Talmud zu Tehillim 145:78

Rebbi Zeïra and Rebbi Yehudah¹²Since he is mentioned after Rebbi Zeïra, he must be Rebbi Yehudah Neśia, Patriarch and grandson of Rebbi. in the name of Rav¹³In the Babli (40b), Rav is reported to have said that no benediction is valid without mention of the Name (YHWH), and Rebbi Yoḥanan notes that, in addition, the Kingdom must be mentioned. [The formula for the Kingdom: “our God, King of the Universe,” probably was introduced to counter Christian ideas that God’s kingdom is not of this world.] In addition, Abbaye notes in the Babli that Rav will not require R. Yoḥanan’s addition. The formulation of the Yerushalmi shows that in Galilee, they interpreted the statement of Rav that one is required to say “You” to mean that one has to say “You, o Eternal,” since in adressing somebody in the second person one must specify the adressee. Hence, the statement of R. Yoḥanan in the Babli was meant as clarification of Rav’s statement, not a new requirement; it does not have to be mentioned since Rebbi Yoḥanan would disclaim any originality. Only in Babylonia they adopted a narrow interpretation of Rav’s words. [In practice, reference to the Kingdom is required only for benedictions that either stand alone or start a series of benedictions.]: Any benediction without mention of the Kingdom is no benediction. Rebbi Tanḥuma said, I shall give the reason (Ps. 145:1): “I shall elevate You, my God, o King!” Rav said, one has to say “You,” but Samuel said, one does not have to say “You¹⁴A practical reminder of Samuel’s opinion is the formula of Grace for people who are too ignorant to pray in Hebrew: “Praised be the All-merciful, Owner of this bread.”.”

