Berachos 28b

ברכות כ״ח ע״ב

Berakhot 28b

Learn Berachos 28b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Berachos 28b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

The story of רב אויא missing רב יוסף's Shabbat lecture (eating before מוסף, and praying before the צבור), the final הלכה on eating before מוסף and מנחה, and the short prayer of רבי נחוניא בן הקנה when entering and leaving the בית המדרש.

Overview

The amud opens with a story. רב אויא missed רב יוסף's lecture, and אביי questions him so everyone can see he meant no disrespect. Along the way they discuss eating before מוסף and davening before the צבור, and the גמרא rules that the הלכה follows neither רב הונא nor רבי יהושע בן לוי on eating before davening. A משנה then tells of the short prayer רבי נחוניא בן הקנה said when entering and leaving the בית המדרש, and a ברייתא gives its full words. Next come two sickbed stories: רבי אליעזר teaches his students paths to עולם הבא, and רבן יוחנן בן זכאי cries in fear of judgment and blesses his students with יראת שמים. A new משנה follows about how much of שמונה עשרה one must say, along with prayer in danger and facing the בית המקדש. The גמרא asks what the eighteen ברכות correspond to, discusses how far to bow, and explains that the nineteenth ברכה, ברכת המינים, was added in יבנה by שמואל הקטן. The story of what happened when he later forgot it continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (41)

1. Statementרב אויא misses the lecture
2. Questionאביי asks why he missed the lecture
3. ResponseHe was too weak to come
4. ChallengeWhy not eat something and come
5. Resolutionרב הונא forbids eating before מוסף
6. ChallengeDaven מוסף alone first, then eat
7. Resolutionרבי יוחנן: don't daven before the congregation
8. Rejectionרבי אבא limits the rule to one who is with a צבור
9. ConclusionThe הלכה follows neither רב הונא nor רבי יהושע בן לוי
10. Statementרבי נחוניא בן הקנה's short prayer in the בית המדרש
11. QuestionWhy a prayer for the study hall?
12. ResponsePraying for no mistakes and giving thanks
13. StatementThe full words of the entering prayer
14. StatementThe full text of the prayer for leaving the בית המדרש
15. Questionרבי אליעזר's students ask him for paths of life
16. Responseרבי אליעזר gives four instructions
17. Questionרבי יוחנן בן זכאי cries, and his students ask why
18. ResponseWhy רבן יוחנן בן זכאי is crying
19. StatementThe students ask for a blessing
20. QuestionThe students ask: only that much?
21. ResponseIf only you reached that level
22. StatementHis final words before passing away
23. StatementNew משנה: must one say the full שמונה עשרה every day?
24. Statementרבי אליעזר: A fixed prayer is not real pleading
25. Statementרבי יהושע: A short prayer in a dangerous place
26. StatementFacing the Temple while riding or sailing
27. QuestionThe גמרא asks what the eighteen blessings are based on
28. ResponseEighteen mentions of ה׳'s name in David's psalm
29. ResponseEighteen mentions of ה׳'s name in קריאת שמע
30. ResponseEighteen vertebrae in the spine
31. StatementBowing until the vertebrae stick out
32. StatementBowing until he sees an איסר opposite his heart
33. StatementA nod of the head is enough
34. Statementרבא limits the nod to someone for whom bowing is hard
35. ChallengeThere are really nineteen ברכות
36. ResolutionThe nineteenth ברכה was added later in יבנה
37. QuestionWhat does the added blessing correspond to?
38. ResponseA hint for the nineteenth blessing in each earlier source
39. Statementשמעון הפקולי arranges the eighteen ברכות
40. Statementשמואל הקטן composes ברכת המינים
41. StatementThe next year he forgot it