tefillah

If a man erred and omitted the reference to the New Moon in the evening Tefillah, we do not require him to repeat it, because he can say it in the morning Tefillah; [if he omitted it] in the morning, we do not require him to repeat it, because he can say it in the additional Tefillah ; [if he omitted it] in the additional Tefillah, we do not require him to repeat it, because he can say it in the afternoon ! "

If a man erred and omitted the reference to the New Moon in the evening Tefillah, we do not require him to repeat it, because he can say it in the morning Tefillah; [if he omitted it] in the morning, we do not require him to repeat it, because he can say it in the additional Tefillah ; [if he omitted it] in the additional Tefillah, we do not require him to repeat it, because he can say it in the afternoon ! "

How long must one wait between Tefillah and Tefillah? Rab Huna and Rab Hisda [differ]. One said : Until his mind can offer supplication ; the other said : Until his mind can offer beseeching prayer.

How long must one wait between Tefillah and Tefillah? Rab Huna and Rab Hisda [differ]. One said : Until his mind can offer supplication ; the other said : Until his mind can offer beseeching prayer.

Rab 'Anan said in the name of Rab : If a man erred and omitted the reference to the New Moon in the evening Tefillah, we do not require him to repeat it, because the Bet Din only consecrate the new month in the day-time.

May we return unto thee : The morning Tefillah !

MISHNAH One must not stand up to say the Tefillah except in a serious frame of mind. The pious men of old used to wait an hour and then say the Tefillah, in order to direct their heart to their Father in Heaven. Even when a king greets him, he must not respond ; and though a serpent be wound round his heel, he must not interrupt.

MISHNAH One must not stand up to say the Tefillah except in a serious frame of mind. The pious men of old used to wait an hour and then say the Tefillah, in order to direct their heart to their Father in Heaven. Even when a king greets him, he must not respond ; and though a serpent be wound round his heel, he must not interrupt.

Our Rabbis have taught : One must not stand up to say the Tefillah immediately after being engaged in a lawsuit or the discussion of a Halakah ; but he may do so after the discussion of a Halakah which has been decided.

Our Rabbis have taught : One must not stand up to say the Tefillah from the midst of sorrow, idleness, jocularity, [frivolous] conversation, levity, or idle chatter, but only from the midst of the joy of a religious duty.

There is a teaching: R. Judah said: It was the practice of R. 'Akiba, when he said the Tefillah with the Congregation, to shorten [the time in which he said it] and step back, so as to avoid troubling the Congregation; but when he said the Tefillah alone, a man might leave him in one corner and find him in another corner. And why so? Because of his bowings and genuflections.

There is a teaching: R. Judah said: It was the practice of R. 'Akiba, when he said the Tefillah with the Congregation, to shorten [the time in which he said it] and step back, so as to avoid troubling the Congregation; but when he said the Tefillah alone, a man might leave him in one corner and find him in another corner. And why so? Because of his bowings and genuflections.

It is possible to imagine that a man could pray for his own needs and afterwards say the statutory prayers ; but it has already been clearly stated by Solomon, viz. "To hearken unto the cry and to the prayer" (I Kings viii. 28) — "cry" means statutory prayer, and "prayer" means personal supplication. One may not offer anything [of personal supplication] after "True and firm": but after the Tefillah, he can say something even like the order of confession for the Day of Atonement, It has been likewise reported : R. Hiyya b. Ashe declared in the name of Rab :

Although it has been said that one may pray for his personal needs in the benediction "Who hearkenest unto prayer," if he desires to add after the Tefillah even something like the order of [confession for] the Day of Atonement, he may do so.

Against this is quoted : He who prays [the Tefillah] and sees a highway robber or waggon coming towards him should not interrupt but shorten it and step back !

Our Rabbis have taught : It happened that a pious man was saying the Tefillah by the roadside. A nobleman passed and greeted him ; but he did not respond. The nobleman waited until he had concluded his prayer ; and after he had concluded it, he said to him, "Good for nothing! Is it not written in your Torah, 'Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently' (Deut iv. 9) and 'Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves' (ibid. 5:15)? When I greeted thee, why didst thou not return my salutation? If I had cut off thy head with a sword, who would have demanded thy blood at my hand?"

