| 13a. לא שיעקר יעקב ממקומו אלא ישראל עיקר ויעקב טפל לו וכן הוא אומר (ישעיהו מג, יח) אל תזכרו ראשונות וקדמוניות אל תתבוננו אל תזכרו ראשונות זה שעבוד מלכיות וקדמוניות אל תתבוננו זו יציאת מצרים (ישעיהו מג, יט),הנני עושה חדשה עתה תצמח תני רב יוסף זו מלחמת גוג ומגוג,משל למה הדבר דומה לאדם שהיה מהלך בדרך ופגע בו זאב וניצל ממנו והיה מספר והולך מעשה זאב פגע בו ארי וניצל ממנו והיה מספר והולך מעשה ארי פגע בו נחש וניצל ממנו שכח מעשה שניהם והיה מספר והולך מעשה נחש אף כך ישראל צרות אחרונות משכחות את הראשונות:,(דברי הימים א א, כז) אברם הוא אברהם,בתחלה נעשה אב לארם ולבסוף נעשה אב לכל העולם כולו,שרי היא שרה,בתחלה נעשית שרי לאומתה ולבסוף נעשית שרה לכל העולם כולו:,תני בר קפרא כל הקורא לאברהם אברם עובר בעשה שנאמר (בראשית יז, ה) והיה שמך אברהם רבי אליעזר אומר עובר בלאו שנאמר (בראשית יז, ה) ולא יקרא עוד [את] שמך אברם,אלא מעתה הקורא לשרה שרי הכי נמי,התם קודשא בריך הוא אמר לאברהם (בראשית יז, טו) שרי אשתך לא תקרא את שמה שרי כי שרה שמה,אלא מעתה הקורא ליעקב יעקב ה"נ,שאני התם דהדר אהדריה קרא דכתיב (בראשית מו, ב) ויאמר אלהים לישראל במראות הלילה ויאמר יעקב יעקב,מתיב רבי יוסי בר אבין ואיתימא רבי יוסי בר זבידא (נחמיה ט, ז) אתה הוא ה' האלהים אשר בחרת באברם,אמר ליה התם נביא הוא דקא מסדר לשבחיה דרחמנא מאי דהוה מעיקרא:, br br big strongהדרן עלך מאימתי /strong /big br br,מתני׳ big strongהיה /strong /big קורא בתורה והגיע זמן המקרא אם כוון לבו יצא,בפרקים שואל מפני הכבוד ומשיב ובאמצע שואל מפני היראה ומשיב דברי ר' מאיר,ר' יהודה אומר באמצע שואל מפני היראה ומשיב מפני הכבוד ובפרקים שואל מפני הכבוד ומשיב שלום לכל אדם,אלו הן בין הפרקים בין ברכה ראשונה לשניה בין שניה לשמע בין שמע לוהיה אם שמוע בין והיה אם שמוע לויאמר בין ויאמר לאמת ויציב,ר' יהודה אומר בין ויאמר לאמת ויציב לא יפסיק,אמר ר' יהושע בן קרחה למה קדמה פרשת שמע לוהיה אם שמוע כדי שיקבל עליו עול מלכות שמים תחלה ואחר כך מקבל עליו עול מצות והיה אם שמוע לויאמר שוהיה אם שמוע נוהג בין ביום ובין בלילה ויאמר אינו נוהג אלא ביום בלבד:, big strongגמ׳ /strong /big ש"מ מצות צריכות כוונה,מאי אם כוון לבו לקרות לקרות והא קא קרי,בקורא להגיה:,ת"ר ק"ש ככתבה דברי רבי וחכ"א בכל לשון,מ"ט דרבי אמר קרא והיו בהוייתן יהו,ורבנן מאי טעמייהו אמר קרא שמע בכל לשון שאתה שומע,ולרבי נמי הא כתיב שמע ההוא מבעי ליה השמע לאזניך מה שאתה מוציא מפיך,ורבנן סברי להו כמאן דאמר לא השמיע לאזנו יצא,ולרבנן נמי הא כתיב והיו ההוא מבעי להו שלא יקרא למפרע,ורבי שלא יקרא למפרע מנא ליה נפקא ליה מדברים הדברים ורבנן דברים הדברים לא דרשי,למימרא דסבר רבי דכל התורה כולה בכל לשון נאמרה דאי סלקא דעתך בלשון הקודש נאמרה והיו דכתב רחמנא למה לי,איצטריך משום דכתיב שמע,למימרא דסברי רבנן דכל התורה כולה בלשון הקודש נאמרה דאי סלקא דעתך בכל לשון נאמרה שמע דכתב רחמנא למה לי,איצטריך משום דכתיב והיו:,ת"ר והיו שלא יקרא למפרע הדברים על לבבך יכול תהא כל הפרשה צריכה כוונה תלמוד לומר האלה עד כאן צריכה כוונה מכאן ואילך אין צריכה כוונה דברי ר' אליעזר,א"ל רבי עקיבא הרי הוא אומר | 13a. bnot thatthe name bJacob will beentirely buprooted from its place, but thatthe name bIsraelwill be the bprimaryname bto whichthe name bJacobwill be bsecondary,as the Torah continues to refer to him as Jacob after this event. bAnd it also saysthat the ultimate redemption will overshadow the previous redemption in the verse: b“Do not remember the former events, and do not ponder things of old”(Isaiah 43:18), and the Gemara explains: b“Do not remember the former events,” that is the subjugation to the kingdoms, and “do not ponder things of old,” that is the exodus from Egypt,which occurred before the subjugation to the nations.,With regard to the following verse: b“Behold, I will do new things, now it will spring forth”(Isaiah 43:19), bRav Yosef taughta ibaraita /i: bThis refers to thefuture bwar of Gog and Magog,which will cause all earlier events to be forgotten.,The Gemara cites ba parable: To what is this comparable? To a person who was walking along the way and a wolf accosted him and he survived it, and he continued to relate the story of the wolf. A lion accosted him and he survived it, and he continued to relate the story of the lion. A snake accosted him and he survived it, he forgot boththe lion and the wolf, band he continued to relate the story of the snake.Each encounter was more dangerous and each escape more miraculous than the last, so he would continue to relate the most recent story. bSo toowith bIsrael; more recent troubles cause the earliertroubles bto be forgotten. /b,Having mentioned the changing of Jacob’s name, the Gemara addresses the changing of the names of Abraham and