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Berachos 52b

ברכות נ״ב ע״ב

Berakhot 52b

Learn Berachos 52b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

The meal-time disputes of בית שמאי and בית הלל and the blessings of מוצאי שבת

Overview

This amud explains several disputes between בית שמאי and בית הלל about meals. First, the גמרא shows that their argument over washing hands or mixing the כוס first depends on whether a cup with an impure outside may be used. בית הלל add a second reason: the meal should come right after נטילת ידים. Next, they argue about where to put the drying cloth, on the table or on the cushion. The root question is whether a table that is a שני may be used, and בית הלל add that hand-washing for חולין is only rabbinic. Then the גמרא discusses sweeping versus washing after the meal, which depends on whether one may use an attendant who is an עם הארץ, and it gives the הלכה. The amud then turns to מוצאי שבת: the order of the blessings, where רבא follows רבי יהודה's version of בית הלל, and the wording of the fire blessing, which רב יוסף explains as one light versus many lights. It ends with why we do not bless on the spices of גוים, and opens a ברייתא about fire that 'rested.' The meaning of that term is explained on the next amud.

Opening lines

תּוֹכוֹ וְאוֹגְנוֹ

its inside and its rim

וְאׇזְנוֹ וְיָדָיו טְהוֹרִין.

and its ear-shaped handle and its handles are pure.

נִטְמָא תּוֹכוֹ — נִטְמָא כּוּלּוֹ.

If its inside became impure, all of it is impure.

בְּמַאי קָא מִיפַּלְגִי?

About what do they disagree?

The steps (49)

  1. StatementThe end of the quoted law: only the outside of the vessel is impure
  2. QuestionWhat is the root of their disagreement?
  3. Responseבית שמאי forbid using a cup with an impure outside
  4. Responseבית הלל permit the cup, so they worry about wet hands
  5. Responseבית הלל's second reason: the meal comes right after washing
  6. QuestionWhy did בית הלל need a second reason?
  7. ResponseEven by בית שמאי's own view, בית הלל's order is better
  8. StatementQuoting the next part of the משנה: drying the hands
  9. StatementA ברייתא explains בית שמאי: the cloth goes on the table, not the cushion
  10. ChallengeWhy not say the cushion makes the cloth itself impure?
  11. ResolutionA vessel does not make another vessel impure
  12. ChallengeWhy not say the cushion makes the person impure?
  13. ResolutionA vessel does not make a person impure
  14. Statementבית הלל: put the cloth on the cushion, not the table
  15. ChallengeWhy not say the table makes the food impure directly?
  16. ResolutionThe table is only a שני, which needs liquids to pass on טומאה
  17. QuestionWhat is the real root of their disagreement?
  18. Responseבית שמאי forbid using a second-degree impure table
  19. Responseבית הלל allow using a second-degree impure table
  20. Statementבית הלל's second reason: hand-washing for חולין is not from the Torah
  21. QuestionWhy does בית הלל need a second reason?
  22. ChallengeThe expected challenge: why protect food but not hands?
  23. ResolutionBetter that hands become impure than food
  24. StatementQuoting the next dispute in the משנה
  25. Statementבית שמאי: sweep first so the food is not ruined
  26. QuestionWhy does washing first ruin the food?
  27. ResponseBecause of the crumbs
  28. Statementבית הלל: a learned attendant leaves only tiny crumbs
  29. ProofThis supports רבי יוחנן on small crumbs
  30. QuestionWhat is the real root of the argument?
  31. ResponseThe argument depends on using an uneducated attendant
  32. StatementThe הלכה follows בית הלל except in this case
  33. Statementרבי אושעיא reverses the opinions
  34. StatementQuoting the next part of the משנה: candle and food
  35. Statementרבא blesses on spices first
  36. ChallengeBoth schools put the candle first
  37. Resolutionרבא explains why he blessed on spices first
  38. ConclusionThe people follow בית הלל as reported by רבי יהודה
  39. StatementQuoting the משנה's dispute about the fire blessing
  40. Statementרבא explains that the dispute is about the meaning of בּוֹרֵא
  41. Challengeרב יוסף challenges רבא with three פסוקים
  42. StatementThe real argument is one light or many lights
  43. ProofA ברייתא supports the many-lights explanation
  44. QuestionWhy not bless over the spices of gentiles?
  45. Responseרב: the case is a party of גוים for עבודה זרה
  46. ChallengeThe משנה lists עבודה זרה separately later
  47. ResolutionThe end of the משנה gives the reason for the first part
  48. StatementA blessing is said over fire that rested, not over fire that did not rest
  49. QuestionWhat does 'rested' and 'did not rest' mean?