Siyyum Bekhorim 5780 Massekhet Brakhot Rabbi Michael Safra Their Humor Was Not Our Humor 1. Brakhot 56a-b קָ ם גְּלִי לְבֵי רוֹמָאֵ י. אֲזַל יְתֵ יב אַפִּתְחָא He arose and exiled himself to the seat of the Roman government. He דְּ רֵ י שׁ ט וּ רְ ִ ז י ָנ א ְדּ מַלְכָּא. רֵ ישׁ טוּרְ זִינָא went and sat by the entrance, where the keeper of the king’s חֲזָא חֶלְמָ א. אֲמַ ר לֵיהּ: חֲזַאי חֶלְמָ א wardrobe stood. The wardrobe guard dreamed a dream. He said to bar דְּ ﬠָ יֵ י ל מַ חְ טָ א בְּ אֶ צְ בַּ ﬠְ תִּ י . אֲ מַ ר לֵ י הּ : הַ ב Haddaya: I saw in the dream that a needle pierced my finger. Bar לִ י זוּזָא, וְ לָ א יְהַ ב לֵ יהּ. לָ א אֲ מַ ר לֵ יהּ וְ לָ א Haddaya said to him: Give me a zuz. He did not give him the coin so bar מִ י דֵּ י . .Haddaya said nothing to him אֲמַ ר לֵיהּ: חֲזַאי דִּ נְפַ ל תִּ כְ לָא בְּתַרְ תֵּ ין Again, the guard said to him: I saw a worm that fell between my two אֶצְבְּﬠָתִ י. אֲמַ ר לֵיהּ: הַ ב לִי זוּזָא, וְלָא יְהַב fingers, eating them. Bar Haddaya said to him: Give me a zuz. He did לֵ יהּ, וְ לָ א אֲ מַ ר לֵ יהּ. .not give him the coin, so bar Haddaya said nothing to him אֲמַ ר לֵיהּ: חֲזַאי דִּ נְפַ ל תִּ כְ לָא בְּ כוּלַּהּ יְדָ א. Again, the guard said to him: I saw that a worm fell upon my entire אֲמַ ר לֵיהּ: נְפַ ל תִּ כְ לָא בְּ כוּלְּהוּ שִׁ ירָאֵ י. hand, eating it. Bar Haddaya said to him: A worm fell upon and ate all שָׁמְﬠִ י בֵּי מַלְכָּא, וְאַתְ יוּהּ לְרֵ ישׁ טוּרְ זִינָא the silk garments. They heard of this in the king’s palace and they קָ א קָ טְ לִ י לֵיהּ. אָמַ ר לְהוּ: אֲנָא אַמַּ אי? brought the wardrobe keeper and were in the process of executing אַ יְיתוֹ לְהַ אי דַּ הֲוָה יָדַ ע וְלָא אֲמַ ר. him. He said to them: Why me? Bring the one who knew and did not אַ יְ י ת וּ ה וּ בַּ ר הֶ דְ יָ א , אָ מְ רִ י לֵ י הּ : אַ מַּ טּ וּ say the information that he knew. They brought bar Haddaya and said זוּזָא דִ ידָ � חֲרַ בוּ שִׁ ירָאֵ י דְּ מַלְכָּא! כְּפִ יתוּ .to him: Because of your zuz, ruin came upon the king’s silk garments תְּרֵ ין אַרְ זֵי בְּחַבְ לָא, אֲסוּר חַ ד כְּרָﬠֵיהּ לְחַ ד They tied two cedar trees together with a rope, and tied one of his legs אַ רְ ָ ז א ְ ו חַ ד כְּרָﬠֵיהּ לְחַ ד אַרְ זָא, וּשְׁ רוֹ to one cedar and one of his legs to the other cedar, and they released לְחַבְ לָא ﬠַ ד דְּאִצְטְ לִיק רֵישֵׁ יהּ. אֲזַל כׇּל חַ ד the rope until his head split open. Each tree went back and stood in its וְחַ ד וְקָ ם אַ דּוּכְתֵּ יהּ וְאִצְטְ לִיק וּנְפַל .place and bar Haddaya split and fell completely split in two בִּ תְ רֵ י ן. 2. Brakhot 58a רַ ב שֵׁ שֶׁ ת