Berakhot 40

Chapter 40

א כַּד דָּמַךְ רִבִּי לֵוִי בַּר סִיסִי עָל אָבִיו דִּשְׁמוּאֵל וְאַפְטַר עִילוֹי סוֹף דָּבָר הַכֹּל נִשְׁמָע אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים יְרָא. לְמַה הָיָה לֵוִי בֶּן סִיסִי דוֹמֶה לְמֶלֶךְ שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ כֶרֶם וְהָיוּ בוֹ מֵאָה גְפָנִים וְהָיוּ עוֹשׂוֹת כָּל שָׁנָה וְשָׁנָה מֵאָה חָבִיּוֹת שֶׁל יַיִן. עָמַד עַל חֲמִשִּׁים עָמַד עַל אַרְבָּעִים עָמַד עַל שְׁלֹשִׁים עָמַד עַל עֶשְׂרִים עָמַד עַל עֶשֶׂר עָמַד עַל אֶחָד וְהָיָה עוֹשֶה מֵאָה חָבִיּוֹת שֶׁל יַיִן. וְהָיָה אוֹתוֹ הַגֶּפֶן חָבִיב עָלָיו כְּכָל הַכֶּרֶם כּוּלּוֹ. כַּךְ הָיָה רִבִּי לֵוִי בַּר סִיסִי חָבִיב לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא כְּכָל אָדָם. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב כִּי זֶה כָּל הָאָדָם כִּי זֶה כְּכָל הָאָדָם.

1 When Rebbi Levi bar Sisi died, the father of Samuel came and eulogized him: (Eccl. 12:13) “Final word: Everything has been heard, fear God.” To what can Rebbi Levi ben Sisi be compared? To a king who had a vineyard with a hundred vines which gave him every year a hundred barrels of wine. He reduced them to 50, to 40, to 30, to 20, to ten, to one, and this one gave him a hundred barrels of wine. This one vine was as dear to him as the entire vineyard. So Rebbi Levi bar Sisi was beloved before the Holy One, praise to Him, like all mankind. This is what is written (loc. cit.) “Because that is all of man,” that one is like all of mankind.

ב כַּהֲנָא הֲוָה עוּלֶם סַגִּין כַּד סְלִיק לְהָכָא חַמְתֵּיהּ חַד בַּר פַּחִין. אָמַר לֵיהּ מַה קָלָא בִשְׁמַיָּא. אָמַר לֵיהּ גְּזַר דִּינֵיהּ דְּהַהוּא גַבְרָא מִיחְתָּם. וְכֵן הֲוָות לֵיהּ. וּמִתְפְּגַע בֵּיהּ. חַמְתֵּיהּ חַד חָרָן. אָמַר לֵיהּ מַה קָלָא בִשְׁמַיָּא. אָמַר לֵיהּ גְּזַר דִּינֵיהּ דְּהַהוּא גַבְרָא מִיחְתָּם. וְכֵן הֲוָות לֵיהּ. אָמַר מַה סְלִיקִית מְזַכֵּי וַאֲנָא אִיחֲטֵי. מַה סְלִיקִית לְמִיקְטְלָה בְנֵי אַרְעָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל נִיזוּל וְנִיחוּת לִי מִן הֵן דִּסְלִיקִית. אָתָא לְגַבֵּי רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר לֵיהּ בַּר נַשׁ דְּאִימֵּיהּ מְבַסְּרָא לֵיהּ וְאִיתָּתֵיהּ דַּאֲבוּהִי מוֹקְרָא לֵיהּ לְהֵן יֵיזִיל לֵיהּ. אָמַר לֵיהּ יֵיזִיל לְהוֹן דְּמוֹקְרִין לֵיהּ. נָחַת לֵיהּ כַּהֲנָא מִן הֵן דִּסְלִק. אֲתוּן אָמְרִין לֵיהּ לְרִבִּי יוֹחָנָן הָא נְחִית כַּהֲנָא לְבָבֶל. אָמַר מַה הֲוָה מֵיזַל לֵיהּ דְּלָא מֵיסַב רְשׁוּתָא. אָמְרִין לֵיהּ הַהִיא מִילְתָא דְאָמַר לָךְ הִיא הֲוָה נְטִילַת רְשׁוּת דִּידֵיהּ.

