Gemara Clarity

Berachos 14b

ברכות י״ד ע״ב

Berakhot 14b

Learn Berachos 14b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Berachos 14b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Laws of the end of קריאת שמע: repeating 'אמת', the night-time ציצית paragraph, the order of the paragraphs, and reading שמע with תפילין

Overview

The amud opens with the word 'אמת' that is joined to the end of שמע, and asks whether it is said again to begin the next ברכה. רבי יוחנן says yes and רבה says no. Then the גמרא discusses the ציצית paragraph at night: ארץ ישראל said a shortened version, and אביי concludes that we begin it and say all of it. חייא בר רב adds that 'אמת' is needed only if 'אני ה׳ אלהיכם' was said, and a short 'מודים אנחנו לך' text covers the mention of יציאת מצרים. Next the גמרא gives two reasons why the שמע paragraph comes first: עול מלכות שמים before עול מצוות, and the count of learning, teaching, and doing. A story about רב saying שמע before putting on תפילין is challenged from a ברייתא about a grave-digger. In the end it is explained by his late messenger. עולא and רבי יוחנן then teach how lacking it is to read שמע without תפילין. The amud ends as רבי יוחנן begins a teaching about accepting עול מלכות שמים completely, which continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

״וַה׳ אֱלֹהִים אֱמֶת״.

"And the Lord, God, is True."

חוֹזֵר וְאוֹמֵר ״אֱמֶת״,

Does he go back and say "Emet" again,

אוֹ אֵינוֹ חוֹזֵר וְאוֹמֵר ״אֱמֶת״?

or does he not go back and say "Emet" again?

אָמַר רַבִּי אֲבָהוּ אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן:

Rabbi Abbahu said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said:

The steps (34)

  1. ProofThe verse that links God's Name to 'Truth'
  2. QuestionDo we say 'אמת' a second time?
  3. Responseרבי יוחנן: Say it again
  4. Responseרבה: Do not say it again
  5. Statementרבה teases a חזן who said 'אמת' twice
  6. Statementרב יוסף praises a report about the night-time שמע in ארץ ישראל
  7. Challengeאביי questions what is so praiseworthy about the custom
  8. ChallengeBlocking the defense that 'And say to them' is not a real beginning
  9. Resolutionרב פפא: in ארץ ישראל, the beginning is only 'And make for them ציצית'
  10. Conclusionאביי: we begin like ארץ ישראל and finish like רב
  11. Statementחייא בר רב: saying 'אמת' depends on saying 'I am ה׳ your God'
  12. ChallengeBut he still must mention the Exodus
  13. ResolutionHe says a short thanksgiving text instead
  14. StatementBack to the משנה: why שמע comes first
  15. Statementרבי שמעון בן יוחי: learning, then teaching, then doing
  16. ChallengeThe paragraphs contain more than רבי שמעון בן יוחי said
  17. ResolutionOrdering by how many kinds of מצוות each paragraph has
  18. ChallengeWhy not use רבי יהושע בן קרחה's reason?
  19. ResolutionHe gave one reason and added another
  20. Statementרב's morning order
  21. ChallengeA ברייתא puts תפילין before שמע
  22. ChallengeThe grave-digger teaching seems to contradict itself
  23. ResolutionTwo diggers versus one digger
  24. ChallengeBack to the problem with רב's order
  25. Resolutionרב follows רבי יהושע בן קרחה
  26. Challengeרבי יהושע בן קרחה only spoke about reading before reading
  27. ChallengeA story shows רב put on תפילין before reading שמע
  28. RejectionBlocking the escape that it was too early for שמע
  29. ResolutionThe story teaches that learning משנה needs a ברכה
  30. ChallengeStill, רב's order remains a problem
  31. ResolutionThe messenger was late with the תפילין
  32. StatementReading שמע without תפילין is like false testimony
  33. StatementLike a קרבן missing its partner offering
  34. StatementHow to accept the complete yoke of Heaven