סַ גִּ י נְ הוֹר הֲוָה. הֲווֹ קָאָזְלִ י כּ וּ ֵ לּ י The Gemara relates: Rav Sheshet was blind. Everyone was going to ﬠָלְמָ א לְקַ בּוֹלֵי אַפֵּ י מַלְכָּא, וְקָ ם אֲזַל greet the king and Rav Sheshet stood up and went along with בַּהֲדַ יְיהוּ רַ ב שֵׁשֶׁ ת. אַשְׁ כְּחֵ יהּ הָ הוּא מִ ינָא, them. This heretic found him there and said to him: The intact jugs אֲמַ ר לֵיהּ: חַצְבֵי לְנַהְרָ א, כַּגְנֵי לְיָיא? אֲמַ ר go to the river, where do the broken jugs go? Why is a blind person לֵיהּ: תָּ א חֲזִי דְּ יָדַﬠְ נָא טְפֵ י מִ ינָּ�. חֲלַף going to see the king? Rav Sheshet said to him: Come see that I גּ וּ נְ דָּ א קַ מַּ יְ י תָ א . כִּ י קָ א אָ וְ ו שָׁ א , אֲ מַ ר לֵ י הּ know more than you do. The first troop passed, and when the הָ הוּא מִ ינָא: אֲתָ א מַלְכָּא. אֲמַ ר לֵיהּ רַ ב noise grew louder, this heretic said to him: The king is coming. Rav שֵׁשֶׁ ת: לָא קָאָתֵ י. חֲלַף גּוּנְדָּ א תִּ נְיָינָא. כִּי Sheshet said to him: The king is not coming. The second troop קָ א אָ וְושָׁ א, אֲמַ ר לֵיהּ הָ הוּא מִ ינָא: הַשְׁ תָּ א :passed, and when the noise grew louder, this heretic said to him 1 קָ א אָתֵ י מַלְכָּא. אֲמַ ר לֵיהּ רַ ב שֵׁשֶׁ ת: לָא Now the king is coming. Rav Sheshet said to him: The king is not קָ א אָתֵ י מַלְכָּא. חָ לֵיף תְּ לִ י תַ א י . כִּ י קָ א coming. The third troop passed, and when there was silence, Rav שָׁתְקָ א, אֲמַ ר לֵיהּ רַב שֵׁשֶׁ ת: וַדַּ אי הַשְׁ תָּא .Sheshet said to him: Certainly now the king is coming אָ תֵ י מַ לְ כָּ א . This heretic said to him: How do you know this? Rav Sheshet said אֲמַ ר לֵיהּ הָ הוּא מִ ינָא: מְ נָא לָ� הָ א? אֲמַר to him: Royalty on earth is like royalty in the heavens, as it is לֵיהּ: דְּ מַלְכוּתָ א דְ אַרְ ﬠָא כְּﬠֵין מַלְ כוּתָא written: “And He said: Go forth, and stand upon the mount before דִ רְ קִ יﬠָא, דִּ כְתִ יב: ״צֵא וְﬠָמַדְ תָּ בָהָר לִפְ נֵי the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong ה׳ וְהִ נֵּה ה׳ עֹבֵ ר וְרוּחַ גְּ דוֹלָה וְחָ זָק מְפָרֵק wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the הָרִ ים וּמְשַׁבֵּ ר סְ לָﬠִ ים לִפְ נֵי ה׳ לֹא בָרוּחַ ה׳ Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an וְאַחַ ר הָ רוּחַ רַﬠַ שׁ לֹא בָרַﬠַ שׁ ה׳. וְאַחַר earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the הָ רַ ﬠַ שׁ אֵ שׁ ל ֹא בָ אֵ שׁ ה ׳ וְ אַ חַ ר הָ אֵ שׁ ק וֹ ל earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the דְּ מָ מָ ה דַ קָּ ה . ״ .