Rab Joseph said : Because it is wisdom, they fixed it in the benediction relating to wisdom. The Rabbis say : Because it refers to the non-holy, therefore they fixed it in the [first] benediction [of the Tefillah] for the week-day.

R. Ammi said : Great is knowledge, which is placed at the beginning of the benediction said in the week-day [Tefillah].

He replied to him, "At first they fixed it in the Tefillah ; when the people became prosperous, they arranged for it to be said over the cup of wine; when the people became poor, they again fixed it in the Tefillah ; and they said : He who pronounces the 'Division' in the Tefillah must do it again over the cup of wine."

He replied to him, "At first they fixed it in the Tefillah ; when the people became prosperous, they arranged for it to be said over the cup of wine; when the people became poor, they again fixed it in the Tefillah ; and they said : He who pronounces the 'Division' in the Tefillah must do it again over the cup of wine."

He replied to him, "At first they fixed it in the Tefillah ; when the people became prosperous, they arranged for it to be said over the cup of wine; when the people became poor, they again fixed it in the Tefillah ; and they said : He who pronounces the 'Division' in the Tefillah must do it again over the cup of wine."

It has been similarly reported : R. Hiyya. b. Abba said in the name of R. Johanan : The men of the Great Assembly instituted for Israel benedictions and prayers, Sanctifications and Divisions. At first they fixed [the Habdalah] in the Tefillah; when the people became prosperous, they arranged for it to be said over the cup of wine ; when they again became poor, they fixed it in the Tefillah ; and they said : He who pronounces the "Division" in the Tefillah must do it again over the cup of wine.

It has been similarly reported : R. Hiyya. b. Abba said in the name of R. Johanan : The men of the Great Assembly instituted for Israel benedictions and prayers, Sanctifications and Divisions. At first they fixed [the Habdalah] in the Tefillah; when the people became prosperous, they arranged for it to be said over the cup of wine ; when they again became poor, they fixed it in the Tefillah ; and they said : He who pronounces the "Division" in the Tefillah must do it again over the cup of wine.

It has been similarly reported : R. Hiyya. b. Abba said in the name of R. Johanan : The men of the Great Assembly instituted for Israel benedictions and prayers, Sanctifications and Divisions. At first they fixed [the Habdalah] in the Tefillah; when the people became prosperous, they arranged for it to be said over the cup of wine ; when they again became poor, they fixed it in the Tefillah ; and they said : He who pronounces the "Division" in the Tefillah must do it again over the cup of wine.

It has been likewise reported : Rabbah and Rab Joseph both declare : He who pronounces the "Division" in the Tefillah must do it again over the cup of wine.

It has been similarly reported : R. Benjamin b. Jephet said : R. Assi asked R. Johanan in Zidon (another version : R. Simeon b. Jacob of Tyre asked R. Johanan), "But I have heard that one who says the 'Division' in the Tefillah must say it again over the cup of wine ; or is it not so?" He replied, "Yes, he must say the Habdalah over the cup of wine."

The question was raised : How is it with one who says the Habdalah over the cup of wine, does he say it in the Tefillah?

Rab Nahman b. Isaac replied : We draw an a fortiori conclusion from the Tefillah : If of the Tefillah where [the Habdalah] was originally instituted they say : He who pronounced the "Division" in the Tefillah must do so again over the cup of wine, how much more so must one who says the Habdalah over the cup of wine, where it was not originally instituted, [say it in the Tefillah] !

Rab Nahman b. Isaac replied : We draw an a fortiori conclusion from the Tefillah : If of the Tefillah where [the Habdalah] was originally instituted they say : He who pronounced the "Division" in the Tefillah must do so again over the cup of wine, how much more so must one who says the Habdalah over the cup of wine, where it was not originally instituted, [say it in the Tefillah] !

Rab Nahman b. Isaac replied : We draw an a fortiori conclusion from the Tefillah : If of the Tefillah where [the Habdalah] was originally instituted they say : He who pronounced the "Division" in the Tefillah must do so again over the cup of wine, how much more so must one who says the Habdalah over the cup of wine, where it was not originally instituted, [say it in the Tefillah] !

