana — There Rav Kahana said this — regarding the morning prayer.
  21. Shel Shabbat be'erev Shabbat — [accepting the prayer] of Shabbat on Friday — referring to one who accepted Shabbat upon himself while it was still day.
  22. Shema mina — Derive from this — that he holds like Rabbi Yehuda, who says that once the midpoint of the afternoon has passed, the time for the afternoon prayer ends and the time for the evening prayer begins.
  23. Velo paskei litzlotei — and he did not interrupt his prayer — meaning he did not pause between himself and the wall, between Rabbi Yirmeya and the wall, to pass in front of him and sit in his place, but remained standing where he was.
Tosafot on Berakhot 27a, in English Tab translation (2)
  1. Come and hear: 'And the additional [Musaf] prayer may be recited all day; and Rabbi Yehuda says until seven hours.' And it was taught: 'If he had [two prayers] before him, etc.' — We do not read 'say the latter clause: and the...' [as continuing from the previous discussion], because this is not in the mishnah — that is, Rabbi Yehuda's statement 'until seven hours' is not in the mishnah. Some texts emended it into the mishnah, but in all the old texts it is not there. And if you ask: why did Rebbi (Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi) not mention it in the mishnah? The answer is that he does not hold like Rabbi Yehuda on this point, where he says 'until seven hours.' But regarding the point where Rabbi Yehuda says 'until four hours,' Rebbi does hold like him, since we learned so in the 'chosen' tractate (Eduyyot). And likewise regarding the midpoint of the afternoon [plag haMincha], because we say below 'one who acted like this authority acted properly, and one who acted like that authority acted properly' — meaning: one who acted like Rabbi Yehuda, who holds that from the midpoint of the afternoon it is already night, acted properly, and therefore did not pray Mincha afterward. But one should not explain this to mean that one who prayed Mincha before the midpoint acted like Rabbi Yehuda, for obviously the Rabbis too agree with Rabbi Yehuda's measure for when Mincha may be prayed.
  2. That Rav prayed the Shabbat prayer on Friday evening [before dark] — This is difficult, since we say in the chapter 'Bameh Madlikin' (Shabbat 23b): 'provided one does not advance it early or delay it.' One can answer that there [in that passage] it refers to a case where he does not accept Shabbat upon himself immediately, but here it refers to a case where he does accept Shabbat upon himself immediately, and therefore it is not considered advancing it early; and the reason [he may do so already from plag haMincha] is that he holds like Rabbi Yehuda. Similarly, those cases below where people prayed the Motzei Shabbat prayer while it was still Shabbat — this is because they hold like Rabbi Yehuda regarding the evening prayer, that it may be recited from an hour and a quarter before nightfall. Nevertheless, it is not forbidden to perform labor at the end of Shabbat immediately after plag haMincha. Likewise regarding the obligation to add extra time onto Shabbat (and Tisha B'Av) and Yom Kippur, which we hold is a Torah requirement — if so, one does not need as large a measure of added time.
Rashi on Berakhot 27b, in English Tab translation (22)
  1. Next to his rabbi — beside his rabbi, giving the impression that they are equal.
  2. Behind his rabbi — this too is a show of arrogance.
  3. Greeting to his rabbi — as he would greet any ordinary person, saying 'Peace to you,' and not saying to him 'Peace to you, my rabbi.'
  4. And this is what he said to him — on that day when Rav prayed the Shabbat prayer early, before nightfall, Rabbi Yirmeya said to him: Did you distance yourself from labor, since you accepted Shabbat upon yourself through your prayer?
  5. And he did not say to him 'did the Master distance himself' — learn from this that he was a disciple-colleague to him.
  6. To the bathhouse — you might think this was after the Sages decreed against perspiring and bathing on Shabbat, as stated in tractate Shabbat, in the chapter beginning 'Kira shehisikuha' (40a); this would indicate that even though he had prayed, he did not yet distance himself from the prohibitions of Shabbat.
  7. Rava said: to perspire — he entered to perspire from the heat of the bathhouse, without pouring water on himself.
  8. And before the decree — this was before they decreed against perspiring; and wherever we say 'as Rava said, to perspire, etc.,' it is derived from this source.
