Simanim 110-111: Tefilla Under Time Pressure

 

"Rabban Gamliel says: Pray eighteen benedictions each day.  R. Yehoshua says, like eighteen.  R. Akiva says, if your prayers are fluent pray eighteen, otherwise, like eighteen.

R. Eliezer says, if your prayers are formal then they are not supplications.

R. Yehoshua says, if you travel in a dangerous place pray a short prayer and say: Oh HaShem, rescue Your people, the remnant of Israel.  At every juncture let their needs be before You.  Blessed are You HaShem, who hears prayer  (Mishna Berakhot 28b)."

 

"What does "like eighteen" mean?  Rav said, the likeness of each and every blessing.  And Shemuel said "Havinenu:" "Enlighten us HaShem our God to know Your ways, and expose our hearts to your fear, and forgive so that we may be redeemed, distance us from our suffering and indulge us in the bounty of Your land, gather our dispersed from the four corners, and may the errant be judged according to Your knowledge.  Wave your hand on the wicked and make the righteous rejoice with the building of Your land and the establishment of Your sanctuary and in the flourishing of Your servant David, kindling the lamp of the Messiah, son of Yishai, answer us even before we call.  Blessed are you HaShem, Who hearkens to prayers.  [Each of the intermediate blessings is alluded to in this formulation.]  [But] Abaye cursed anyone who prayed "Havinenu."

 

Rav Nachman said in the name of Shemuel: you can pray Havinenu all year, except for Motzaei Shabbat and Motzaei Yom Tov, because then you have to say Havdala in "Chonen Ha-Da'at."

Raba bar Shemuel attacked this: So say it as a fourth benediction by itself!  Is it not taught [in the mishna]: R. Akiva says, say [havdala] as a fourth benediction by itself, and R. Eliezer says, say it in Hoda'a?

And do we conduct ourselves according to R. Akiva all  year, that we should start to do so now [in Havinenu]?!  Just as all year we don't act according to R. Akiva because eighteen, and not nineteen blessings were established, likewise Havinenu was established with seven blessings [three opening, Havinenu itself, and three closing] and not eight!

Mar Zutra attacked this: why don't we include it in Havinenu itself - enlighten us HaShem our God, Who distinguishes between the holy and the profance, etc.!

This seems a valid objection.

 

Rav Bibi bar Abaye said, you can pray Havinenu all year except for the rainy season, because then you must say the request [for rain] in the benediction of the years.

Mar Zutra attacked this: So include it - indulge us in the bounty of Your land and give dew and rain!

Then people will become confused.

If so, then adding havdala in chonen ha-da'at [as we do every Saturday night] should also make people confused!

They say that since it comes at the beginning of the prayer, it doesn't cause confusion, but here since it comes in the middle, it's confusing.

Rav Ashi attacked this: Why not say it in Shome'a Tefilla?  As Rav Tanchum said in the name of Rav Asi, if you erroneously omitted the mention of rain [meshiv ha-ruach u-morid ha-geshem] in "techiyat ha-metim" [the second berakha], you must start over, but if [you omitted] the request for rain [ten tal u-matar] in the benediction of the years [mevarekh ha-shanim] don't start over since you can say it in Shome'a Tefilla, and likewise [if you omitted] havdala in chonen ha-da'at don't start over since you can say it over a cup of wine [in the havdala ceremony]!

An error is different [and only because there is no choice do we allow the request for rain in shome'a tefilla].

 

...

 

It is taught [in a beraita]: If you are traveling in a place of packs of wild beasts and bandits, say a short prayer [and not the entire Shemoneh Esrei].  And what is this short prayer?  R. Eliezer says "Do Your will in heaven, and grant peace of mind to those who fear You down below, and do what is good in Your sight, blessed are You HaShem, Who hearkens to prayer.  R. Yehoshua says, Hear the plea of Your people Israel and hasten to fulfill their request , blessed are You HaShem, Who hearkens to prayer.  R. Elazar be-R. Tzadok says, hear the cry of Your people Israel and hasten to fulfill their request, blessed are You HaShem, Who hearkens to prayer.  Others say: The needs of Your people Israel are great and their patience is short, may it be Your will HaShem our God to give everyone enough for his livelihood and to each body what it lacks, blessed are You HaShem, Who hearkens to prayer.  Rav Huna said, the halakha is according to others.

 

Eliahu [the Prophet] said to Rav Yehuda the brother of Rav Sala Chasida: Don't anger, and don't become drunk, so that you will not sin; and when you travel, consult your Maker and then leave.  What does "Consult you Maker and then leave" mean?  R. Yaakov said in the name of Rav Chisda, this is the wayfarer's prayer [tefillat ha-derekh].  And R. Yaakov said in the name of Rav Chisda, anyone who goes out on the way must say tefillat ha-derekh.  What is tefillat ha-derekh?  May it be your will HaShem my God to lead me in peace, and guide my steps with peace, and bring me to my destination in peace.  And save me from the clutches of any foe or bandit on the way, and send blessing to my handiwork, and grant me grace and favor and kindness in Your eyes and in the eyes of all who see me; Blessed are You HaShem, Who hearkens to prayer.

 

Abaye said, you should always associate yourself with the community.  How should we say?  May it be Your will HaShem OUR God to lead US in peace etc.