Rab Nahman b. Isaac replied : We draw an a fortiori conclusion from the Tefillah : If of the Tefillah where [the Habdalah] was originally instituted they say : He who pronounced the "Division" in the Tefillah must do so again over the cup of wine, how much more so must one who says the Habdalah over the cup of wine, where it was not originally instituted, [say it in the Tefillah] !

R. Aha the Tall taught in the presence of Rab Huna : He who pronounces the "Division" in the Tefillah is more praiseworthy than he who says it over the cup of wine ; but if he says it in both, may blessings alight upon his head.

But this is self-contradictory ! Thou declarest, "He who pronounces the 'Division' in the Tefillah is more praiseworthy than he who says it over the cup of wine"; hence it is sufficient to say it in the Tefillah alone ! And then he teaches, "But if he says it in both, may blessings alight upon his head"; but since he has fulfilled his obligation with the former, he is exempt and [the latter] will be a superfluous benediction, and Rab has declared (another version : R. Simeon b. Lakish ; or R. Johanan and R. Simeon b. Lakish both declare) : Whoever utters a superfluous benediction commits a transgression because of [the injunction], "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain" (Exod. xx. 7) !

But this is self-contradictory ! Thou declarest, "He who pronounces the 'Division' in the Tefillah is more praiseworthy than he who says it over the cup of wine"; hence it is sufficient to say it in the Tefillah alone ! And then he teaches, "But if he says it in both, may blessings alight upon his head"; but since he has fulfilled his obligation with the former, he is exempt and [the latter] will be a superfluous benediction, and Rab has declared (another version : R. Simeon b. Lakish ; or R. Johanan and R. Simeon b. Lakish both declare) : Whoever utters a superfluous benediction commits a transgression because of [the injunction], "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain" (Exod. xx. 7) !

Understand him therefore to mean : If he pronounced the "Division" in the Tefillah and not over the cup of wine, may blessings alight upon his head.

Rabina asked Raba : What is the Halakah [if one pronounced the "Division" in the Tefillah, must he say it over the cup of wine] ? He replied : It is like the Sanctification ; although one sanctifies [the Sabbath] in the Tefillah, he must do so over the cup of wine; so also with the Habdalah, although he said it in the Tefillah, he must do so over the cup of wine.

Rabina asked Raba : What is the Halakah [if one pronounced the "Division" in the Tefillah, must he say it over the cup of wine] ? He replied : It is like the Sanctification ; although one sanctifies [the Sabbath] in the Tefillah, he must do so over the cup of wine; so also with the Habdalah, although he said it in the Tefillah, he must do so over the cup of wine.

Rabina asked Raba : What is the Halakah [if one pronounced the "Division" in the Tefillah, must he say it over the cup of wine] ? He replied : It is like the Sanctification ; although one sanctifies [the Sabbath] in the Tefillah, he must do so over the cup of wine; so also with the Habdalah, although he said it in the Tefillah, he must do so over the cup of wine.

MISHNAH Whoever says [in his Tefillah] "To a bird's nest do Thy mercies extend" or "For the good be Thy name remembered" or "We give thanks, we give thanks," him do we silence.

R. Hannina waited until he had finished. When he had finished, he said to him, "Hast thou exhausted all the praises of thy Lord? What is the use of all those [adjectives]? The three which we do say, if Moses our teacher had not used them in the Torah and the men of the Great Assembly come and instituted them in the Tefillah, we should not have been able to say ; and thou dost go on saying all those!" A parable : [It may be likened] to a human king who possessed a million golden denarii, and people kept praising him as the possessor of [a million denarii of] silver; is it not an insult to him ?

MISHNAH He who says in his Tefillah "The good bless Thee" behold this is the way of error. If a man step before the Ark and make a mistake [in the Tefillah], another replaces him ; and at such a time, one may not decline. From where does the latter begin? From the commencement of the benediction where the other erred.

MISHNAH He who says in his Tefillah "The good bless Thee" behold this is the way of error. If a man step before the Ark and make a mistake [in the Tefillah], another replaces him ; and at such a time, one may not decline. From where does the latter begin? From the commencement of the benediction where the other erred.