  9. To fumigate baskets — to fumigate them with sulfur, after he had already prayed the Shabbat prayer on the eve of Shabbat.
  10. It was a mistake — he did not knowingly accept the addition of Shabbat from the time of his prayer; rather, it was a cloudy day and he mistakenly thought it had grown dark, and afterward the sun shone.
  11. Since they prayed, they prayed — and he did not require them to pray again once it actually grew dark. This shows that it is a valid prayer. And although they were not permitted to perform labor, that was only so as not to transgress the words of the Torah; but regarding the matter of the 'addition' to Shabbat, even though it occurred through a mistake, it is nevertheless an addition brought about through prayer — since he called it a prayer, it is accepted as such.
  12. Shield-bearers — Sages who overcome one another in halakhic debate.
  13. How can the living contradict the living — I am forced to admit that I gave him permission.
  14. The translator — who would stand before Rabban Gamliel and relate the teaching to the public on his behalf.
  15. Stand — be silent.
  16. In [tractate] Rosh Hashanah — as stated in tractate Rosh Hashanah (25a), where he said to him: I decree that you come to me with your staff and your money on the day that is Yom Kippur according to your calculation.
  17. Last year — the previous year.
  18. In [tractate] Bekhorot — in tractate Bekhorot (36a).
  19. Concerning the incident with Rabbi Tzadok — this is found in tractate Bekhorot: Rabbi Tzadok had a firstborn animal, and Rabban Gamliel said to Rabbi Yehoshua, 'Stand on your feet,' etc., just as here.
  20. Come, let us remove him — come, let us remove him from the position of Nasi.
  21. He is a man of action — and this caused Rabban Gamliel even greater distress.
  22. He has no merit of ancestors — and perhaps Rabban Gamliel will punish him.
Tosafot on Berakhot 27b, in English Tab translation (7)
  1. Lemma: ולא אחורי רבו — And not behind his rabbi: Rashi explains this is because it would appear as arrogance. And some explain that it is because it appears as though he is bowing to his rabbi.
  2. Lemma: והנותן שלום לרבו והמחזיר שלום — One who greets his rabbi and one who returns a greeting: This means he greets him like any other person, without saying 'Greetings to you, my rabbi.' This is what is meant by the statement (Bava Kamma 73b) 'in the manner befitting a student's greeting to his rabbi.' Alternatively, that was stated only as the ideal practice; but for a disciple-colleague, such conduct is permitted, as with all the cases listed below.
  3. Lemma: הואיל והתפללו וכו' — Since they have prayed, etc.: Here too one might say this applies as a stringency, so why was it permitted to them? Rashi explains this differently in the body of the text.
  4. Lemma: שאני צבור — A community is different: Even though the proper time had not yet arrived, the prohibition did not take effect so as to forbid performing labor, even though it was due to a mistake.
  5. Lemma: צלי של מוצאי שבת וכו' — He prayed the evening prayer of the conclusion of Shabbat, etc.: One can explain that this is a case where he had a pressing mitzvah to perform at the conclusion of Shabbat, such as going to circumcise an infant, and he would have no wine for havdala unless he prayed early. In such a case he indeed must add from the mundane onto the sacred, which is a biblical requirement — but not without such a reason. And obviously, they would not rush to recite havdala and pray the evening prayer of the conclusion of Shabbat while it was still Shabbat, since labor is also forbidden while it is still twilight.
  6. Lemma: הלכה כדברי האומר רשות — The halakha follows the one who says it is optional: This does not mean literally optional, but rather as I explained above (Berakhot 26a); it is called 'optional' in the sense that it may be set aside for the sake of another pressing mitzvah.
  7. Lemma: והלכתא כוותיה דרב — And the halakha follows Rav: It appears that this is why they instituted the verses and the Kaddish between the blessing of redemption and the Amidah — because the evening prayer is optional. (See Tosafot 4b, s.v. 'Amar Rabbi Yehuda.')

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 27.