2 Cahana was very young when he came up here. A person in rags saw him and asked him, what is new in Heaven? He answered: The judgment over this man has been sealed. This happened to him and he was stricken. Another one in rags saw him and asked, what is new in Heaven? He answered: The judgment over this man has been sealed. This happened to him. He said: Did I not go up to gain merit, but I am sinning! Did I come up to kill the people of the Land of Israel? I shall go and step down the way I came up. He came to Rebbi Yoḥanan and said to him: A man whose mother wishes him well and whose step mother honors him, should he go there? He said to him, he should go there where he is honored. Cahana descended the way he came up. They came and told Rebbi Yoḥanan that Cahana had descended to Babylonia. He said, how could he go without asking permission? They told him: that question, that he asked of you, was his request for permission.

ג רִבִּי זְעִירָא כַּד סָלַק לְהָכָא אָזַל אַקִּיז דָּם. אֲזַל בָּעֵי מִיזְבוֹן חָדָא לִיטְרָא דְקוּפָּד מִן טַבְּחָא. אָמַר לֵיהּ בְּכַמָּה הָדֵין לִיטְרְתָא אָמַר לֵיהּ בְּחַמְשִׁין מָנַיי וְחַד קוּרְסָם. אָמַר לֵיהּ סַב לָךְ שִׁיתִּין וְלָא קְבִיל עִילוֹי. סַב לָךְ שִׁבְעִין וְלָא קְבִיל עִילוֹי. סַב לָךְ תְּמַנִּין. סַב לָךְ תִּשְׁעִין. עַד דְּמָטָא מֵאָה וְלָא קְבִיל עִילוֹי. אָמַר לֵיהּ עֲבִיד כְּמִנְהָגָךְ. בְּרוּמְשָׁא נְחִית לְבֵית וַועֲדָא. אָמַר לוֹן רַבָּנָן מַה בִּישׁ מִנְהָגָא דְהָכָא דְּלָא אָכִיל בַּר נַשׁ לִיטְרָא דְקוּפָּד עַד דְּמָחוֹ לֵיהּ חַד קוּרְסָם. אָמְרִין לֵיהּ וּמַה הוּא דֵין. אָמַר לוֹן פַּלָּן טַבְּחָא. שָׁלְחוּן בָּעֵיי מֵייתְיתֵיהּ וְאַשְׁכְּחוּן אֲרוֹנֵיהּ נַפְקָא. אָמְרִין לֵיהּ רִבִּי כָּל הָכִין אָמַר [לוֹן] וְיֵיתֵי עָלַיי דְּלָא כָעַסִּית עִילוֹי מִי סְבָרִת דְּמִנְהָגָא כֵן.

3 Rebbi Zeïra went to have himself bled when he ascended here. He went and wanted to buy a pound of red meat from a butcher. He asked him: How much is that pound? He said to him, 50 minas and one slap. He said to him: Take 60, but he did not accept. Take 70, but he did not accept. Take 80, take 90, until he came to 100 and he did not accept. Then he said: Do what is your routine. The next morning he went to the Academy and said to them: Rabbis, what is this bad practice here that nobody can eat a pound of red meat unless they slap him! They said to him: Who is that? He said, the butcher so-and-so. They sent to him to bring him but they found that his coffin was being carried out. They said to him: Our teacher, all that? He said to them: That should happen to me, but I was not angry about him; did I not think that this was general practice?