Sarah. What is the meaning of changing Abram’s name to Abraham? As it is stated: b“Abram is Abraham”(I Chronicles 1:27).,The Gemara explains: bInitially he became a father,a minister, and prominent person, only bto Aram,so he was called Abram, father [av] of Aram, band ultimatelywith God’s blessing bhe became the father of the entire world,so he was called Abraham, father of the masses [ iav hamon /i], as it is stated: “I have made you the father of a multitude of nations” (Genesis 17:5).,Similarly, what is the meaning of changing Sarai’s name to Sarah? The same concept applies to Sarai as to Abram: bSarai is Sarah.” /b,The Gemara explains: bInitially she was a princessonly bto her nation:My princess [ iSarai /i], bbut ultimately she became Sarah,a general term indicating that she was princess bfor the entire world. /b,Also, with regard to Abraham’s name, bbar Kappara taught: Anyone who calls Abraham Abram transgresses a positive mitzva, as it is stated: “And your name will be Abraham”(Genesis 17:5). This is a positive mitzva to refer to him as Abraham. bRabbi Eliezer says:One who calls Abraham Abram btransgresses a negative mitzva, as it is stated: “And your name shall no longer be called Abram,and your name will be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations” (Genesis 17:5).,The Gemara asks: bButif we consider these obligatory statements, then bfrom herewe must infer that bone who calls Sarah Sarai alsotransgresses a positive or negative mitzva.,The Gemara answers: bTherein the case of Sarah, it is not a general mitzva, rather bthe Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Abrahamalone: “And God said to Abraham, byour wife Sarai, you shall not call her name Sarai; rather, Sarah is her name”(Genesis 17:15). In contrast, this is stated regarding Abraham in general terms: “Your name shall no longer be called Abram.”,Again, the Gemara asks: bBut if that is so, one who calls Jacob Jacob,about whom it is written: “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel” (Genesis 32:29), balsotransgresses a mitzva.,The Gemara answers: bIt is different there, as the verse reverts backand God Himself refers to Jacob as Jacob, bas it is writtenbefore his descent to Egypt: b“And God said to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob,and he said, ‘Here I am’” (Genesis 46:2)., bRabbi Yosei bar Avin, and some say Rabbi Yosei bar Zevida, raised an objectionto the statements of bar Kappara and Rabbi Eliezer based on what is said in the recounting of the history of the Jewish people: b“You are the Lord, God, Who chose Abramand took him out of Ur Kasdim and made his name Abraham” (Nehemiah 9:7). Here the Bible refers to him as Abram.,The Gemara responds: bThere, the prophet is recounting God’s praises,including bthat which wasthe situation boriginally,before his name was changed to Abraham. Indeed, the verse continues: “You took him out of Ur Kasdim and made his name Abraham, and found his heart faithful before You and made a covet with him to give him the land of Canaan…to give to his descendants, and You fulfilled Your words for You are righteous” (Nehemiah 9:7–8).,, strongMISHNA: /strong The first question discussed in the mishna is the question of intent. bOne who was readingthe sections of bthe Torahwhich comprise iShema /i, band the time for the recitationof the morning or evening iShema barrived, if he focused his heart, he fulfilledhis obligation and need not repeat iShemain order to fulfill his obligation. This is true even if he failed to recite the requisite blessings (Rabbeinu Ḥael)., iAb initio /i, one may not interrupt the recitation of iShema /i. The itanna’im /i, however, disagree over how strict one must be in this regard. They distinguish between interruptions between paragraphs and interruptions within each paragraph. bAt thebreaks between bparagraphs, one may greetan individual bdue to the respectthat he is obligated to show him, band one may respondto another’s greeting due to respect. bAnd in the middleof each paragraph bone may greetan individual bdue to the fearthat the individual may harm him if he fails do so ( iMe’iri /i) band one may respondto another’s greeting due to fear. This is the bstatement of Rabbi Meir. /b, bRabbi Yehuda says:There is a distinction between greeting someone and responding to his greeting. bIn the middleof each paragraph, one may bgreetanother