Berakhot 093

Today's shiur is dedicated by Clifford Fishman on the occasion of the Yahrzeit of his father Carl Fishman z"l.

12:
We now continue and conclude the selection of personal additions to the Amidah that Talmudic sages were wont to make. The selection is reported in the Gemara [Berakhot 17a]:

I hope that the selection we have offered yesterday and today will serve to enable individuals to compose personal devotions of their own with which to end the recitation of their Amidah. At the very least they can adapt some of those quoted to their own tastes and needs, thus restoring an element of personal creativity and devotional novelty to their prayers – an end so important to the sages mentioned in our mishnah.

13:
The Seifa [last section] of our mishnah is not as simple as its translation would suggest. We translated "at every crossroad let their needs be before You", but even the sages of the Gemara [Berakhot 29b] were not certain what the Hebrew phrase that I rendered "crossroads" means. One suggestion connects the Hebrew root with "anger" or "pregnancy" (both philologically possible!): "Let all their needs be before You even when You are angry with them like a pregnant woman"(!) Another suggestion is to connect the Hebrew root with "crossing" in the sense of "transgressing" (also philologically possible) and to render the problematic phrase "… even when they are transgressing the Torah". I hope my own translation is less forced than either of these!

14:
A Baraita in the Gemara [Berakhot 29a] defines 'an area fraught with danger' as including one infested with wild animals or highwaymen! The Baraita also brings alternative texts to that attributed in the mishnah to Rabbi Yehoshu'a for the short prayer to replace the Amidah in time of acute danger. This fact once again serves to emphasize the practical fluidity of the textual tradition in Talmudic times, and its fluidity in principle even in our times.

Rabbi Eli'ezer's suggestion: "Do Your pleasure in Heaven above, and grant serenity of mind to them that fear You here below, and do what You think best. Blessed are You, Adonai, Who listens to prayer."

The suggestion of Rabbi El'azar ben-Zadok: Listen to the appeal of Your people Israel and speedily grant their request. Blessed are You, Adonai, Who listens to prayer."

We have already quoted [Berakhot 087] the text recommended by the majority of the sages: "The needs of Your people Israel are many and their understanding is limited. May it be Your pleasure, Adonai our God and God of our Ancestors, to grant every single one of us a sufficient income and every single person what they lack. Blessed are You, Adonai, Who listens to prayer". In the Amoraic period this last text was finally accepted as halakhah.