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Berakhot 33 for kids: Praying Without Fear

ברכות ל״ג

🐍 This daf explores when a person praying must stop, like for a scorpion or charging oxen, but not for a snake wrapped around his heel. It also shares the story of Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa facing a dangerous creature, and the mishna's rules about prayer additions that get a leader silenced.

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Stories from Berakhot 33

Words to know

Rashi and Tosafot on Berakhot 33 in simple English

Rashi on Berakhot 33a, in English Tab translation (28)
  1. But one stops for a scorpion — and removes it, because a scorpion is more dangerous to sting than a snake is likely to bite.
  2. They do not testify about him — meaning, they do not tell his wife, 'Your husband has died,' to permit her to remarry, because sometimes the lions are not hungry and do not eat him.
  3. Snakes and scorpions — whether one or the other, they may testify that he died; this shows that a snake is prone to bite.
  4. Due to the pressure — when he fell on top of them and pressed against them, they harmed him.
  5. An innocuous ox — one that has not gored a person.
  6. Forewarned — one that has gored three times.
  7. In the basket — a basket hung on its head filled with straw, from which it eats.
  8. And kick out the ladder — this is not meant literally, but rather means: be very careful of it.
  9. In the days of Nisan — since the days of winter have passed, when the ground was dry, and now he sees it full of grass, he becomes prideful and an evil inclination enters him.
  10. Arvad — it comes from a snake and a toad that mate with each other, and from the two of them an arvad is produced.
  11. Its hole — from which it comes out.
  12. And the arvad died — I found in Halakhot Gedolot: They say in the West (Eretz Yisrael) that when the arvad bites a person, if the arvad reaches water first, the person dies, but if the person reaches water first, the arvad dies; and a miracle was performed for Rabbi Ḥanina, and a spring formed beneath his heel.
  13. MISHNA: One mentions the might of the rains — 'He makes the wind blow,' which is not a term of request but a term of mention and praise.
  14. And they request — 'Grant dew and rain,' which is a term of request.
  15. And havdala in the blessing 'Who graciously grants knowledge' — at the end of Shabbat: 'You have graciously granted us.'
  16. GEMARA: Because it is wisdom — the wise person knows how to distinguish between the sacred and the profane, and between the impure and the pure.
  17. Between two letters — between two mentions [of the Divine Name].
  18. In its own right, however, it is great — in a case where vengeance is required, it is indeed a great matter.
  19. Why these two acts of vengeance — one is for evil, to take vengeance against the nations who did not accept the Torah.
  20. And one is for good — as we say in Bava Kamma (38a): 'He shone forth from Paran' and declared their property ownerless in favor of Israel; therefore an ox of Israel that gored an ox of a gentile is exempt.
  21. He shone forth — He revealed Himself and declared their property ownerless when they did not accept the Torah.
  22. Sanctifications — the sanctification of the day (Kiddush).
  23. At first — when they went up from the exile and were poor.
  24. They became wealthy — enough to buy wine.
  25. They established it over the cup — and then the enactment of Ezra was forgotten; and when they again became poor, they established it in the prayer, and they disagreed about how to recite it.
  26. Mifnei sheyakhol — 'Because he can': This implies that if he wishes, he need not go back and pray again. That is to say, if he already said havdala in the Amida prayer, he does not need to say it again over the cup.
  27. Ve'ana shema'it — 'And I heard': Meaning, I heard [this teaching].
  28. Chozer lerosh — 'He returns to the beginning': Meaning he must go back to the beginning of the Amida prayer and also repeat the havdala over the cup.
Tosafot on Berakhot 33a, in English Tab translation (1)
  1. But a scorpion, he stops — In the Jerusalem Talmud it says that if a snake comes rushing toward him, he also stops, because it is coming toward him in anger, intending to harm him. However, we do not find that if he stopped [for the snake] he must go back to the very beginning [of the Amida], since it does not say 'and if he stopped he returns to the beginning' — but rather, he returns at least to the beginning of the blessing [he was in]. And if he erred [i.e., had to stop] during the first three blessings or the last three blessings, he returns to the beginning of that group of three — to 'Avot' for the first three, and to 'Avodah' for the last three — as we say below in this chapter (Berakhot 34a).
Rashi on Berakhot 33b, in English Tab translation (21)
  1. Lemma — What is the halakha? The question is whether one who recited havdala in the Amida prayer must also recite havdala over the cup, or not.
  2. Lemma — A Festival that occurs after Shabbat: for on a Festival they do not recite the blessing 'Who graciously grants knowledge' in the Amida.
  3. Lemma — This is the correct reading: '[The halakha follows Rabbi Eliezer]' — does this imply that his peers disagree with him? But do they not disagree? The Rabbis do disagree with him... [Answer:] Say that the Rabbis disagree with him during the rest of the year, but regarding a Festival occurring after Shabbat, do they disagree? But doesn't Rabbi Akiva disagree [even in that case]? [Answer:] Is it that we act according to Rabbi Akiva all year round, that we should now act according to him? etc. This is how the exchange is phrased: Rabbi Zeira said to him, 'The halakha follows Rabbi Eliezer' — implying that they disagree? (asked in astonishment), and the Gemara then asks: But do they not disagree? Don't the Rabbis disagree? etc.
  4. Lemma — Doesn't Rabbi Akiva disagree: He holds that havdala should be said as an independent fourth blessing. Therefore it was necessary to say that the halakha follows Rabbi Eliezer, to exclude Rabbi Akiva's opinion.
