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Berakhot 34 for kids: Praying with the Heart

ברכות ל״ד

🙏 This daf talks about the prayer leader who leads the community in the Amida. It explains how to politely accept being chosen to lead prayers, how to bow properly, and how Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa could tell if his prayers for sick people were accepted.

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Stories from Berakhot 34

Words to know

Rashi and Tosafot on Berakhot 34 in simple English

Rashi on Berakhot 34a, in English Tab translation (19)
  1. Chavruta kelapei Shamayim — The way a person conducts himself with his friend, he conducts himself with the Omnipresent, and he is not careful in his prayer.
  2. Machinan leih — We strike him, meaning: we teach him to focus his intention, and we hit him if he makes a habit of this [carelessness].
  3. Marzefta — A hammer; the verse 'and she put the hammer (makevet) in her hand' (Judges 4:21) is rendered in Targum as 'marzefta.'
  4. Mishnah: V'lo yehei sarvan be'oto sha'ah — This replacement should not refuse at that moment — Because others who descend to serve as prayer leader, when told 'go down,' must refuse once, i.e., say 'I am not worthy of this,' as stated later in this discussion. But this one [the replacement] should not refuse, because it would be a disgrace for the prayer to be interrupted so much.
  5. Mitechilat haberakhah shetta'ah zeh — From the beginning of the blessing in which this one erred — If he skipped one of the blessings and recited another, and does not know how to go back and resume his proper order, the one who passes before the ark in his place should begin from the blessing that this one skipped, and continue from there onward.
  6. Lo ya'aneh amen achar hakohanim — The prayer leader should not answer amen after the priests, at the end of each and every blessing.
  7. Mipnei hatiruf — Because of the confusion — Lest his mind become confused and he err, since the prayer leader must begin the next blessing and recite each word along with the priests, as stated in tractate Sotah (39b); and by answering amen he would not be able to focus quickly enough to begin the blessing that follows.
  8. Im ein sham kohen ela hu — If there is no priest there other than him — the cantor.
  9. Lo yisa et kapav — He should not lift his hands — Lest he be unable to return to his prayer with proper focus to begin 'Sim Shalom,' since his mind may be confused from fear of the congregation.
  10. V'im hivtachto — And if he is confident — that is, if he is certain that his mind will not become confused from fear of the congregation.
  11. Gemara: Yesarev — When they tell him [to go lead the prayer], he should act as though unwilling, that is, say 'I am not worthy.'
  12. She'hikdichatu — Language of burning, as in 'for a fire has kindled in My nostril' (Deuteronomy 32:22).
  13. Mehav'hev — Meaning he readies himself, like one who rouses himself to rise.
  14. Ein lahen seder — They have no fixed order — so if he skipped one blessing and afterward remembered it, he recites it even though it is not in its proper place.
  15. Mitechilat haberakhah shetta'ah zeh — From the beginning of the blessing in which this one erred — From this it is implied that he continues from there onward, proving that he must return to its proper order and recite it there.
  16. Chada birkhata ninhu — They are considered one blessing — and what the Mishnah teaches, 'from the beginning of the blessing in which this one erred,' refers to [the blessing] 'Atah Chonen.'
  17. V'niptar — He takes leave [i.e., takes permission to depart].
  18. Ein tzarich lehazkir shemo — He need not mention his name — the name of the sick person.
  19. Techilah v'sof — Beginning and end — in [the blessings] 'Modim' and 'Lekha na'eh lehodot.'
Tosafot on Berakhot 34a, in English Tab translation (5)
  1. From where does he commence? From the beginning of the blessing in which he erred — The Jerusalem Talmud [relates]: in Titi, [a prayer leader] fell silent during [the blessing of] Ofanim. They came and asked Rabbi Bun, who told them in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi: the one who replaces him should begin from the point where he stopped. The Gemara asks: but did we not learn that he begins from the beginning of the blessing in which he erred? He answered them: since you have already recited the Kedusha [sanctification] of the Name [in that blessing], it is considered as though that point were the beginning of the blessing.