⁵⁶The legend of Aḥer is also found in Ruth rabba 6(6), Eccl. rabba 7(18); partially Babli 15a/b. Note that Aḥer’s birth is dated both to Jerusalem before the first war against the Roman as also to the ascendancy of RR. Eliezer and Joshua after the death of Rabban Joḥanan ben Zakkai about 80CE. His apostasy is dated to the Hadrianic persecutions after 130, and his unmarried daughters appear before Rebbi not before 180. Rebbi Meïr was sitting and preaching in the House of Study of Tiberias when his teacher Elisha passed by riding on a horse on the Sabbath. They came and told him, your teacher is outside. He stopped his sermon and went out to him. He asked him, what did you preach today? He told him, and the Eternal blessed the end⁵⁷Job 42:12. etc. He asked him, what did you explain about this? He answered him, and the Eternal added double all that Job had owned⁵⁸Job 42:10.; that he doubled his money. He said, woe for those who are lost and not found, your teacher Aqiba did not preach this but, the Eternal blessed the end of Job from his beginning, by the merit of commandments and good works which were in his hand from his beginning. He asked him, and what did you preach further? He told him, the end of a matter is better than the beginning⁵⁹Eccl. 7:8.. He asked him, what did you explain about this? For example, a man who had children in his youth but they died, and in his old age they lived; that is the end of a matter is better than the beginning. For example, a man who traded in his youth and lost, and in his old age and gained; that is the end of a matter is better than the beginning. For example, a man who studied Torah in his youth and forgot, in his old age he remembered; that is the end of a matter is better than the beginning. He said, woe for those who are lost and not found, your teacher Aqiba did not preach this but, the end of a matter is good from the beginning, in case it is good from the start, and this applies to me. My father Abuya was one of the leading Jerusalemites. On the day he came to circumcise me he invited all the leading Jerusalemites and sat them in one room, and Rebbi Eliezer and Rebbi Joshua in another room⁶⁰Cf. Note 56.. After they ate and drank they started to clap with their hands and dance. Rebbi Eliezer and Rebbi Joshua said, while they are occupied in theirs let us be occupied with ours. They sat occupied with words of the Torah, from the Torah to Prophets, from Prophets to Hagiographs. Fire descended from Heaven and surrounded them. Abuya told them, my teachers! Why do you come to burn down my house? They told him, Heaven forbid! But we were sitting reviewing the words of the Torah, from the Torah to Prophets, from Prophets to Hagiographs, and the words were joyful as at their giving on Sinai. And was the main giving on Sinai not in fire? And the Mountain burns in the fire up to the heart of Heaven⁶¹Deut. 4:11.. My father Abuya told them, my teachers! If that is the power of Torah, if this son of mine survives I dedicate him to Torah. Because his intent was not for Heaven, it did not succeed with this man. He asked him, and what did you preach further? He told him, it cannot be valued by gold or glass⁶²Job 28:17.. He asked him, what did you explain about this? He told him, the words of the Torah are as difficult to acquire as golden vessels, and as easy to lose as glass vessels. And like golden and glass vessels when they are broken he can make them vessels as before, also the student of the Sages who forgot his learning can learn it anew. He said to him, this is enough, Meïr, up to here is the Sabbath domain. He asked him, how do you know? He told him, from the horse’s hooves which I continuously counted for 2’000 cubits. He said to him, all that wisdom is in you and you do not repent? He told him, I cannot. He asked him, why? He told him, once I was passing by the Holiest of Holies riding on a horse on the Day of Atonement which fell on a Sabbath and I heard an unembodied voice coming from the Holiest of Holies, saying, return, erring children⁶³Jer. 3:14,22., except for Elisha ben Abuya who knew My power and rebelled against Me. And all that came to him because he was sitting memorizing in the valley of Genezareth and saw a man climbing to the top of a date palm taking the mother with the chicks and descending safely. The next day he saw another man climbing to the top of a date palm, taking the chicks and sending away the mother. When climbing down he was bitten by a snake, and he died. He said, it is written⁶⁴Deut. 22:7., sending away you shall send the mother, but the chicks you may take for yourself, so it will be good for you and prolong your days. Where is the good for this one? Where is the prolongation of days of this one? He did not know that Rebbi Jacob had explained it preceding him⁶⁵Tosephta Ḥulin 10:16., so it will be good for you in the future world which is all good, and prolong your days, in the future which is all long. But some are saying, because he saw the tongue of Rebbi Jehudah the baker in the mouth of a dog, oozing blood. He said, is this the Torah and this is its reward? This is the tongue which was delivering the words of the Torah correctly; this is the tongue which occupied itself with Torah all its days; [is this the Torah and this is its reward?] It appears that there is no reward and no resurrection of the dead. But some are saying, when his mother was pregnant with him she passed by pagan temples and smelled of this kind. And this smell was bubbling in her body like the poison of a viper. Later Elisha fell sick. They came and informed Rebbi Meïr, your teacher is sick. He went to visit him and found him sick. He asked him, are you not repenting? He asked, and if one repents, is one accepted? He told him, is it not written, man shall repent up to extinction⁶⁶Ps. 90:3., one receives up to the extinction of the breath. At that moment Elisha cried, passed away, and died. Rebbi Meïr was happy internally and said, it seems that my teacher passed away repentant. After they buried him, fire descended from Heaven and burned his grave. They came and informed Rebbi Meïr, your teacher’s grave is on fire. He went to visit it and found it burning. What did he do? He took his kaftan and spread it over it. He said, stay for the night⁶⁷Ruth 3:13., etc. Stay for this world which compares to the night, and it will be in the morning, this is the Future World which is all morning, if the Good One will redeem, this is the Holy One, praise to Him, who is Good, as it is written⁶⁸Ps. 145:9., the Eternal is good to all, and His mercies are on all His creatures. And if He does not want to redeem you I shall redeem you, living is the Eternal⁶⁷Ruth 3:13., and it was extinguished. They asked Rebbi Meïr, if they ask you in that World, whom do you want to visit, your father or your teacher? He told them, I shall visit my teacher first and afterwards my father. They said, will they listen to you? He told them, did we not state⁶⁹Mishnah Šabbat 16:2., “one saves the case of a scroll with the scroll, and the case of phylacteries with the phylacteries”? One saves Elisha Aher by the merit of his Torah. Later his daughters went to take charity from Rebbi. Rebbi decided and said, nobody shall show him grace nor be friendly to his orphans⁷⁰Ps. 109:12.. They told him, Rebbi. Do not look at his deeds, do look at his Torah. At this moment Rebbi cried and decided for them that they be provided for⁷¹This usually means to be given a dowry for a decent marriage.. He said, if this one who toiled in Torah not for Heaven’s sake, see what he produced⁷²He raised a good Jewish family.; one who toils in the Torah for itself not so much more?