He who steps before the Ark should not respond "Amen" after [the benedictions of] the Kohanim because it might cause him confusion. If there be no other Kohen there but himself he does not raise his hands [for the priestly benediction] ; but if he is confident that he can raise his hands and return to the Tefillah, he is permitted.

Rab Huna said : If he erred in the first three benedictions [of Tefillah], he commences again at the beginning; if in the middle benedictions, he returns to "Thou favourest man with knowledge" ; if in the last [three], he returns to the "Service."

R. Isaac b. Nahmani said : It was explained to me by R. Joshua b. Levi : The ordinary man [acts] as we have stated ; a high priest [bends] at the beginning of each benediction ; a king, when once he bends, should not straighten himself [until the end of the Tefillah] ; as it is said, "And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the Lord, he arose from before the altar of the Lord from kneeling on his knees" (I Kings viii. 54).

And the teaching : He who bends the knee in the "Thanksgiving" of the Tefillah and in the "Thanksgiving" of the Hallel is to be reprimanded —

MISHNAH If one errs while saying the Tefillah, it is a bad omen for him; and should he be the messenger of the congregation, it is a bad omen for those who deputed him, since a man's deputy is similar to himself. They declared concerning R. Hannina b. Dosa that when praying on behalf of the sick, he would say, "This one will live, that one will die." They asked him, "How knowest thou?" He replied, "If my prayer is fluent in my mouth, I know that he is accepted; but if not, I know that he is rejected."

Others refer this [statement of Rab Safra] to the following Baraita: One who says the Tefillah must direct his heart to each benediction ; but if unable to do so to each one, he must at least direct his heart to one. To which?

The portion of the Sotah, the declaration concerning the tithe, the Shema', Tefillah and the Grace after meals! [Nevertheless Rab's statement] was necessary ; for it might have entered thy mind to say that this only applies when one utters the benediction in a non-holy language exactly as the Rabbis ordained it in the holy tongue ; but should he not say it in the non-holy language exactly as the Rabbis ordained it in the holy tongue, I am to declare that he has not [complied]. Therefore he informs us [that the benediction is valid even when the wording does not exactly conform to the Hebrew original].

Rab said : He who is accustomed [to anoint his hands] with oil [after finishing a meal], the oil impedes him Rab Ashe said : When we were at the school of Rab Kahana, he said to us, "For instance we are accustomed to the use of oil, and the oil impedes us." But the Halakah is in agreement with none of these teachings, but with that which Rab Hiyya b. Ashe said in the name of Rab, viz.: There are three actions which have to be performed with dispatch : the putting on of hands must be followed immediately by the act of slaughtering ; the Tefillah must follow immediately on the Ge'ullah ; and the Grace after meals must follow immediately on the washing of the hands.

Rab Iddi b. Abin said in the name of Rab 'Amram, in the name of Rab Nahman, in the name of Samuel: If one erred and omitted the reference to the New Moon in the Tefillah we make him repeat it: in the Grace after meals we do not make him repeat it.

Rab Abin asked Rab 'Amram, "Why is the Tefillah different from the Grace after meals in this respect?" He replied, "To me also that was a difficulty and I put the question to Rab Nahman, who told me, 'I have not heard the reason from the master, Samuel' ; but let us see : With regard to the Tefillah which is an obligation, we make him repeat it ; but with regard to the Grace after meals, where one can eat or not eat just as he pleases, we do not make him repeat it."

Rab Abin asked Rab 'Amram, "Why is the Tefillah different from the Grace after meals in this respect?" He replied, "To me also that was a difficulty and I put the question to Rab Nahman, who told me, 'I have not heard the reason from the master, Samuel' ; but let us see : With regard to the Tefillah which is an obligation, we make him repeat it ; but with regard to the Grace after meals, where one can eat or not eat just as he pleases, we do not make him repeat it."

Who dreams that he lays the Tefillin may hope for greatness ; as it is said, "And all the peoples of the earth shall see that the name of the Lord is called upon thee, and they shall fear thee" (Deut. xxviii. 10); and there is a teaching : R. Eliezer the Great says : This refers to the Tefillin worn on the head. Who dreams that he is saying the Tefillah, it is a good omen for him ; but this applies only when he does not conclude it.

Now is this not the blessing of the season? No, it refers to Birkat Hamazon and to Tefillah.