ד רִבִּי יָסָא כַד סְלִיק לְהָכָא אֲזַל סְפָר. בָּעֵי מַסְחֵי בְּאַהֵן דֵּימוֹסִן דְּטִיבֵּרִיָא. פָּגַע בֵּיהּ חַד לֵיצָן וְיָהִב לֵיהּ פּוּרְקְדָל חַד. אָמַר לֵיהּ עַד כְּדוֹן [עֲנוּבְתָּא] דְּהַהוּא גַבְרָא רַפְיָא. וְהֲוָה אַרְכוֹנָא קָאִים דָּאִין אֶחָד לֵיסְטֵיס וְאָזַל קָם לֵיהּ גָחֵיךְ כָּל קִבְּלֵיהּ. אָמַר לֵיהּ אַרְכוֹנָא מָאן הֲוָה עִמָּךְ תָּלָה עֵינוֹי וְחָמַא דְהוּא גָחֵיךְ אָמַר לֵיהּ אָהֵן דְּגָחֵיךְ הֲוָא עִמִּי. נָסְבֵיהּ וְדָנֵיהּ וְאוֹדֵי לֵיהּ עַל חַד קְטִיל. מִי נַפְקִין תְּרַוֵּיהוֹן טְעֵינִין תַּרְתֵּי שֵׁרִין דְּעָבַד רִבִּי יָסָא מַסְחֵי. אָמַר לֵיהּ [הַהִיא עֲנוּבְתָּא] דַהֲוָת רַפְיָא כְּבָר שִׁנְצָת. אָמַר לֵיהּ בִּישׁ גַּדָּא דְהַהוּא גַבְרָא וְלָא כְתִיב וְעַתָּה אַל תִּתְלוֹצָצוּ פֶּן יֶחְזְקוּ מוֹסְרֵיכֶם. רִבִּי פִינְחָס רִבִּי יִרְמְיָה בְּשֵׁם רִבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר רַב יִצְחָק קָשָׁה הִיא הַלֵּיצָנוּת שֶׁתְּחִילָּתָהּ יִיסוּרִין וְסוֹפָן כְּלִיָּיה. תְּחִילָּתָהּ יִיסוּרִין דִּכְתִיב וְעַתָּה אַל תִּתְלוֹצָצוּ פֶּן יֶחְזְקוּ מוֹסְרֵיכֶם. וְסוֹפָן כְּלִיָּיה דִּכְתִיב כִּי כָלָה וְנֶחֶרָצָה שָׁמַעְתִּי מֵאֵת ה׳ צְבָאוֹת עַל כָּל הָאָרֶץ.

4 When Rebbi Yasa ascended here, he went to a barber. He wanted to bathe in a public bath of Tiberias. He met a scoffer who hit him once on his neck and said: The noose of this man is loose. There was an admistrator sitting who was interrogating a robber. He went and stood there all laughing opposite him. The administrator asked him: Who was with you? He looked around and said: The one who is laughing here was with me. He fetched him, interrogated him, and he confessed about one murder. When they both went out, carrying two beams, Rebbi Yasa passed by going to the bath. He said to him: That noose which was loose you already tightened. He answered him: That is the bad luck of this man, is it not written (Is. 28:22): “Now do not scoff, that your fetters should not be tightened.” Rebbi Phineas, Rebbi Jeremiah, in the name of Rebbi Samuel bar Rav Isaac: Scoffing is hard since its start is pain and its end destruction. Its start is pain since it is written “Now do not scoff, that your fetters should not be tightened,” and its end is destruction as it is written (loc. cit.) “For destruction and finality I heard from the Lord of Hosts over the entire earth.”

ה <big>משנה:</big> חָתָן אִם רוֹצֵה לִקְרוֹת אֶת שְׁמַע בַּלַּיְלָה הָרִאשׁוֹן קוֹרֵא. רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר לֹא כָל הָרוֹצֵה לִיטּוֹל אֶת הַשֵׁם יִטּוֹל.

5 MISHNAH: The bridegroom may recite the Shema‘ in his first night if he wishes. Rabban Simeon ben Gamliël says, not everyone who wants to grab a reputation can do so.

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