They said about Rebbi Ḥanina ben Dosa⁵⁸Tanna of the first generation, from lower Galilee, companion of Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai. He is the perfectly holy man who never committed a single sin. All his traditions are about ethical maxims. A text close to the present one [without the Aramaic insert] appears in Tosephta Berakhot 3:30; a very different version is in Babli 33a. that he was standing in prayer when a brightly dotted snake⁵⁹In Biblical Hebrew, חברברוֹת are the spots of a leopard. The root חבר “to shine” appears once more in the Bible (Job 16:4); in Arabic the parallel root is חבר “to be richly ornamented” [distinguished from Hebrew חבר, Arabic ח̇בר, “to be joined”.] The word could also denote a brightly striped snake. The more brightly a snake is colored, the more poisonous it is. came and bit him. He did not interrupt his prayer. The went and found that dotted snake lying dead at the entrance of its hole. They said, woe to the human who is bitten by a dotted snake, but woe to the dotted snake that bites Rebbi Ḥanina ben Dosa. [What is the nature of that dotted snake? If it bites a human and the human reaches water first, the dotted snake dies, but if the dotted snake reaches water first, the human dies.] His students asked him: Rabbi, did you not notice? He said to them: There should happen to me these things⁶⁰A formula of affirmation, taking the place of an oath.; I was concentrating on my prayer and did not notice! Rebbi Isaac ben Eleazar⁶¹This Amoraic addition belongs to the explanation given in the insert and is not part of the baraita tradition. said, the Holy One, praise to Him, created a well under his foot soles, to confirm what has been said (Ps. 145: 19): “He will do the will of those who fear Him, He will hear their entreaties and save them.”

Rebbi dwelt in Sepphoris seventeen years and applied to himself (Gen. 47:28): “Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years,” Jehudah lived in Sepphoris seventeen years. Of these he suffered from toothache for thirteen years. {Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun said, all these thirteen years no woman lying-in died in the Land of Israel and no pregnant woman had a miscarriage in the Land of Israel.} Why did he have a toothache? Once he saw a calf to be slaughtered when it bellowed and said to him, Rebbi, save me! He said to it, for that you were created. At the end, how was he healed? He saw them killing a burrow of rats. He said to them, let them live, it is written (Ps. 145:9) “His mercy extends to all His creatures.”

Rebbi dwelt in Sepphoris seventeen years and applied to himself (Gen. 47:28): “Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years,” Jehudah lived in Sepphoris seventeen years. Of these he suffered from toothache for thirteen years. {Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun said, all these thirteen years no woman lying-in died in the Land of Israel and no pregnant woman had a miscarriage in the Land of Israel.} Why did he have a toothache⁹¹Parallel in Babli Baba Meẓi‘a 85a. There, the calf ran to hide itself in Rebbi’s garment but did not talk to Rebbi. In the parallel Gen.rabba 33(3), the calf is said to have been bellowing “as if to say, save me!”? Once he saw a calf to be slaughtered when it bellowed and said to him, Rebbi, save me! He said to it, for that you were created. At the end, how was he healed? He saw them killing a burrow of rats. He said to them, let them live, it is written (Ps. 145:9) “His mercy extends to all His creatures.”

