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Berakhot 5 for kids: The Gift of Suffering

ברכות ה׳

❤️‍🩹 This daf teaches how saying Shema before bed protects a person like a sword, and how studying Torah can push away suffering and demons. It also explores suffering as a sign of God's love, and tells stories of rabbis who healed each other and examined their own deeds.

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Stories from Berakhot 5

Words to know

Rashi and Tosafot on Berakhot 5 in simple English

Rashi on Berakhot 5a, in English Tab translation (28)
  1. 'If he is a Torah scholar' — Since he is accustomed to constantly reviewing his studies, this suffices for him (so that if he falls asleep engrossed in Torah, he need not recite Shema separately).
  2. 'He should incite the good inclination' — meaning he should wage war against the evil inclination.
  3. 'And be still, Selah' — the day of stillness is the day of death, which is eternal silence.
  4. 'This is Scripture' — the Five Books of Moses, which one is commanded to read.
  5. 'This is Mishnah' — that they should engage in the study of Mishnah.
  6. 'This is Talmud' — the reasoning behind the rulings of the Mishnah, from which practical halakha emerges. But those who issue rulings based on the Mishnah alone are called 'destroyers of the world,' as stated in tractate Sotah (22a).
  7. 'As if he holds a double-edged sword in his hand' — to kill the demons.
  8. 'From where is this inferred' — that this verse refers to the recitation of Shema.
  9. 'And the sparks fly upward' — the flying removes them from you.
  10. 'Will you set your eyes upon it' — if you let your attention lapse even briefly regarding Torah, it will be forgotten from you.
  11. 'Bitter destruction' — this is the name of the noontime demon, mentioned in tractate Pesachim (111b).
  12. 'And the devouring of the sparks' — this phrase is written between the mention of hunger and that of demons, and is to be understood in light of both what precedes and what follows it: suffering and demons.
  13. 'Even schoolchildren know this' — for they learn from the Five Books of Moses the verse, 'If you will diligently listen... any disease that I have placed...' and even young children who have not yet reached the Book of Job have already learned this.
  14. 'I was silent from good' — from the study of Torah.
  15. 'And my pain was strong' — a severe, festering affliction.
  16. 'The seller grieves' — because so valuable a thing has been separated from him, and it was only his hardship that led him to sell it.
  17. 'And rejoices' — for the Holy One, blessed be He, warns them not to abandon it, and praises it before them as a good teaching after having given it to them.
  18. 'He searched and found nothing' — he found no sin in his conduct for which such suffering would be fitting to come upon him.
  19. 'Happy is the man whom You afflict, O Lord, and teach out of Your Torah' — for it is through suffering that a person is brought to engage in the study of Torah.
  20. 'Afflictions of love' — the Holy One, blessed be He, afflicts him in this world without any sin, in order to increase his reward in the World to Come beyond what his merits would warrant.
  21. 'And the Lord desired to crush him through sickness' — one whom the Holy One, blessed be He, desires, He afflicts with suffering.
  22. 'A guilt-offering' — a sacrifice.
  23. 'His soul' — willingly, knowingly.
  24. 'This matter' — namely, that 'happy is the man whom You afflict, O Lord.'
  25. 'And teach him out of Your Torah' — meaning, from Your Torah we learn this concept.
  26. These are the words of the covenant — Covenant is stated in connection with suffering, as it is written, 'These are the words of the covenant,' which is said in Deuteronomy right after the curses.
  27. Suffering too wipes away all of a person's sins — This is the reading of the text.
  28. And the way of life — Rebukes of discipline (suffering) bring a person to the life of the World-to-Come.
Rashi on Berakhot 5b, in English Tab translation (26)
  1. And sons — he assumed this meant one who buries his sons.
  2. Four signs [of leprosy] — a se'et and its secondary shade, a baheret and its secondary shade. A baheret is as intense as snow, with its secondary shade like the plaster of the Temple hall. A se'et is like white wool, with its secondary shade like the membrane of an egg.
  3. This is for us and this is for them — In Eretz Yisrael, the gates of the walled city are sanctified there, and a leper must be banished outside of them; these are not afflictions of love. In Babylonia, where he need not be banished, and the signs serve as an altar of atonement, they are afflictions of love.
  4. In private — under his clothes.
  5. This is the bone of my tenth son — this is a bone from the tenth son who died to him.
  6. "Bir" — like "bar" (son); he tied up a bone less than the size of a barley grain from him in his scarf, as a reminder of his grief. And a great man like Rabbi Yoḥanan would not have afflictions that were not of love.
  7. That he had children and they died — these are afflictions of love, since the mourning atones for his sins.
  8. He exposed it — Rabbi Yoḥanan exposed his arm.
  9. And light radiated — for his flesh gleamed, as he was exceedingly handsome, as stated in tractate Bava Metzia, in the chapter "HaSokher Et HaPo'alim" (Bava Metzia 84a).
  10. If it is because of Torah — that you did not study as much as you wished.
  11. One who brings a substantial offering and one who brings a meager offering — this is taught regarding sacrifices at the end of tractate Menachot (110a): It is stated regarding an animal burnt-offering "a pleasing aroma," and regarding a meal-offering "a pleasing aroma," to teach you that one who brings a substantial offering and one who brings a meager offering have equal merit, as long as he directs his heart toward Heaven.