bdue to fear and respond due to respect. In thebreaks between bparagraphs, one may greetanother bdue to respect and respond with a greeting to any personwho greets him, whether or not he is obligated to show him respect.,As for what constitutes a paragraph, bthese arethe breaks bbetween the paragraphs: Between the first blessing and the second, between the second and iShema /i, between iShemaandthe second paragraph: bIf you indeed heedMy commandments b[ iVeHaya im Shamoa /i], between iVeHaya im Shamoaandthe third paragraph: bAnd the Lord spoke [ iVaYomer /i] and between iVaYomerand True and Firm[iemet veyatziv/b], the blessing that follows iShema /i.,The Rabbis held that each blessing and each paragraph of iShemaconstitutes its own entity, and treat interruptions between them as between the paragraphs. bRabbi Yehuda,however, bsays: Between iVaYomerand iemet veyatziv /i,which begins the blessing that follows iShema /i, bone may not interruptat all. According to Rabbi Yehuda, these must be recited consecutively.,Since the paragraphs of iShemaare not adjacent to one another in the Torah, and they are not recited in the order in which they appear, the mishna explains their placement. bRabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa said: Why,in the mitzva of the recitation of iShema /i, bdid the portion of iShemaprecedethat of iVeHaya im Shamoa /i?This is bso that one will first accept upon himself the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven,the awareness of God and God’s unity, band only then accept upon himself the yoke of the mitzvot,which appears in the paragraph of iVeHaya im Shamoa /i. Why did iVeHaya im Shamoa /iprecede iVaYomer /i?Because the paragraph of iVeHaya im Shamoais practiced both by day and by night,while iVaYomer /i,which discusses the mitzva of ritual fringes, bis only practiced during the day. /b, strongGEMARA: /strong We learned in the mishna that one must focus his heart while reading the portion of iShemain the Torah in order to fulfill his obligation. From here, the Gemara seeks to conclude: bLearn from thisthat bmitzvot require intent,when one performs a mitzva, he must intend to fulfill his obligation. If he lacks that intention, he does not fulfill his obligation. With that statement, this Gemara hopes to resolve an issue that is raised several times throughout the Talmud.,The Gemara rejects this conclusion: bWhat isthe meaning of: bIf one focused his heart?It means that one had the intention bto read.The Gemara attacks this explanation: How can you say that it means that one must have intention bto read? Isn’t he already reading?The case in the mishna refers to a person who is reading from the Torah. Therefore, focused his heart must refer to intention to perform a mitzva.,The Gemara rejects this: Perhaps the mishna speaks of one who bis readingthe Torah not for the purpose of reciting the words, but bin order to emendmistakes in the text. Therefore, if he focused his heart and intended to read the words and not merely emend the text, he fulfills his obligation. He need not have the intention to fulfill his obligation., bThe Sages taughtin a ibaraitathat Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi and the Rabbis disagreed with regard to the language in which iShemamust be recited. This dispute serves as an introduction to a broader analysis of the question of intent: iShema /imust be recited bas it is written,in Hebrew, this is the bstatement of RabbiYehuda HaNasi. bAnd the Rabbis say: iShemamay be recited bin any language. /b,The Gemara seeks to clarify: bWhat is the reason for RabbiYehuda HaNasi’s opinion? The Gemara answers: The source for his ihalakhalies in the emphasis on the word: b“Andthese words, which I command you this day, bwill beupon your heart” (Deuteronomy 6:6). “Will be” means bas they are, so shall they be;they should remain unchanged, in their original language.,The Gemara seeks to clarify further: bAnd what is the reason for the Rabbis’opinion? The Gemara answers: The source upon which the Rabbis base their opinion is, bas it is stated: “Hear,Israel” (Deuteronomy 6:4), which they understand to mean that iShemamust be understood. Therefore, one may recite iShema bin any language that youcan bhearand understand.,The Gemara explains how Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi and the Rabbis each contend with the