  2. He should not answer amen after the priests, because of potential confusion — This is difficult: let the reason rather be that answering amen itself interrupts the prayer! One can answer: since [the Gemara] did not give this reason, it shows that answering amen is not considered an interruption, since it serves the prayer itself. However, regarding calling the priests up to the platform [to bless the people], Rabbeinu Tam says the prayer leader may not call them, since that would be an interruption of his prayer if he does so; rather, one of the congregants calls them. And the statement in Sotah, chapter 'Eilu Ne'emarin' (38a), 'he calls the priests for two [verses],' etc., does not refer to the prayer leader but to the sexton (chazan), as taught in the Sifrei (parashat Naso): '"Say to them" — this teaches that the sexton tells them, "Say [it]."' And 'chazan' does not mean the prayer leader, for chazan refers to one who attends to communal affairs. This is also implied in Sotah (39b), that it is not referring to the prayer leader, since it first states: 'the priests may not begin the blessing until the speech from the mouth of the reader is finished' — meaning the one calling the priests — and only afterward does it say 'the prayer leader may not...,' etc., implying these are two different people. Some wanted to say that likewise the prayer leader may not prompt the priests with the words 'Yevarekhecha,' since that too would be an interruption. However, Rabbeinu Yehuda explained that it is stated explicitly in the midrash on the extra and missing letters of the verse 'Say to them' that the prayer leader says it to them phrase by phrase. And some wish to permit the prayer leader himself to call the priests, even according to Rabbeinu Tam's view, since the interruption he described applied only in their time, when, immediately upon concluding the blessing of Thanksgiving, they did not yet say 'Our God and God of our fathers, bless us with the [threefold] blessing' — as is implied in Sotah (loc. cit.), which states: 'the one calling may not call the priests until the amen from the mouth of the congregation is finished,' meaning the amen answered at the conclusion of the blessing of Thanksgiving. This implies that nothing was said before calling the priests immediately. But nowadays, since we are accustomed to say 'Eloheinu' in the form of a blessing and prayer, this does not constitute an interruption, being no worse than answering amen here, which — as I explained — is not considered an interruption.
  3. The middle blessings have no order — Rashi explains that if one skipped a blessing and later remembered it out of place, he recites it wherever he remembers it. But this is not correct, for we learned in Megillah (17a): 'One who reads the Megillah out of order has not fulfilled his obligation,' and it is taught likewise regarding Hallel, the Shema, and the Amida prayer. Therefore it seems correct, as Rashbam and the Rif (Rav Alfas) explain, that 'they have no order' means he begins at the point of the blessing he skipped, and from there continues in order — but he certainly does not go back to 'Ata Chonen' [the first middle blessing] the way one returns to the start for the first three or last three blessings. Proof of this comes from the Tosefta of this tractate: 'One who recites the Shema and omitted a verse should not recite that verse alone, but should begin from that verse and continue to the end.' Similarly, it is taught in Megillah (18b) that if one omitted a verse while reading the Megillah in order, he continues from that verse onward — and there the Gemara equates prayer to the Megillah in this regard, as explained. Halakhot Gedolot rules according to Rav Asi, who said the middle blessings have no order. This is, firstly, because Rav Huna is like a student relative to Rav Asi, as we find elsewhere 'Rav Huna said in the name of Rav Asi'; furthermore, Rav Huna's position requires a forced reading of the mishnah (that all the middle blessings are one blessing), and we should not rely on forced interpretations; furthermore, Rav Asi and Rav Sheshet share the same view; and furthermore, in matters of rabbinic law, we follow the lenient opinion. Accordingly, if a person erred and skipped one of the middle blessings, or omitted 'HaMelekh HaMishpat' between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur — which we hold (12b) requires repetition — he does not return to 'Ata Chonen,' but only to the blessing he skipped, continuing from there in order, as Rashbam explained. But where he erred in the first three blessings — such as erring in their closing formula, or failing to mention 'Zokhreinu' in the blessing of the Patriarchs, or 'Mi Khamokha' in the blessing of Resurrection, or omitting 'HaMelekh HaKadosh' between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur — he returns to the beginning. And where he erred in the last three blessings — such as erring in their closing formula, or omitting 'besefer chayim tovim' in 'Sim Shalom,' or 'u'chtov le-chayim tovim' in the blessing of Thanksgiving between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur — he returns to [the blessing of] Temple Service, because since the whole section is praise, it is considered one blessing. Regarding a communal fast, where the prayer leader inserts an additional blessing for himself, saying 'Aneinu' between 'Go'el' and 'Rofei' — if he forgot it and remembers before finishing the prayer, he is not required to repeat, since according to Rashbam's explanation he would have to go back and recite in order, making the repetition a blessing said in vain; but according to Rashi's explanation, he would say it wherever he remembered, so there would be no blessing in vain.
