Three things that prolong life

The Gemara analyzes the three actions which, when prolonged, prolong one’s life,

according to Rav Yehudah (54b):

• Spending a long time in tefillah.

• Spending a long time at the table, thereby affording the poor a greater chance to come

and share in the meal.

• Spending a long time in the bathroom.

2. Betzalel’s wisdom

The Gemara discusses Betzalel’s wisdom:

• He was called Betzalel because “he lived in the shadow of G-d” )קל בצל ,)as he knew

the order in which Hashem had commanded the building of the Mishkan—first the

Mishkan, then the vessels—despite Moshe changing the order in his instructions to

him.

• He knew how to join together the letters of the Torah in the same way they were

combined to create heaven and earth.

3. Dreams

The daf discusses dreams at length:

• A dream that has not been interpreted is like an unread letter.

• One who is troubled by a dream should have it remedied in the presence of three

people. The text of חלום הטבת is presented.

• One who doesn’t understand the meaning of his dream should stand before the

kohanim during Birkas Kohanim and recite a supplication, aiming to finish it as the

congregation responds amein, so that his supplication will be affirmed together with

the blessing of the kohanim. We are accustomed to doing this during Mussaf on Yom

Tov.

Siman - Speed Limit – 55

Rabbi Betzalel dreamt that he planted a speed limit sign in the middle of shul to remind the

congregants that the key to long life is spending more time in tefillah, and his congregants

begged him to do Hatavos Chalom.

Key words – Betzalel, long life, hatavos chalom

1. Berachos in places where miracles occurred

All are obligated to make a berachah when seeing a place where miracles were performed

for the masses, but only an individual is obligated to make a berachah on a miracle

performed for him alone.

2. Eight places where miracles occured

A Baraisa enumerates eight places where one is obligated to recite a berachah for the

miracles performed there.

1. Where the Yam Suf was crossed.

2. Where the Jordan was crossed.

3. At the crossing of the Canyons of Arnon )ארנון נחלי מעברות ,)where the Amorites

waiting in ambush were miraculously crushed in the mountains.

4. At the stones of Elgavish in the descent of Beis-Choron. These were the hailstones that

were suspended in midair for the sake of Moshe and later came down for the sake of

Yehoshua when he defended Givon in the battle with the Emori.

5. At the stone that King Og of Bashan wanted to throw at the nation.

6. At the stone that Moshe sat on during the war with Amalek.

7. At the remains of Lot’s wife.

8. At the wall of Jericho, which was swallowed.

The Gemara elaborates on the eight miracles.

3. Bentching gomel and having a shomer (guardian)

Rav Yehudah said in the name of Rav that four types of people must give thanks and bentch

gomel, because they survived dangerous situations:

• One who travels across the sea.

• One who travels through a wilderness.

• One who recovers from an illness.

• One who is freed from prison.

Rav Yehudah further taught that three types of people need protection from mazikin

(demons):

A sick person is more vulnerable, because his mazel has turned for the worse.

A chassan and kallah are also in danger, because they evoke the jealousy of mazikin.

Siman – Noodles

The caterer transporting spaghetti noodles across the desert bentched gomel after finally

delivering them to the well-guarded chassan and kallah, who were busy making berachos in

the eight places where miracles had occurred.

Key Words – miracle place, eight places, gomel and shomer

1. Which light and spices one can make the berachah on?

The berachah of האש מאורי בוראis recited only on a flame lit for illumination. If it was lit solely for

other purposes, such as cooking, or to honor a prominent person sitting in a beis haknesses or beis

midrash, or to honor the deceased at his funeral, no berachah is recited.

Similarly, a berachah of בשמים מיני בורא is recited only for a fragrance designated for the enjoyment

of its smell. A fragrance used for other purposes, such as perfuming clothing or removing the odor

of a decaying corpse, does not merit a berachah.

2. What is considered deriving benefit from the light?

There is a machlokes regarding the Mishnah’s meaning when it says one may not make a berachah

over the flame until he benefits from its illumination – שיאותו עד הנר על מברכין אין .

• Rav Yehuda in the name of Rav says that one does not actually have to benefit from the light—

the berachah is made as long as the light is strong enough that one could benefit from it, even

though he is standing far away and can’t benefit from it.

• Rava says that the berachah is only made when he is close enough to the light that he could

benefit from it.

This is the basis for looking at one’s fingernails when making the berachah on the flame in

Havdalah. Distinguishing between the fingernail and its surrounding skin is similar to discerning the

difference between two different small coins or two different weights that are similar in

appearance.

3. Making the berachah vs. saying amein

There is a machlokes Tanna’im regarding whether it is preferable to make a berachah or to answer

amein to it.