source cited by the other. bAnd according to RabbiYehuda HaNasi, bisn’t it also stated: “Hear,Israel”? How does he explain this verse? The Gemara responds: bHe requires this versein order to derive a different ihalakha /i: bMake your ears hear what your mouth utters,i.e., one must recite iShemaaudibly so he hears it while reciting it., bAnd fromwhere do bthe Rabbisderive that one must recite iShemaaudibly? The Rabbis do not accept the literal interpretation of the word iShema /i; rather, bthey hold in accordance with the one who said: One who recited iShemain a manner binaudible to hisown bears, fulfilledhis obligation.,The Gemara asks: bAnd according to the Rabbis, isn’t it also written: “And they will be”?How do the Sages explain that emphasis in the verse? The Gemara answers: bThey, too, require thisexpression to derive bthat one may not recite iShema bout of order.One may not begin reciting iShemafrom the end, but only in the order in which it is written., bAnd from where does RabbiYehuda HaNasi derive the ihalakha bthat one may not recite iShema bout of order?The Gemara answers: Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi bderives itfrom an additional emphasis in the verse: “And the words [ ihadevarim /i], which I command you this day, will be upon your heart.” The verse could have conveyed the same idea had it written: bWords [ idevarim /i],without the definite article. However, it says bthe words [ ihadevarim /i],employing the definite article, emphasizing that it must be recited in the specific order in which it is written. bThe Rabbis,however, bdo not deriveanything from the fact that bthe words,with the definite article, was written in place of bwords,without the definite article.,The Gemara seeks to link this debate to another: bIs that to say that RabbiYehuda HaNasi bholds that the entire Torah,i.e., any portion of the Torah which must be read publicly ( iTosafot /i), or if one studies or reads the Torah in general ( iMe’iri /i), bmay be recited in any language? As if it should enter your mindto say bthatthe entire Torah bmay only be recited in the holy tongueand not in any other, bthen why do I need that which the Torah wrote: “And they will be”?Prohibiting recitation of iShemain a language other than Hebrew is superfluous, if indeed one is prohibited from reciting any portion of the Torah in a language other than Hebrew. Since the Torah saw the need to specifically require iShemato be recited in Hebrew, it must be because the rest of the Torah may be recited in any language.,The Gemara rejects this: This is not necessarily so, as the phrase: And they will be bis necessaryin this case bbecause iShema /i,hear, bisalso bwritten.Had it not been for the phrase: And they will be, I would have understood hear, to allow iShemato be recited in any language, in accordance with the opinion of the Rabbis. Therefore, and they will be, was necessary.,The Gemara attempts to clarify: bIs that to say that the Rabbis hold that the entire Torah may only be recited in the holy tongueand not in any other? bAs if it should enter your mindto say bthatthe Torah bmay be recited in any language, then why do I require that which the Torah wrote: iShema /i,hear? One is permitted to recite the entire Torah in any language, rendering a specific requirement regarding iShemasuperfluous.,The Gemara rejects this: iShema bis necessaryin any case, bbecause and they will be, isalso bwritten.Had it not been for iShema /i, I would have understood this in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, that one is prohibited from reciting iShemain any other language. Therefore, iShema /i, is necessary.,The interpretation of these verses is the source of a fundamental dispute concerning the obligation to recite iShemaand the required intent during its recitation. bThe Rabbis taught:From: bAnd they will be,it is derived that bone may not recite iShema bout of order.From: bThese words…upon your heart,it is derived that they must be recited with intent. I bmighthave thought that bthe entire paragraph requires intent? Therefore the verse teaches: These,to indicate that bto this point, one must have intent,but bfrom here on one need not have intent,and even if he recites the rest of iShemawithout intent he fulfills his obligation. This is the bstatement of Rabbi Eliezer. /b, bRabbi Akiva said to him: Butthe verse bstates: /b |