When R. Ḥanina b. Teradion was arrested⁴²So GRA and H; V has ‘entered’. on the charge of heresy,⁴³His heresy consisted in occupying himself with the Torah when it was forbidden by the Romans. Cf. ‘A.Z. 17b (Sonc. ed., p. 90), Sifrë, §307. [the Romans] sentenced him to be burnt, his wife to be executed and his daughter to be consigned to a brothel. He asked, ‘What have they decreed against that poor woman?’ They replied, ‘She is to be executed’. Thereupon he recited of her the verse, The Lord is righteous in all his ways.⁴⁴Ps. 145, 17. She asked, ‘What have they decreed against the Rabbi?’ They replied, ‘He is to be burnt’. Thereupon she recited of him the verse, Great in counsel, and mighty in work.⁴⁵Jer. 32, 19.
When they burnt him, they wrapped him in a scroll of the Torah and burnt him. His daughter wept, wailed and threw herself before him. Whereupon he exclaimed, ‘My daughter, if for me you weep, if for me you throw yourself down, it were better that a fire which [a man] has fanned should consume me and not one which [a man] has not fanned;⁴⁶i.e. the fires of Gehinnom. as it is stated, A fire not blown by man shall consume him.⁴⁷Job 20, 26. If, however, you threw yourself down because of the scroll of the Torah, behold, the letters are flying upwards and only parchment is being consumed. For even great servants of the king are punished by inferior servants, [as it is stated,] Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of My mouth’.⁴⁸Hos. 6, 5. The prophets, the servants of God, endeavoured to hew Israel into shape but the people ill-treated them.

The mafṭir recites also the parts of the Shema‘.¹⁸This is explained below. The recitation of the Shema‘ is deemed to be a great honour which compensates for the lesser dignity conferred by the reading of the hafṭarah. Of what Shema‘ has this been said?¹⁹The Shema‘ is recited several times during the service. Of the one [recited when] the scroll of the Torah [is taken from the ark].²⁰Cf. the next Rule. How does one begin?²¹The collection of Biblical verses recited when the Torah scroll is taken from the ark. Happy are they that dwell in Thy house.²²Ps. 84, 5. Then the mafṭir stands and recites, There is none like unto Thee among the gods, O Lord; and there are no works like Thine.²³ibid. LXXXVI, 8. Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the mighty? Who is like unto Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?²⁴Ex. 15, 11. Thy kingdom is a kingdom for all ages, and Thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.²⁵Ps. 145, 13. The Lord is King, the Lord hath reigned, the Lord shall reign for ever and ever.²⁶Compounded from Ps. 10, 16, XCIII, 1 (E.V. reigneth) and Ex. 15, 18. The Lord was pleased, for His righteousness’ sake, to make the teaching great and glorious.²⁷Isa. 42, 21. The Lord will give strength unto His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.²⁸Ps. 29, 11. Thou art the Lord, even Thou alone; Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things that are therein, the seas and all that is in them and Thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth Thee.²⁹Neh. 9, 6.

The mafṭir recites also the parts of the Shema‘.¹⁸This is explained below. The recitation of the Shema‘ is deemed to be a great honour which compensates for the lesser dignity conferred by the reading of the hafṭarah. Of what Shema‘ has this been said?¹⁹The Shema‘ is recited several times during the service. Of the one [recited when] the scroll of the Torah [is taken from the ark].²⁰Cf. the next Rule. How does one begin?²¹The collection of Biblical verses recited when the Torah scroll is taken from the ark. Happy are they that dwell in Thy house.²²Ps. 84, 5. Then the mafṭir stands and recites, There is none like unto Thee among the gods, O Lord; and there are no works like Thine.²³ibid. LXXXVI, 8. Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the mighty? Who is like unto Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?²⁴Ex. 15, 11. Thy kingdom is a kingdom for all ages, and Thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.²⁵Ps. 145, 13. The Lord is King, the Lord hath reigned, the Lord shall reign for ever and ever.²⁶Compounded from Ps. 10, 16, XCIII, 1 (E.V. reigneth) and Ex. 15, 18. The Lord was pleased, for His righteousness’ sake, to make the teaching great and glorious.²⁷Isa. 42, 21. The Lord will give strength unto His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.²⁸Ps. 29, 11. Thou art the Lord, even Thou alone; Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things that are therein, the seas and all that is in them and Thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth Thee.²⁹Neh. 9, 6.