• One Baraisa holds that saying amein is greater. R’ Nehorai likens it to battle, where the common

soldiers engage the enemy first, followed by the elite troops, who come in to seal the victory.

• Another Baraisa holds that the Heavenly emissaries hasten more to bestow reward on the one

making the berachah than on the one answering amein.

Siman – A Nigerian Prince

The Nigerian Prince held his fingers up to benefit from the light that had been lit for illumination (not for

his honor) and made a berachah on all of his riches while his champion servants proudly proclaimed

amein.

Key Words – lit for illumination, derive benefit, berachah vs. amein

1. Kiddush hayom or the berachah on wine

The Gemara resolves a seeming contradiction in Beis Shammai.

In the Mishna on 51b, Beis Shammai holds that the beracha on kedushas hayom (sanctity of the

day) precedes the berachah on the wine because it is the sanctity of the day which is cause for

the wine to be brought to the meal.

Yet in a Beraisa on 52a, Beis Shammai holds that the berachah on the wine precedes the

berachah of Havdalah, which addresses the nature of the day.

The Gemara answers that according to Beis Shammai there is no contradiction.

When it comes to bringing in Shabbos, the more we advance it, the better, therefore the

berachah on the day comes first.

When it comes to ending the Shabbos day, the more we more we delay it, the better, therefore

the berachah of Havdalah comes after the berachah on the wine.

2. What a tamei liquid does to a utensil

A tamei liquid that touches the outside of the keli (utensil) renders the outside tamei but the

inside, rim, and handle is tahor. But if the tamei liquid touches the inside of the keli (utensil) then

the whole keli becomes tamei.

3. Why Beis Hillel holds it better to put wet napkin on a cushion

There is no requirement of washing the hands for chullin (non-consecrated food) from the Torah

since the hands are not considered a separate entity from the body and cannot contract tumah

from a rishon. It is only a Rabbinic law that they are treated separately and considered a sheni to

require someone to wash and remove the tumah before eating bread.

This explains why Beis Hillel holds that it is of greater concern that the liquid in a wet napkin will

lead to food becoming tamei when placed on a table, than the liquid in the wet napkin leading to

hands becoming tamei when placed on a cushion.

Siman - Newbie

The newbie to Yiddishkeit had finally gotten down the order of berachos for Kiddush and

Havdallah when he was introduced to the metaphysics of tamei liquids touching utensils and wet

napkins touching his hands.

Key Words – kedushas hayom, tamei liquids, wet napkins

1. Forgot to make a berachah

If one forgot to make a berachah before he ate, he should make one when he remembers and continue eating. If he has finished eating, he no longer has the opportunity to make a berachah. 

 

2. Ten requirements for the כוס של ברכה

The Gemara lists ten requirements of the כוס של ברכה (the cup of blessing):

It must be washed on the inside – הדחה

and rinsed on the outside – שטיפה

It must be fresh – חי

and full – מלא

It must be crowned – עיטור

Opinion 1 – the one who recites Birkas Hamazon should surround himself with students while doing it

Opinion 2 – the cup must be surrounded with other cups of wine (done during second cup of wine)

The one who recites Birkas Hamazon should cover himself with a cloak while sitting, or spread a scarf over his head – עיטוף

It should be taken with both hands – נוטלו בשבתי ידיו

and then placed in the right hand – ונותנו בימין

It should be raised a tefach off the ground – מגביהו מן הקרקע טפח

One should concentrates his eyes on it while reciting Birkas Hamazon - נותן עיניו בו

 

3. The מלאך המות teaches three things

The מלאך המות (Angel of Death) told R’ Yehoshua ben Levi three things:

Do not take your shirt in the morning from the hand of the butler.

Do not have your hands washed by someone who has not washed his own hands.

Do not stand in front of women when they are returning from a funeral, because the Angel of Death dances before them with his sword in hand and has permission to harm those he meets.

Siman – Gnawing beaver which connects to beaver pelt hat.

The eccentric who insisted on donning his beaver pelt hat when holding up his freshly rinsed כוס של ברכה got such a fright when he saw the מלאך המות standing by his butler who was holding his shirt, that he started drinking the wine without making a berachah.

Key words – forgot beracha,  ten כוס של ברכה, מלאך המות

1. Talmid chacham or ignoramus making berachos

The Gemara teaches that we can tell whether a person is a talmid chacham or an ignoramus from the

way he makes berachos.

• If he does any of the following, he is considered an ignoramus:

• Instead of saying חיינו ובטובו) and through Whose goodness we live), he says חיינו ומטובו) and from

Whose goodness we live), which minimizes Hashem’s bestowal of goodness.