(fire a still small voice” (I Kings 19 כִּ י אֲתָ א מַלְכָּא, פָּתַ ח רַ ב שֵׁשֶׁ ת וְקָ א מְ בָ רֵ � When the king came, Rav Sheshet began to bless him. The heretic לֵיהּ. אֲמַ ר לֵיהּ הָ הוּא מִ ינָא: לְמַ אן דְּ לָא mockingly said to him: Do you bless someone you do not see? The חָ זֵית לֵיהּ קָ א מְ בָרְ כַתְּ ? וּמַ אי הֲוִי ﬠֲלֵיהּ Gemara asks: And what ultimately happened to this heretic? Some דְּ הָ הוּא מִ ינָא? אִ יכָּא דְּ אָמְרִ י: חַבְ רוֹהִי say that his friends gouged out his eyes, and some say that Rav כַּחְ לִינְהוּ לְﬠֵינֵיהּ, וְאִ יכָּא דְּ אָמְרִ י: רַ ב שֵׁשֶׁת Sheshet fixed his gaze upon him, and the heretic became a pile of נָתַ ן ﬠֵ ינָיו בּוֹ, וְנַﬠֲשָׂ ה גַּל שֶׁ ל ֲ ﬠ ָ צ מ וֹ ת . .bones A Passover Connection 3. Brakhot 9b ״אֶהְ יֶה אֲשֶׁ ר אֶהְ יֶה״, אָמַ ר לוֹ הַקָּ דוֹשׁ God said to Moses: ‘I will be that I will be.’ (Exodus 3:14). The Holy One“ בָּ רוּ� הוּא לְמֹשֶׁ ה, לֵ� אֱמוֹר לָהֶם told Moses to go and tell Israel: I was with you in this enslavement, and לְ יִ שְׂ רָ אֵ ל : אֲ נִ י הָ ִ י י תִ י ﬠִ מָּ כֶ ם בְּ שִׁ ﬠְ בּ וּ ד in this redemption, and I will be with you in the enslavement of the זֶה, וַאֲנִי אֶהְ יֶה ﬠִמָּכֶם בְּשִׁﬠְ בּוּד .kingdoms in the future מַ לְ ֻכ י וֹ ת . Moses said before Him: Master of the Universe, it is enough for them to אָמַ ר לְפָ נָיו: רִ בּוֹנוֹ שֶׁ ל עוֹלָם, דַּ יָּה לַצָּרָה .endure this. Let the future suffering be endured at its appointed time בִּשְׁ ﬠָתָ הּ. אָמַ ר לוֹ הַקָּ דוֹשׁ בָּ רוּ� הוּא: There is no need to mention their future enslavement. The Holy One said לֵ� אֱמוֹר לָהֶ ם ״אֶהְ יֶה שְׁ לָחַ נִי אֲלֵיכֶם״. to him: Go and tell the children of Israel only that, “I will be has sent me to you.” Rules Are Determined By Scripture, Experience, and Consensus 4. Brakhot 32b-33a אֲפִ ילּוּ הַמֶּ לֶ� שׁוֹאֵ ל בִּשְׁ לוֹמוֹ לֹא יְשִׁ יבֶנּוּ . We learned in the mishna: Even if the king greets him while he is praying, he should not respond to him. 2 אָ מַ ר רַ ב י וֹ סֵ ף , ל ֹא שָׁ נ וּ אֶ לָּ א לְ מַ לְ כֵ י Rav Yosef said: They only taught this mishna with regard to kings of יִשְׂ רָ אֵל, אֲבָל לְמַלְכֵי אוּמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם — Israel. However, with regard to kings of the nations of the world, he פּ וֹ סֵ ק. .interrupts his prayer and responds מֵ י תִ י בִ י : הַ מִּ תְ פַּ לֵּ ל וְ רָ אָ ה אַ ָנּ ס בָּ א כְּ נֶ גְ דּ וֹ , The Gemara raised an objection to Rav Yosef’s statement: One who is רָאָ ה קָ רוֹן בָּא כְּ נֶגְ דּוֹ — ל ֹא יְ הֵ א מַ פְ סִ י ק , ,praying and saw a violent person, feared by all, coming toward him אֶ לָּ א מְ קַ צֵּ ר וְעוֹלֶ ה ! or a carriage coming toward him and he is in the way, he should not stop his prayer but rather abridge it and move out of the way.