Yerushalmi Berakhot 8:1 ירושלמי ברכות ח׳:א׳

MISHNAH: These are the matters between the House of Shammai and the House of Hillel about meals. The House of Shammai say, one pronounces the benediction of the day¹The Qiddush of Friday night and holidays that has to precede the meal. and then the one over wine. But the House of Hillel say, one pronounces the benediction over wine and aftewards the one of the day.

HALAKHAH: What²The entire section is paralleled in Yerushalmi Pesaḥim 10:2 (with a slightly better text). The content of this paragraph is paralleled in Babli Berakhot 51b and, in language very close to the Babli, in Tosephta Berakhot5:25. Both Babli and Tosephta add that “practice follows the House of Hillel,” a seemingly unnecessary statement since practice always follows the House of Hillel (except if noted otherwise.) It seems that the Tosephta is very old, from before the times of Rabban Gamliel. The Yerushalmi either suppressed the note that was no longer relevant or quotes another source which never had that statement. is the reason of the House of Shammai? The Sanctification of the Day causes the wine to be served; he was obligated for the Sanctification of the Day³Since there is a Biblical injunction (Ex. 20:8): “Remember the Sabbath Day to declare it holy” and this obligation starts immediately at nightfall, whereas the meal is held later for technical reasons. The laws of Qiddush are discussed in Chapter 10 of Pesaḥim and reviewed in the author’s The Scholar’s Haggadah, pp. 209–227. before the wine was served. What is the reason of the House of Hillel? The wine causes the Sanctification of the Day to be recited⁴The Sanctification cannot be recited without food especially designated for the Sabbath. (However, Qiddush may also be recited over the Sabbath bread but this is not the preferred way, at least not in the Land of Israel where wine was and is abundant.). Another explanation: The wine is frequent, Sanctification is less frequent⁵The principle of sacral actions is: The more frequent action (or benediction) has precedence. This is spelled out by the Babli here; Yerushalmi sources are: Yoma 2:3, Šeqalim 8:6, Sukkah 5:6. Taäniot 4:5. The principle is implied by the Yerushalmi here. Both Houses have two reasons for their positions. Wine is more frequent since it is also used during weekdays and it may also be used for Havdalah..

Rebbi Yose⁶He is R. Yasa (Assi), colleague of R. Mana I. said: From the words of both of them⁷The Houses of Hillel and Shammai. it follows that for wine and Havdalah⁸The “separation” between Sabbath and weekdays that has to be recited at the end of Sabbath. The obligation of reciting Havdalah starts at the very moment of nightfall., the wine comes first. Is not the reason of the House of Shammai that the Sanctification of the Day causes the wine to be served? But here, Havdalah does not cause the wine to be served⁹Havdalah may be recited over any alcoholic beverage (in the opinion of the Babli, over any beverage, other than water, that is common in the country.) Qiddush may be recited only over wine or possibly the Sabbath bread.; wine therefore has precedence. Is not the reason of the House of Hillel that the wine is frequent, Sanctification of the Day is less frequent? Also here, wine is frequent and Havdalah is less frequent: the wine has precedence. Rebbi Mana said: From the words of both of them it follows that for wine and Havdalah,Havdalah comes first. Is not the reason of the House of Shammai that he was obligated for the Sanctification of the Day before the wine came? Also here, since he is obligated for Havdalah before the wine came, Havdalah has precedence. Is not the reason of the House of Hillel that the wine causes the Sanctification of the Day to be recited? But here, the wine does not cause Havdalah to be recited: Havdalah has precedence⁹Havdalah may be recited over any alcoholic beverage (in the opinion of the Babli, over any beverage, other than water, that is common in the country.) Qiddush may be recited only over wine or possibly the Sabbath bread..

Rebbi Zeïra said: One infers from the words of both of them¹¹Rebbi Yose and Rebbi Mana. that one may make Havdalah without wine but one may not make Qiddush without wine¹²Whereas the Babli (Pesaḥim 106b) allows one to make Qiddush over bread, at least in Babylonia where wine is hard to come by.. That is the opinion of Rebbi Zeïra since Rebbi Zeïra said: One makes Havdalah on alcoholic beverages¹³Any alcoholic beverage, including low grade beer. The opinion of the Babli is not clearly stated (Pesaḥim107a), but the practice there is spelled out that any alcoholic beverage common in a country may be used for Havdalah. Current practice allows even non-alcoholic beverages, except water, as long as they are commonly used (Oraḥ Ḥayyim 296(2)). but one goes from one place¹⁴The physical exertion of the walk may interfere with one’s Sabbath rest but the duty to hear Qiddush recited over wine has precedence. to another to hear Qiddush.

