M. IX. 6; T. VII. 16-18. On Praying when Entering and when Leaving a Town

Tractate Berakoth, by , by A. Lukyn Williams, [1921], at sacred-texts.com

On Praying when Entering and when Leaving a Town.

M.IX. 6 (4). He that enters into a town prays two prayers—one on his entrance, and one on his exit. 4 Ben Azzai ⁵ says: Four, two on his entrance, and two on his exit. And one gives praise for

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M.what is past, and calleth out for what is about to come. ¹

T.

T. VII. 16. He that entereth into a town prays two prayers, one on his entrance and one on his exit. Ben Azzai says, Four; two on his entrance and two on his exit. What does he say on his entrance? "May it be pleasing before Thee, O LORD our God, that Thou wilt cause me to enter this town in peace." If he has entered in peace he says: "I acknowledge ² before Thee that Thou hast caused me to enter in peace. May it be pleasing before Thee, O LORD my God, that Thou wilt bring me out of this town in peace." If he has gone out in peace he says: "I acknowledge before Thee, O LORD my God, that Thou hast brought me out of this town in peace, and even as Thou hast brought me out in peace so mayest Thou cause me to walk in peace and mayest uphold me in peace until I reach my home in peace."

17. He that entereth into a [public] bath ³ prays two prayers, one when he enters and one when he goes out. When he enters he says: "May it be pleasing before Thee, O LORD my God, that Thou wilt cause me to enter in peace, and wilt bring me out in peace And let no mischief happen to me, ⁴ and if any mischief happen to me let my death be

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T.

an atonement  ¹ for all my iniquities, and deliver Thou me from this and all like it in the future that is to come." ² If he has gone out in peace he says: "I acknowledge before Thee, O LORD my God, that Thou hast brought me out in peace. Even so may it be pleasing before Thee, ³ O LORD my God, that I may come to my home in peace."

18. R. Judah says: There are three Benedictions which one must say every day: "Blessed be He who did not make me a Gentile"; "Blessed be He who did not make me a woman"; "Blessed be He who did not make me an uneducated man." ⁴ Blessed be He who did not make me a Gentile—"All the nations (Gentiles) are as nothing before Him." ⁵ Blessed be He who did not make me a woman—for a woman is under no obligation to keep the commandments. ⁶ Blessed be He who did not make me an uneducated person—for no uneducated person fears sin. ⁷

They say in parables, To what is the matter like? To a king of flesh and blood who told his servant to boil him some broth, though he had never boiled him broth in his life. The result was he burnt the broth and provoked his master. [He told him] to make him a fold to his shirt, though he had never made him a fold to a shirt in his life.

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The result was that he soiled the shirt, and T. provoked his master. ¹

Footnotes

82:5 Ben Azzai. Simeon ben Azzai (a shortened form of Azariah) was one of the famous four, Ben Azzai, Ben Zoma, Elisha ben Abujah, and Agiba (c. 110-135).

83:1 for what is past . . . for what is about to come. i.e. the substance of his two prayers both on entering and on leaving. They are thus four in all.

83:2 I acknowledge (môdeh ani). i.e. in open thankfulness and praise. Cf. ἐξομολογεῖσθαι Matt. 11²⁵; Luke 10²¹; Rom. 14¹¹, 15⁹.

83:3 a [public] bath. It was dangerous more especially because of its elaborate heating apparatus.

83:4 happen to me (ye’ra‘ bî). Jastrow (p. 1382^b) translates the parallel passage in the Gemara, T. B. 60^a, "that no mischief or sin may occur through me," but the immediate reference to death seems to preclude this.

84:1 let my death be an atonement, cf. supra, p. 13. Cf. Yoma VIII. 8: "Death and the Day of Atonement make atonement, with repentance."

84:2 all like it, in the future that is to come. i.e. the fire of Gehenna.

84:3 even so . . . before Thee. Cf. Matt. 11²⁶; Luke 10²¹.

84:4 an uneducated man (bôr). The first two of these Benedictions are in SA, pp. 5 sq., but for the third is given, "Who hast not made me a bondman."

84:5 Isa. 40¹⁷.

84:6 the commandments. i.e. the many religious duties, not the fundamental duties towards God and man.

84:7 no uneducated person fears sin. How can he, in Rabbinic opinion, for he has no accurate knowledge of what constitutes sin?

85:1 provoked his master. The point of the parable is, that less is expected from a Gentile, a woman, and an uneducated person. They are all ignorant of the specific religious duties.