Talmud su Salmi 102:78

Rebbi Joshua ben Levi¹¹In the parallel in the Babli (26b), the opinion of Rebbi Joshua ben Levi is ascribed to R. Yose bar Ḥanina and the opinion of “the rabbis” in the following paragraph to R. Joshua ben Levi. The detailed derivation in both cases is declared to be a baraita, meaning that the two Amoraïm quoted do not claim originality, they simply adopt pre-existing ideas. said: They¹²The Men of the Great Assembly who instituted formal prayers and benedictions. learned prayers from the patriarchs. Morning prayer from our father Abraham (Gen. 19:27): “Abraham got up early to the place where he had stood there in the presence of the Eternal.” Standing means praying, as it says (Ps. 106:30) “Phineas stood and prayed¹³Usually translated as “judged”..” Minḥah prayers from our father Isaac. (Gen. 24:63) “Isaac went out to speak on the field¹⁴The essential proof is from the part of the verse that is not quoted: “To speak on the field towards evening.” [The Arabic שׁוח, corresponding to Hebrew שׂוח, means “to run, or fly, with outstretched arms”.].” Speaking means praying, as it says (Ps. 102:1) “A prayer of the deprived one when he faints and pours out his speech before the Eternal.” Evening prayer from our father Jacob. (Gen. 28:11) “He entreated at the Place¹⁵Usually translated “came suddenly upon the place.” For the meaning of “Place”, see H. Guggenheimer, The Scholar’s Haggadah, pp. 268–269..” Entreaty means prayer, as it is said (Jer. 27:18) “Please, let them entreat the Eternal of hosts.” And it says (Jer. 7:16): “Do not lift for them (your voice in) a cry and do not entreat me.”

They³⁴This is the start of a lengthy sermon that continues to the end of the Halakhah. It has been subdivided for the benefit of the reader. Since the name of Rebbi Berekhiah, one of the authors and collectors of Midrash Bereshit rabba, is mentioned in this sermon, one may take it as a proof that Midrash Shemot rabba, which in the middle switches from a style identical to that of Midrash Bereshit rabba to extended sermons based on the starting verses of the weekly portions, does not necessarily have two different collectors or editors. came back and asked him: What is that which is written (Deut. 4:8): “Where is a great people that has ĕlōhīm close³⁵Plural. to them?” He answered them, it is not written: “Like the Eternal, our ĕlōhīm, always when we call on them”, but “always when we call on Him.” His students told him: Teacher, these you pushed away with a stick, what can you answer us? He said to them, he is close in all kinds of closeness, as Rebbi Phineas said in the name of Rebbi Yehudah bar Simon: Idolatry seems close but is very far. What is the reason? (Is. 46:7) “They take it on the shoulder, carry it, etc.” Finally, his god is with him in the house and he cries until he dies but that one will not hear and not save him from his distress. But the Holy One, praise to Him, seems to be far away when there is no one closer than Him³⁶The following argument is in disagreement with the generally accepted doctrine of R. Yose bar Ḥalaphta that God is the place of the world but the world is not His place [Bereshit rabba 68(8), Shemot rabba 45(6), Midrash Tehillim 90, Tanḥuma Ki Tissa 27, Tanḥuma Buber Ki Tissa 16, Yalqut Shim‘oni 117, 563, 841]. The piece is a homily and not a theological essay., as Levi said³⁷Without attribution of a name, the statement has been quoted in Chapter 1, Halakhah 1.: From the earth to the (first) heaven is a distance of 500 years’ walk. From one heaven to the next is a distance of 500 years’ walk. The thickness of each heaven is a distance of 500 years’ walk. And Rebbi Berekhiah and Rebbi Ḥelbo in the name of Red Rebbi Abba³⁸A third generation Galilean Amora whose sermons were collected by Rebbi Berekhiah. said, also the toes of the heavenly Ḥayot³⁹They carry the Throne of Heavenly Glory in the vision of Ezechiel (Ez. 1). are a length of 515 years’ walk, the number YŠRH⁴⁰The homily disregards the conclusion drawn from the verse in Halakhah 1:1 (fol. 2c), that one has to pray with feet parallel one to the other. The numerical value of ישרה is 10+300+200+5 = 515.. See how much higher He is than His world! But a person enters the synagogue, stands behind a pillar, prays in a whisper, and the Holy One, praise to Him, listens to his prayer, as it has been said (1Sam. 1:13): “Hannah spoke to herself, only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard.” But the Holy One, praise to Him, listened to her prayer. And so it is with all His creatures, as it has been said (Ps. 102:1): “Prayer of the poor when he wraps himself up⁴¹Usually, יעטף is translated “he faints.” But here, it is taken in the Mishnaic sense of “wrapping oneself in a garment,” a toga or prayer shawl, to exclude the world from one’s prayers.,” just like a man whispering into the ear of his friend and the latter understands. Can you have a God who is closer than that to His creatures, from mouth to ear?”