  4. One should not request his own needs either in the first three or the last three blessings — Rabbeinu Chananel and Rabbeinu Hai explain that this applies specifically to an individual, but communal needs may be requested there; this is why we say 'Zokhreinu,' 'Ya'aleh VeYavo,' and similar insertions in them. And you can know that this refers specifically to an individual, since the essence of the final blessings itself concerns communal needs.
  5. They teach him not to bow — One might ask: let him bow, what harm is there? One can answer: so that he not come to uproot the words of the Sages, lest everyone act stringently as he pleases with no fixed enactment of the Sages governing it; and we are concerned about ostentatious piety.
Rashi on Berakhot 34b, in English Tab translation (23)
  1. High Priest at the end of every blessing — The greater a person's stature, the more he must humble and lower himself.
  2. He does not stand up — until he finishes [the entire prayer].
  3. 'He rose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling' — The beginning of the verse reads, 'And it was when Solomon finished praying,' and only then did he rise from his kneeling.
  4. 'To the ground' — This wording implies the term of total prostration (hishtachavaya).
  5. They would bow by leaning — When they fell on their faces, they would not spread out their hands and feet, but would lean to the side.
  6. At the beginning — he bows.
  7. I saw Rav Naḥman bow — both at the beginning and at the end.
  8. In the thanksgiving of Hallel — [that is, in the verse] 'Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.'
  9. MISHNA: If it is fluent — if my prayer is arranged in my mouth smoothly and without stumbling, and my supplication flows from my heart to my mouth for all that I wish to elaborate in my pleas.
  10. That it is confused — [this refers to] the sick person; alternatively, it means that his prayer is thrown back at him in disarray — that is, the prayer offered for him is scattered and disturbed, and is not accepted.
  11. GEMARA: In which [blessing]? — that is, in which of the blessings is an error considered a bad omen.
  12. In the [blessing of] Patriarchs — which is the beginning of the prayer; it is a sign that there is no desire for it [to be accepted].
  13. 'Who creates the expression of the lips' — When a person's speech is sound and functioning well, it is a sign that he is assured of peace.
  14. They did not prophesy — [referring to] the good things and consolations [of the future].
  15. 'No eye has seen' — it was never seen or revealed to any prophet.
  16. 'Far' — one who was distant all his days from sin, meaning a person who was righteous from the outset.
  17. 'Fever seized him' — it gripped him; the fever left his body. 'Cham' is the illness that burns him; 'chaltzato' is the language of being 'released' (chalatz) from it.
  18. 'You did not lack' — even an hour.
  19. Like a servant — a member of the household who comes and goes without [needing special] permission.
  20. Fit before the king — one who is not accustomed to appear before him.
  21. Windows — which help him focus his heart, since he looks toward the heavens and his heart becomes humbled.
  22. One who prays in an open valley — in a secluded place, for when he is in a place of privacy, the fear of the King comes upon him and his heart is broken.
  23. We will return to you, 'Ein Omdin' — [the traditional closing formula marking the end of the chapter].
Tosafot on Berakhot 34b, in English Tab translation (6)
  1. Kidda al apayim — bowing on the face: And though this term is also found used in another sense elsewhere, one can say that it is a received tradition that kidda means bowing on the face, and the verse is cited only as a supporting proof.
  2. I saw Abaye and Rava bow by leaning — meaning they would tilt to the side.
  3. He should focus his heart on one of them — And that which is stated at the end of the chapter 'Tefillat HaShachar' (Berakhot 30b), that a person should always gauge himself: if he can focus his heart, he should pray, and if not, he should not pray — one can explain that there too it means focusing on one of the blessings.
  4. Brazen is one who prays in an open field — You might ask: isn't it written, 'And Isaac went out to meditate in the field' (Genesis 24:63)? One can answer that there it refers to Mount Moriah, as is said in Pesachim, chapter HaIsha (Pesachim 88a): 'Not like Isaac, who called it a field...' Alternatively, the 'open field' meant here refers to a valley where people regularly pass, such as travelers on the road.
  5. Covering of sin — The reason is that then he is still ashamed of his sin; but if he specifies his sins explicitly, it appears he is not ashamed of them. And we say above, in the first chapter (Berakhot 12b), that anyone who does something and is ashamed of it is forgiven immediately.
  6. We will return to you, [chapter] 'One Does Not Stand' — the standard closing formula marking the completion of this chapter, expressing the intention to return and review it.

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 34.