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Berachos 37a

ברכות ל״ז ע״א

Berakhot 37a

Learn Berachos 37a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Berachos 37a in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Rice and the מזונות ברכה: the refutation of רב ושמואל, and the ברכות before and after grains, rice, and the שבעת המינים

Overview

The גמרא finishes explaining why רב ושמואל needed two statements. 'כל שיש בו' teaches that mixtures with the five grains get בורא מיני מזונות. 'כל שהוא' teaches that only the five grains get it, so אורז and דוחן do not, even when eaten plain. The גמרא defends this against two ברייתות: rice bread is only partly 'like a מעשה קדרה', and the ברייתא that lists rice as a real מעשה קדרה follows רבי יוחנן בן נורי, who holds that rice is a true grain. A תוספתא then gives cooked rice בורא מיני מזונות. It cannot follow רבי יוחנן בן נורי, so it must follow the רבנן, and רב ושמואל are refuted (תיובתא). The גמרא then examines that תוספתא line by line. Chewed wheat gets בורא פרי האדמה according to the רבנן but בורא מיני זרעים according to רבי יהודה. Whether rice gets מעין שלש afterward depends on a dispute between רבן גמליאל and the חכמים, illustrated by the story in יריחו where רבי עקיבא followed the majority. A new version of the dispute, quoted by רבי יהודה, begins at the end and continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

קָא מַשְׁמַע לַן — ״כֹּל שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ״.

He teaches us: 'anything that has [of the five grains] in it.'

וְאִי אַשְׁמְעִינַן ״כֹּל שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ״

And if he had only taught us 'anything that has in it'

הָוֵה אָמֵינָא כֹּל שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ חֲמֵשֶׁת הַמִּינִים — אִין,

I would have said: anything that has the five grains in it, yes [it gets מזונות],

אֲבָל אוֹרֶז וְדוֹחַן — לָא,

but rice and millet, no,

The steps (25)

  1. ResponseWhy the second statement was needed: mixtures count too
  2. ResponseWhy the first statement was needed: what we might have wrongly thought
  3. ConclusionOnly the five grains get מזונות, even rice eaten plain does not
  4. ChallengeChallenge: a ברייתא says rice bread gets ברכות like a cooked grain dish
  5. ChallengeCompleting the challenge: what ברכות a cooked grain dish gets
  6. ResolutionAnswer: rice is like a cooked dish in one way, but not in another
  7. ChallengeNew challenge: a ברייתא lists rice as a cooked grain dish
  8. ResolutionThe rice-as-cooked-dish ruling follows רבי יוחנן בן נורי
  9. ChallengeChallenge: do the רבנן really disagree? A תוספתא on wheat
  10. ProofThe תוספתא's rice section: rice bread gets מזונות even when whole
  11. QuestionThis תוספתא cannot follow רבי יוחנן בן נורי
  12. ChallengeThe תוספתא must follow the רבנן, refuting רב ושמואל
  13. ConclusionThe refutation stands
  14. StatementQuoting the תוספתא's ruling on chewing raw wheat
  15. ChallengeA ברייתא says the blessing is 'Who creates kinds of seeds'
  16. ResolutionTwo different תנאים: רבי יהודה and the רבנן
  17. ProofProof from the משנה: רבי יהודה requires specific blessings
  18. StatementQuoting the תוספתא's ruling on rice again
  19. ChallengeA ברייתא says rice gets nothing special at the end
  20. Resolutionרב ששת: the two sources follow different opinions
  21. ProofProof: רבן גמליאל is one level stricter on the seven species
  22. StatementThe story in יריחו: רבי עקיבא says the short ברכה
  23. Challengeרבן גמליאל rebukes רבי עקיבא
  24. Resolutionרבי עקיבא: the הלכה follows the majority
  25. Statementרבי יהודה begins another version of the dispute