When should one pray?  R. Yaakov said in the name of Rav Chisda, from the time that he goes on the road.  Until when?  R. Yaakov said in the name of Rav Chisda, until a parsa.  And how should it be said?  Rav Chisda said standing up, Rav Sheshet said even while walking. Once Rav Chisda and Rav Sheshet were traveling together, Rav Chisda stood up to say the prayer.  Rav Sheshet [who was blind] asked his attendant, what is Rav Chisda doing?  He replied, he's praying.  He then said help me stand up and I'll pray too - "When things are good no need to go according to the bad" [since I have the opportunity to say tefillat ha-derekh standing, there is no reason to say it walking even though it is permissible].

 

What is the difference between Havinenu and a short prayer?  Havinenu requires the first three and the last three blessings, and then when you reach home you do not need to go back and pray; in a short prayer you don't need to say the first three nor the last three, but when you reach home, you must go back and pray.  And the rule is: Havinenu standing up, a short prayer, standing up or even while walking  (Gemara Berakhot 29a-30a).

 

It is taught [in a beraita]: R. Yosi said, once I was on the road and I entered one of the ruins of Jerusalem to pray. Eliahu, of good mention, came and waited for me by the opening until I finished my prayers.  After I finished my prayers he said to me, Peace to you my master!  And I replied, Peace to you, my master and teacher!  Then he said to me, my son, why did you enter this ruin?  I replied, in order to pray.  And he said to me, you should have prayed on the roadside [because a ruin is a suspicious and dangerous place].  I said to him, I was afraid that passersby would interrupt me.  He said, you should have said a short prayer [Havinenu]"  (Berakhot 3a).

 

            Now read the Shulchan Arukh 110.

 

            Almost all of the details mentioned in the SA on our siman are explicitly mentioned in these passages.

 

            From the story of R. Yosi we learn that Havinenu is said specifically in a place where it would be difficult to concentrate on Shemone Esrei.  The story also supports the evident conclusion of the longer gemara cited, namely that Havinenu is indeed said - despite Abaye's objections; and some Rishonim conclude that Abaye only objects to saying Havinenu when there are NO extenuating circumstances.  (Some readings of the gemara say so explicitly.)

 

            At a shul I frequent in America I met a young gentleman who started attending minyan in order to say Kaddish.  Though he had some difficulty saying Kaddish, I noticed he had no difficulty keeping up with the lightning pace of the congregation.  He explained to me that the gaba'im instructed him that he should say Havinenu.  From a strict halakhic standpoint it seems that this is proper, since there is no doubt that this man's concentration would have been muddled if he had had to wade his way through all nineteen benedictions, all the time worrying if he would finish before the Shatz (who also repeated the prayers at lightning speed) in order to say Kaddish - which after all was his whole point in coming to shul.  I would add that quite a large fraction of now faithful mitzva-observers and shul-goers in America originally set foot in a proper synagogue for the first time only in order to say kaddish, and it is good to encourage them.  On the other hand, Abaye's curse seems to apply exactly to making Havinenu a regular habit, and so it was proper that this man received guidance from the gaba'im and not from the Rav, whose advice is more likely to turn into a fixed custom.

 

TEFILLAT HA-DEREKH

 

            In se'if 7 we learn that this prayer should be said within the first parsa, and only until the last parsa.  Fundamentally, these are not two separate rules but rather two different understandings of the gemara's question "Until when?"

 

            Two main questions arise nowadays, due to the differing conditions:

 

1. What if one is going more than a parsa (four miles, according to the MB; according to the Chazon Ish, about three of our miles) by car or train etc., when this distance means a trip of no more than ten minutes?  See MB s.k.30.  Rav Ovadia Yosef disagrees and rules that the prayer should be said only when the travelling TIME is more than four miles - seventy two minutes.

 

2. Today one can travel hundreds of miles without ever being more than a parsa from a settled area.  Does such a trip require saying tefillat ha-derekh?  It seems that if the way is considered dangerous it is "safe" to say the berakha, since according to the Taz one may say tefillat ha-derekh even on a trip within the city if there is danger.  Even though others disagree, it seems from the MB s.k. 29 that they do not consider it to be a "berakha levatala" - which would require refraining even adding the addition lenient consideration that most likely this is indeed considered to be travelling from city to city.

 

            If the way is not dangerous (the assessment of the danger is subjective - if a person feels it appropriate to "consult with his Maker" before going on such a trip), many people say the blessing without God's name if they will not be going through a deserted area.

 

111. ADJOINING "GA'AL YISRAEL" TO SHEMONEH ESREI

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            This subject was discussed at some length in a previous shiur, that on siman 66.  We pointed out that the opinions on this subject span the spectrum:

1. According to the Tur we say amen even to our own berakha - even without the Shatz.

2. According to the Rema we always say amen to the Shatz, but not to our own berakha.

3. According to the MB we say amen to the Shatz only if it is not together with our berakha (that is, not only does one's private berakha not require amen as the Tur holds, but it actually exempts from amen).

4. According to the SA, we never say amen to ga'al yisrael.

 

            Here I want to discuss another subject: the custom of many shelichei tzibur to say "ga'al yisrael" silently to avoid the problem altogether.  This custom obviously contradicts the mission of the Shaliach Tzibur which is to say the berakhot aloud.  It also causes confusion because the congregation is not sure exactly when the Amida begins.  According to the Rema it is pointless, since there is no problem answering amen to "ga'al yisrael," and according to the SA it is pointless since hearing ga'al yisrael does not create a dilemma since amen is definitely not said then.  I have a reference that the Arukh HaShulchan sanctions this but I can not find it neither in siman 66 nor in siman 111.  I don't have the stature to censure this practice, but I can state that the weight of authority  which I personally have seen on the subject accords with my personal instincts which are against it.