  12. If it is because of sustenance — that you are not wealthy.
  13. Over this you certainly weep — over this you certainly have reason to weep.
  14. They soured — they turned sour (became vinegar).
  15. Barrels — casks.
  16. Let the master examine his matters — let him scrutinize his deeds.
  17. If there is anyone who has heard something about me, let him say it — if any of you has heard something about me that I need to retract, let him inform me.
  18. Branches — his share in the vine branches that are cut off at pruning time. And we learned (Bava Metzia 103a): Just as they divide the wine, so they divide the branches and reeds. "Sarigim" [branches] is translated [by Targum] as "shavshin" (Genesis 40).
  19. Does he leave me anything of it — is he not suspected in your eyes of stealing from me far more than his share?
  20. After a thief, steal, etc. — one who steals from a thief also tastes the flavor of theft.
  21. Near my bed — all my days I was careful not to engage in work or Torah study upon rising from my bed, until I had recited the Shema and prayed.
  22. From north to south — its head and its foot, one to the north and one to the south. And it seems to me that the Divine Presence is in the east or west; therefore it is proper to position the bed for marital relations toward the other directions.
  23. "U'tzfuncha" — an expression of hidden store, and the end of the verse reads "their children shall be satisfied."
  24. "Their belly shall be filled" — the days of their pregnancy shall be completed.
  25. "He tears his soul in his anger" — I say to you, it is you who caused yourself to tear your soul before you; and what is this "soul"? It is prayer, as it is stated: "And I poured out my soul before the Lord" (I Samuel 1:15).
  26. Should the earth be forsaken for your sake? — Did you think that because you departed, the Divine Presence would withdraw and forsake your fellow who prays before it?
Tosafot on Berakhot 5b, in English Tab translation (8)
  1. This is for us, and that is for them — Rashi explains this refers to people in the Land of Israel, who were required to send lepers outside of three camps, which would not have been afflictions of love for them. But this is difficult, for the sending out of the camps only applied when the Jubilee year was in effect, along with the laws of houses within walled cities. And in the time of the amoraim the Jubilee was not in effect, as we say in tractate Gittin (chapter 4, page 36a). How then could Rabbi Yoḥanan speak of something that was not practiced in his days? Some explain instead that 'this is for us, and that is for them' refers to the laws of ritual impurity, which were observed carefully in the Land of Israel but not in Babylonia.
  2. But didn't Rabbi Yoḥanan say: This is the bone of my tenth son? — Rashi explains that for an important person like Rabbi Yoḥanan, presumably his children's deaths could only have been afflictions of love. But this is difficult, for the Gemara concludes that when one has no children at all, this is not considered afflictions of love — yet there were many righteous people who had no children. And if one argues this refers only to sons, note that Rabbi Yoḥanan also had daughters, as stated in the last chapter of Kiddushin (71b). It therefore seems correct to explain the question as follows: 'But didn't Rabbi Yoḥanan say: This is the bone...' — this shows that since he regularly used to console others with this bone, it must be that such suffering is considered afflictions of love. However, this does not mean it is always so, for even righteous people themselves are sometimes afflicted with suffering [that is not of this kind].
  3. This is the correct text: 'Not every person merits two tables' — but one should not read the version 'No person merits,' since there were many righteous people who merited both tables, such as Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi], as stated in the last chapter of Horayot (10b).
  4. Judgment without judgment — There are many righteous people who suffer physically and financially [for no apparent sin]; rather, [in this specific case] they knew that the servant had not given his sharecropper the bad produce, and they wished to hint to him that he should not do so again.
  5. So that nothing should separate between him and the wall — but a fixed object, such as an ark or chest, does not constitute a separation. A bed, however, does not appear to be considered fixed.
  6. Rather say: 'near my bed' — meaning that he would not do any work until he prayed. Rashi explains that this means one may not even study Torah before prayer, but I do not know the source for this. However, there is proof that it is permitted to study beforehand, for later in the second chapter (Berakhot 14b) it states that Rav would rise early, wash his hands, recite a blessing, review his chapter, and then recite the Shema when its time arrived, and so on.
  7. One who places his bed between north and south, etc. — but not between east and west; and this applies specifically when he sleeps with his wife, because the Divine Presence rests between east and west, and it would be improper to lie with one's wife in that direction due to the relations between them. This is also indicated and proven by the verses.
  8. One who prays and does not wait for his fellow, they tear [such a person] away, etc. — Rabbeinu Tam explains that this applied to their synagogues, which were located in the fields, and therefore at night one needed to wait [for others, out of concern for danger]. And Rabbi Yitzhak [the Ri] used to delay his own prayer and prolong it until everyone else had left; and if in the meantime someone entered the synagogue, he would pretend to be studying a book until they finished their prayers. It is fitting for us as well to be stringent in this matter.

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 5.