Berachos 39a

ברכות ל״ט ע״א

Berakhot 39a

Learn Berachos 39a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

The size of a כזית, the story of בר קפרא's students, and the ברכות on cooked vegetables, their water, dill, and soaked bread

Overview

This amud opens by finishing a question. רבי יוחנן said a ברכה אחרונה on a pitted olive, which seems smaller than a כזית. The answer is that a כזית is measured by a medium olive, and his large olive stayed above that size even without its pit. A משנה confirms this, and רבי אבהו explains the olive's name. The גמרא then tries to show that the dispute over the ברכה on cooked vegetables goes back to the תנאים, using a story about two students before בר קפרא. It rejects that proof: the students may only have argued about which food comes first. Next come rulings on cut turnips and on vegetable dishes with flour, a side note about the health benefits of beets, and רב פפא's rule that cooking water gets the vegetable's ברכה. A משנה about dill shows that dill is added for flavor, which answers רב פפא's question. Finally, רב חייא בר אשי rules that soaked dry bread gets המוציא, and רבא challenges the claim that רבי חייא disagrees. The discussion of רבא's challenge continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (24)

1. ChallengeThe pitted olive seems too small
2. ResolutionThe measure is a medium olive, and his olive was large
3. ProofA משנה proves the standard is a medium olive
4. Statementרבי אבהו explains the name אגורי
5. ProofProposing that the dispute goes back to the תנאים
6. StatementA student blesses the pullets first and is mocked
7. Statementבר קפרא is first angry at the mocker
8. Statementבר קפרא turns his anger to the one who blessed
9. ConclusionBoth students died within the year
10. ProofReading the story as a dispute about the ברכה on cooked vegetables
11. RejectionRejection: they agreed on the ברכה but argued about which food comes first
12. Statementרב הונא: the ברכה on turnips depends on the size of the cut
13. Statementרב יהודה: turnips are always בורא פרי האדמה
14. Statementרב כהנא's first ruling on beet and turnip dishes with flour
15. Statementרב כהנא changes his mind: both dishes are בורא פרי האדמה
16. Statementרב חסדא: a beet dish is healthy
17. Statementאביי: only when it is cooked well
18. Statementרב פפא: vegetable water has the same ברכה as the vegetable
19. Questionרב פפא asks about dill water
20. ProofProof from the law of dill and תרומה
21. ConclusionThe גמרא accepts the proof
22. StatementSoaked dry bread still gets the ברכה of bread
23. StatementThis ruling seems to argue with רבי חייא
24. Challengeרבא asks why already broken pieces should be any different