• He says חיים ובטובו...) and through Whose goodness they live), since he is excluding himself.

• Instead of saying משלו שאכלנו נברך) Let us bless [He] of Whose we have eaten) he says שאכלנו למי

משלו) to the One of Whose we have eaten), since it implies that he is blessing one of many

possible providers.

• Instead of saying משלו שאכלנו ברוך) Blessed is [He] of Whose we have eaten) he says המזון על

שאכלנו...) for the food we have eaten) since it appears as if he is blessing the food and not its

Provider.

2. One bentched without making a zimun

If a group of three ate bread together and one of them recited Birkas Hamazon on his own without a

zimun, he may join the other two in a zimun so they can fulfill their obligation, but he does not fulfill

his own obligation, because there is no such thing as a retroactive zimun (למפרע זימון.(

3. One forgot to make a berachah

If one mistakenly put food in his mouth without reciting a berachah:

• If it’s a liquid, he should swallow it.

• If it’s a food that won’t be made repulsive by being spit out, he should spit it out, make the

berachah and then eat it.

• If spitting it out would make the food repulsive, he should shift it to the side of his mouth, make

the berachah and then eat it.

Siman – Nincompoop

The nincompoop who always forgot to make berachos and join in a zimun, was declared a total

ignoramus when the Rabbi overheard all the textual changes he made in his bentching.

Key words – ignoramus, forgot zimun & berachah

1. Don’t conclude berachah with two subjects

The Gemara explains that we don’t conclude a berachah with two subjects because we don’t perform

.אין עושין מצות חבילות חבילות – bundles in mitzvos

For example, we don’t conclude the berachah of Birkas Hamazon with ירושלים בונה) Builder of

Yerushalayim) and ישראל מושיע) Savior of Israel).

2. Forgetting ויבא יעלה of Rosh Chodesh in tefillah and birkas hamazon

Rav Nachman explains logically why when one forgets to say ויבא יעלה in his Rosh Chodesh tefillah

he must repeat it, but when he forgets to say it in Rosh Chodesh bentching, he doesn’t repeat it:

• Tefillah is obligatory, so it must be repeated with the proper mentioning of Rosh Chodesh.

• Eating bread on Rosh Chodesh is not obligatory, so there is no need to repeat bentching if יעלה

ויבא was forgotten.

3. Minimum amount of bread to be obligated in joining a zimun

The Gemara explains the machlokes between R’ Meir and R’ Yehudah regarding the minimum

amount of bread one must eat to be obligated in joining a zimun.

• R’ Meir says it’s a כזית ,because he interprets ואכלתas referring to אכילה and ושבעתas referring

to שתיה ,and the minimum shiur for אכילהis a כזית .

• R’ Yehudah says it’s a כביצה ,because he interprets the words ושבעת ואכלתtogether as referring

to שביעה בה שיש אכילה) the eating of an amount that satiates), which is a כביצה .

Siman – Meat/Butcher

The extremely generous butcher sent bundles and bundles of mitzvah meat and כביצים of bread for the

זימוןat the Yeshiva’s Rosh Chodesh party because they never forget to say ויבא יעלה in the bentching.

1. Minimum number of bread-eaters in a zimun

There is a machlokes regarding how many of the men in a ten-man zimun are required to have

eaten bread:

- R’ Yirmiyah says a simple majority of six.

- R’ Zeira regretted that he did not inquire about the case of six and was concerned that

possibly a more noticeable majority of seven was required.

The Gemara brings the halachah that one who ate vegetables or wine can join in a zimun of ten

(assuming there were seven who ate bread) but cannot lead the zimun unless he ate a kezayis of

food produced from grain.

2. Who wrote various berachos in Birkas Hamazon

The Gemara details how the text of Birkas Hamazon was formulated:

- Moshe composed the berachah of Hazan at the time the manna fell.

- Yehoshua composed the berachah for Eretz Yisrael when they entered the land.

- David and Shlomo composed Boneih Yerushalayim.

David, who conquered Yerushalayim, composed the segment, “Have mercy, please, Hashem our

G-d, on Israel Your people and on Yerushalayim your city.”

Shlomo, who built the Beis Hamikdash, composed the segment, “and on the great and holy

House.”

- The Sages of Yavneh composed Hatov VeHameitiv on the day the slain Jews of Betar were

finally allowed to be buried.

Hatov (Who is good) refers to the miracle that the bodies did not decay.

VeHameitiv (and Who bestows good) refers to the kindness that the bodies were allowed to be

buried.