  5. Lemma — Is it that throughout the entire year we act according to Rabbi Akiva, that we should now act according to him: This is why it was necessary to state that the halakha follows Rabbi Eliezer.
  6. Lemma — 'Halakha': According to the opinion that says 'the halakha is,' we teach this ruling publicly in our lecture. According to the opinion that says 'one is inclined to favor,' we do not teach it publicly, but we do instruct an individual to act according to Rabbi Eliezer on a Festival occurring on the first day of the week (after Shabbat). According to the opinion that says 'it appears correct,' we do not even instruct an individual to do so, but if he did act accordingly, we do not reverse it.
  7. Lemma — They agree: The Sages agree with Rabbi Eliezer specifically regarding a Festival occurring after Shabbat.
  8. Lemma — Take the statement of Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba in your hand: Because he is scrupulous in preserving his teacher's exact language and sets markers for himself so as not to confuse 'it appears correct' with 'one is inclined to favor' or with 'they agree.'
  9. Lemma — Like Raḥava: He was scrupulous in preserving his teacher's exact language, saying 'it was a double stav,' even though in the language of the Mishnah (in Pesachim and Sukkah) it is called 'itzteva' ('on top of the itzteva'); he was precise in using his teacher's term and did not say 'a double itzteva.' Some explain this episode with Raḥava differently, based on his saying 'Rabbi Yehuda,' meaning he was scrupulous about uncertainty as to which teacher it was — Rabbi Yehuda bar Elai or Rav Yehuda. But this troubles me greatly: first, Raḥava never met Rabbi Yehuda in his life — neither Rabbi Yehuda bar Elai nor Rabbi Yehuda the Nasi; furthermore, all the Amoraim were likewise scrupulous to cite teachings in the name of their source. Moreover, one cannot derive this precision from his accuracy in wording a teaching, except regarding uncertainty about which teacher it came from.
  10. Lemma — A double stav: Rows of benches/porticoes, one within another, arranged in a circle, for people to sit there.
  11. Lemma — I know neither this nor that: Meaning, I know neither 'it appears correct,' nor 'they agree,' nor 'one is inclined to favor.'
  12. Lemma — 'You have made known to us': This is said in place of 'You have given us,' and when he reaches the passage 'between the holiness of Shabbat and the holiness of the Festival... You have distinguished and sanctified Your people Israel with Your holiness,' he then says 'You have given us, Lord our God, seasons of joy,' etc., concluding with 'Who sanctifies Israel and the seasons.'
  13. Lemma — MISHNA: One who says: In his prayer.
  14. Lemma — 'Just as Your mercy is extended to a bird's nest': This refers to people who present themselves as trying to deepen the language of supplication, saying 'You are merciful and gracious,' and 'Your mercy extends to a bird's nest, as You commanded to send away the mother bird [before taking its young]'; or one who says 'For the good that You do for us, may Your name be remembered'; or one who says 'We give thanks, we give thanks' twice — we silence him.
  15. Lemma — GEMARA: Because he creates jealousy: By implying that God has mercy specifically on these creatures and not on the rest of His creation.
  16. Lemma — His decrees: His commandments. He did not institute them out of mercy, but rather to impose upon Israel the statutes of His decrees, making known that they are His servants and keepers of His commandments and statutes — even in matters about which Satan and idol worshippers could object and ask, 'What need is there for this commandment?'
  17. Lemma — And Rava, too, intended only to sharpen Abaye: So that Abaye would respond with the answer that he gave.
  18. Lemma — Had Moses not said them: Namely, 'the great, mighty, and awesome God, who shows no favoritism and takes no bribe' (Deuteronomy 10:17).
  19. Lemma — And they instituted them in prayer: When Ezra prayed concerning the sin of the exiles, as recorded in the Book of Ezra (Nehemiah 9).
  20. Lemma — Everything is in the hands of Heaven: Everything that befalls a person comes from the Holy One, Blessed be He — such as being tall or short, poor or rich, wise or foolish, light-skinned or dark-skinned — all this is in the hands of Heaven. But being righteous or wicked does not come from Heaven; this matter He placed in the hands of man, setting before him two paths, from which he himself chooses the fear of Heaven.
  21. Lemma — Repeating it word by word: If he repeats and says every single word twice, it is unseemly, but since this resembles mockery rather than acceptance of two dominions, we do not silence him. But if he says a complete verse and repeats it, we do silence him, for it appears as an acceptance of two authorities.
Tosafot on Berakhot 33b, in English Tab translation (2)
  1. One who says 'We give thanks, we give thanks' is silenced — The Jerusalem Talmud states: this applies when done in communal prayer, but when praying alone, these repetitions are [treated as] supplications [and not as heresy].
  2. One who says a verse, a verse, and repeats it — Rashi explains that he is silenced, because it appears as though he is positing two authorities. But Halakhot Gedolot and Rabbeinu Chananel explain the opposite: if he repeats a verse he is not silenced, though it is considered unseemly. However, the language of the Gemara does not support Rashi's explanation. According to Rashi, those people who recite 'Shema Yisrael' two or three times on Yom Kippur should be silenced, and according to Rabbeinu Chananel it is at least unseemly. Or perhaps one need only be concerned when he recites the Shema at its proper time and is thereby accepting upon himself the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven; even so, it is best not to repeat it. However, those who say 'The Lord, He is God' seven times on Yom Kippur and on the day of the willow (Hoshana Rabbah), corresponding to the seven firmaments, thereby praising the Creator who dwells above the seven [heavens], follow a proper custom. We also find in the verse that 'The Lord, He is God' is said twice, regarding Elijah (I Kings 18:39–40).

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 33.