Berachos 15a

ברכות ט״ו ע״א

Berakhot 15a

Learn Berachos 15a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Berachos 15a in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Washing hands before davening, and saying קריאת שמע loud enough to hear oneself

Overview

The amud opens by finishing רבי יוחנן's teaching: relieving oneself, washing hands, putting on תפילין, saying קריאת שמע and davening together make up complete acceptance of מלכות שמים. Doing this is counted as if one built a מזבח and brought a קרבן, and רבא adds that it is even like immersing the whole body. A scholar from ארץ ישראל rules that someone without water may clean his hands with earth, a stone or a wood chip, and רבא agrees, because the פסוק says 'in cleanliness,' not 'in water.' The גמרא then limits this. For קריאת שמע one does not chase after water, but for תפילה one must search up to a פרסה ahead, or less than a מיל back. Next comes a new משנה about saying שמע: whether you must hear yourself, whether the letters must be precise, saying it in order, and fixing a mistake. The גמרא explains רבי יוסי's source from the word שמע, and then tries to match משניות and ברייתות about a deaf person separating תרומה and about saying ברכת המזון silently to the views of רבי יוסי, רבי יהודה and רבי מאיר. Finally it quotes the מגילה משנה that disqualifies a חרש, and רב מתנה says it follows רבי יוסי. The גמרא challenges this at the end of the amud, and the discussion continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (37)

1. StatementThe full order that makes up complete acceptance of Heaven's kingship
2. StatementDoing this order is like building an altar and bringing a sacrifice
3. Statementרבא adds: it is even like immersing in a מקוה
4. Questionרבינא reports a surprising ruling about having no water
5. Responseרבא approves: anything that cleans is enough
6. StatementThe curse applies only to קריאת שמע, not to תפלה
7. QuestionHow far must one go to find water?
8. ResponseUp to a פרסה
9. StatementA פרסה only ahead, not backward
10. ConclusionLess than a מיל, he does go back
11. Statementמשנה: Must קריאת שמע be heard by one's own ear?
12. StatementNot saying the letters precisely
13. StatementReading out of order does not count
14. StatementA mistake: go back to where you erred
15. QuestionWhat is רבי יוסי's reason?
16. ResponseThe word שמע means 'make yourself hear'
17. StatementThe תנא קמא's reading: any language you understand
18. Responseרבי יוסי learns both lessons
19. StatementA deaf person who speaks separating תרומה
20. QuestionWhich תנא holds 'after the fact yes, at the start no'?
21. Responseרב חסדא: The משנה follows רבי יוסי
22. ResolutionWhy רבי יוסי can say 'valid after the fact' for תרומה
23. ChallengeMaybe the משנה follows רבי יהודה
24. ProofSupport from the word הקורא
25. Rejectionהקורא shows how far רבי יוסי goes
26. ChallengeA ברייתא about saying ברכת המזון silently
27. ChallengeThe ברייתא fits neither רבי יוסי nor רבי יהודה
28. ResolutionGoing back: רבי יהודה allows it only after the fact
29. ChallengeA new ברייתא: a deaf person may separate תרומה from the start
30. ChallengeThe deaf-person ברייתא fits neither רבי יהודה nor רבי יוסי
31. Resolutionרבי יהודה's own view versus his teacher's view
32. ProofProof that רבי יהודה reports his teacher's view on קריאת שמע
33. ResolutionSecond answer: the תרומה ברייתא follows רבי מאיר
34. Statementמשנה about who may read the מגילה
35. QuestionWho holds a deaf person's reading fails even after the fact?
36. Responseרב מתנה: it is רבי יוסי
37. ChallengeHow do we know it is רבי יוסי and not even after the fact?