3. The source for the various berachos in Birkas Hamazon

A Baraisa breaks out the Torah verse (Devarim 8:10) that serves as the source for the blessings in

Birkas Hamazon:

- Hazan – וברכת ושבעת ואכלת –And you will eat, be satisfied and bless

- Hazimun – אלקיך' ה את –Hashem your G-d

- Haaretz – הארץ על –on the land

- Boneih Yerushalayim – הטובה – the good [land]

- Hatov VeHameitiv – לך נתן אשר –which I have given you

Siman – Brainiacs

The seven brainiacs would only let three non-bread eaters join their zimun if they could match the

right author to each berachah of Birkas Hamazon, as well as identify the source of each berachah.

Key words – bread-eaters majority, Birkas Hamazon authors, sources

1. Replying amein is part of the berachah procedure

After reciting hamotzi, the one who made the berachah is not permitted to break the bread until

the listeners finish saying amein. (The Gemara had earlier taught that the berachah must be

finished before the bread is broken; here it teaches that replying amein is considered part of the

berachah procedure [Rashi]).

2. Incorrect ways to say Amein

A Baraisa lists the incorrect ways to respond amein, with Ben Azzai warning of the consequences

for doing so:

a. חטופה אמן – Amein Chatufah (snatched): The aleph is pronounced with a sheva instead of a

kamatz gadol. One who does this will have his days snatched away.

b. קטופה אמן – Amein Ketufah (abbreviated): The nun at the end is not enunciated clearly, so

that it sounds like “Amei.” One who does this will have his days abbreviated.

c. יתומה אמן – An orphaned amein: One says amein without hearing the berachah. Doing this

will cause one’s children to be orphaned.

d. מפיו ברכה יזרוק לא – One should not throw the blessing from his mouth, i.e. not say it hastily.

- Ben Azzai concludes that whoever is lengthy with his amein (meaning he pronounces it

properly) will merit length of days and years.

3. Who is considered an am haaretz?

A Baraisa lists a number of opinions regarding who is considered an am haaretz:

- R’ Eliezer – Anyone who does not recite Shema in the morning and evening.

- R’ Yehoshua – Anyone who does not put on tefillin.

- Ben Azzai – Anyone who does not wear tzitzis.

- R’ Nassan – Anyone who does not have a mezuzah on his door’s entrance.

- R’ Nassan bar Yosef – Anyone who has sons and does not raise them to learn Torah.

- Others – One who did not engage in group discussions to discern the underlying reasons and

applications of the Chumash and Mishnah (Rashi).

Siman – Maze

The only way for the contestants to escape the maze while being chased by a group of non-tzitzis

wearing amei haaretz, was for everybody to finish pronouncing a proper amein and then break bread.

1. Who breaks bread and who leads the bentching?

R’ Yochanan says in the name of R’ Shimon bar Yochai that the baal habayis breaks the bread

and a guest leads Birkas Hamazon.

- The reason the baal habayis is the one to break the bread is because he will be generous

and cut larger pieces, which a guest would not be comfortable doing.

- The reason a guest leads the zimun is to enable him to bless the host by saying the Yehi

Ratzon paragraph toward the end of bentching.

The Yehi Ratzon includes the following requests:

a. That the host not be embarrassed in either this world or the next.

b. That he be successful with all his property.

c. That host and guests never have thoughts of sin.

2. How far does the berachah of the zimun extend?

There is a machlokes regarding how far the berachah of the zimun extends:

- Rav Nachman says it extends up to and including the leader’s response of נברך.

- Rav Sheishess says it includes the first berachah of הזן .According to Rashi, Rav

Sheishess holds that the first berachah of Birkas Hamazon proper is

הארץ) .Tosafos and other Rishonim interpret Rav Sheishess differently).

דרבנן a is הטוב והמטיב .3

The Gemara brings different proofs that the blessing ומטיב הטוב is not Biblical:

- Rav Yosef sees it from the halachah that laborers may delete it.

- Rav Yitzchak bar Shmuel in the name of Rav derives it from the fact that it is next to

the beracha ירושלים בונה ,yet it still begins with the word “ברוך “.Were it

Biblical, it wouldn’t require “ברוך “,since it would be considered a סמוכה ברכה

.לחברתה

- Rav Nachman derives it from the halachah that it is not recited in the house of a

mourner.

Siman - Cows

Farmer Brown’s cow themed bentcher guided the one leading the Zimun to go up until the end of

HaZan, a reminder to bless Farmer Brown to have lots of prize winning cattle (after all he did give big

pieces of bread out at the beginning of the meal), and instructions for his farmhands to skip HaTov

VeHaMativ and get back to the fields.