⁹⁷Gen. rabba 1(21), Lev. rabba 36(1), Midrash Samuel 5[1]. The Midrashim seem to be the original source since they apply R. Eleazar ben R. Simeon’s final statement to other pairs of notions. The House of Shammai are saying, heaven was created first and afterwards earth. But the House of Hillel are saying, earth was created first and afterwards heaven. These are bringing proof for their assertion, and those are bringing proof for their assertion. What is the reason of the House of Shammai? In the Beginning God created heaven and earth⁹⁸Gen. 1:1.. {A parable} of a king who made a chair. After he had made it he made its footstool⁹⁹Greek ‘υποπόδιον.: the Heavens are My throne and the Earth My footstool¹⁰⁰Is. 66:1.. What is the reason of the House of Hillel? On the day of the Eternal’s, God’s, making of earth and heaven¹⁰¹Gen. 2:4. {A parable} of a king who made a palace. After he built the foundations he built the upper structure: also My left hand founded the Earth and My right hand tended the Heavens¹⁰²Is. 48:13.. Rebbi Jehudah bar Pazi said, also the following supports the House of Hillel: in earlier times You founded the Earth, and the Heavens are the work of Your hands¹⁰³Ps. 102:26.. Rebbi Ḥanina said, from the place from where the House of Shammai prove their assertion, from there the House of Hillel remove them. What is the reason of the House of Shammai? In the Beginning God created heaven and earth. From there the House of Hillel remove them: and the earth was¹⁰⁴Gen. 1:2., it already was. Rebbi Joḥanan in the name of the Sages: As for creation, the heaven preceded. As for perfecting, the earth preceded. As for creation, the heaven preceded, in the Beginning God created. As for perfecting, the earth preceded, on the day of the Eternal’s, God’s, making of earth and heaven. According to the House of Shammai, the heaven after the First waited three days, First, Second, Third, to have offspring. On the Fourth, there shall be lights¹⁰⁵Gen. 1:14.. According to the House of Shammai, the sea after the Second waited three days, Second, Third, Fourth, to have offspring. On the Fifth, the waters shall teem¹⁰⁶Gen. 1:20.. According to the House of Shammai, the earth after the Third waited three days, Third, Fourth, Fifth, to have offspring. On the Sixth, the earth shall produce¹⁰⁷Gen. 1:24.. According to the House of Hillel, the earth after the First waited two days, First and Second, to have offspring. On the Third, the earth shall be covered with grass. According to the House of Hillel, the sea after the Third waited two days, Third and Fourth, to have offspring. On the Fifth, the waters shall teem. Rebbi Simeon ben Yohai said, I am wondering how the fathers of the world could disagree about the creation of the world. Heaven and earth were only created like a pan¹⁰⁸Greek λοπάς. and its cover. What is the reason? Also My left hand founded the Earth and My right hand tended the Heavens¹⁰⁹The argument is from the end of the verse, not quoted: I am calling to them, they shall stand together.. Rebbi Eleazar ben Rebbi Simeon said, following this, my father’s opinion, sometimes heaven precedes earth, sometimes earth precedes heaven, which teaches that they are equivalent one to another.

Some Tannaïm have stated: One should first pray and then ask for one’s personal needs. Some Tannaïm have stated: One should first ask for one’s personal needs and then pray.²⁰⁸In Babli Avodah zarah 7b, the first opinion is R. Joshua’s, the second one R. Eliezer’s. [If the Yerushalmi had mentioned the names, the order of the baraitot would have been inverted.] R. Joshua, whose opinion always prevails against R. Eliezer, requires that private prayers be said following completion of the prescribed 18 benedictions. This is accepted as a possible practice in Babli Avodah zarah 8a. He who says, one should first pray and then ask for one’s personal needs (Ps. 102:1) “Prayer of the deprived one who wraps himself up²⁰⁹Usually translated: “who faints”, but used here in the sense of “who wraps himself in his prayer coat or shawl.” The Babli uses the verse for the opposite argument since “prayer” is mentioned first.” and afterwards “and before the Eternal he pours out his speech.” But he who says, one should first ask for one’s personal needs and then pray, (1Kings 8:28) “To listen to lamentation²¹⁰The Babli (Berakhot 31a) is forced to re-interpret רנה as “prayer”.” and after that “and to prayer.” The opinion of the sages²¹¹The consensus of the Amoraïm.: Rebbi Zeïra in the name of Rav Ḥuna, the private person asks for his personal needs in “He Who hears prayer”²¹²But public entreaties are said either in the form of extra benedictions for rain fasts, or as penitential prayers in the sixth benediction “Merciful, Who forgives much.”.

HALAKHAH: “Olives containing a quarter log per seah” etc. What is “a third”? Of a log. The Mishnah for those which produce three log per seah¹⁰⁴A quarter log therefore simply means that the olives already contain ¹/₁₂ of the oil a ripe olive yields on the average. For the definition of log and seah, cf. Berakhot Chapter 3, Note 164..

Rebbi Yose ben Ḥanina¹⁰⁶The parallels are in Babli Ketubot 112a. kissed the cliffs of Acco and said, up to here is the Land of Israel. Rebbi Zeїra crossed the Jordan in his clothing¹⁰⁷According to the Babli he did not find a ferry when he came to Israel from Babylonia, only a rope stretched over the ford; he walked along the rope in his garments to enter the Land as quickly as possible.. Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Abba rolled himself in the step¹⁰⁸Cf. Greek ἔλευσις, -εως, ἡ, “coming, arrival”. of Tiberias. The elder Rebbi Ḥiyya weighed rocks. Rebbi Ḥananiah weighed earth lumps to fulfill what was said (Ps. 102:19): “For Your servants desired its stones and they loved its dust.”