The Great Rebbi Yose said: Over there¹⁵In Babylonia., they have the custom that at a place without wine, the reader stands before the Ark¹⁶For a formal prayer, a kind of shortened repetition of the ‘Amidah. Normally, evening prayers are communal without a reader., recites one benediction that contains seven¹⁷The middle portion of the prayer by the reader contains allusions to all seven benedictions of the Sabbath ‘Amidah: “(1) Shield of the Patriarch, (2) He Who revives the dead by His command, (3) the Holy God, (4) Who gives rest to His people, (5) before Him we shall serve (6) and give thanks to His name, God of thanksgiving, (7) Master of peace.” Today, the benediction is recited always except the first night of Passover when everybody is required to drink four cups of wine; thus, there is no reason to replace Qiddush by public prayer. In Babylonian sources, the benediction is not mentioned explicitly; in Medieval sources, a different reason is given for the benediction., and closes by “He Who sanctifies Israel and the Sabbath Day¹⁸This is the Israeli formula. The Babylonian one has only “He Who sanctifies the Sabbath,” probably because the Sabbath is a cosmic day of rest in contrast to holidays that exist only in Jewish history..”

It is difficult in the opinion of the House of Shammai, how to proceed on Friday evening if someone was sitting and eating on Friday afternoon, it got dark, and there was only one cup of wine¹⁹One returns to the discussion of the Mishnah. One may not start a meal Friday afternoon close to the Sabbath (Mishnah Shabbat 1:2) but one may start earlier and continue until nightfall. The Talmud (Babli Pesaḥim100a, Yerushalmi Pesaḥim 10:1, fol. 37b) reports that R. Yehudah bar Illai requires one to stop before nightfall, but R. Yose bar Ḥalaphta lets him continue, and practice follows R. Yose. It is assumed here that even the House of Shammai will accept the position of R. Yose.? You must say that he reserves the cup until after the recitation of Grace and includes all other benedictions. Obviously, if he would want to pronounce the benediction for the day, Grace has precedence²⁰Even if one continues, the Sabbath meal must be separate since eating on Sabbath is a religious obligation. Hence, Grace must be said for the preceding meal and, if one has wine, it must be recited over a cup of wine.. If he wants to recite the benediction over wine, the day has precedence²¹According to the House of Shammai.. One may infer this from the following (Mishnah 8:9): “If wine was brought to them after the meal and there was only one cup.²²In that situation, the House of Shammai say that one starts Grace with the benediction over wine while the House of Hillel require the benediction for wine after Grace. It would seem that in our situation also, the wine could come before Qiddush.” Rebbi Abba said: Because it is a very short benediction, he might forget and drink²³He might inadvertently drink from the wine after Grace without a benediction. This is a special situation and the House of Shammai will not agree to apply that Mishnah to it.. But here, he connects everything with the cup of wine and he will not forget. How should he proceed according to the House of Shammai? He should recite Grace first, after that he makes Qidddush, and only after that he recites the benediction over the wine.

It is difficult in the opinion of the House of Hillel, how may one proceed at the end of the Sabbath if someone was sitting and eating on Sabbath, it got dark, and there was only one cup of wine? You say, he reserves it²⁴The cup of wine that should follow Grace and precede Havdalah. until after the meal and connects everything to it. What can you say? Shall he recite the benediction for the wine, Grace has precedence. Shall he recite Grace, the light has precedence²⁵After the end of the Sabbath, one has to recite not only Havdalah but with it a benediction for man-made fire (that was forbidden on the Sabbath and now can be kindled anew) and spices (to make up for the loss of the intensified pleasure one derives from the Sabbath that now is being lost.) The invention of man-made fire is traditionally attributed to Adam at the end of his first Sabbath, see Halakhah 6. The problem here is that one must make the benediction for the light as soon as one profits from newly lit fire.. Shall he recite for the light, Havdalah has precedence. We may infer from the following²⁶Tosephta Berakhot 5:30, Babli Berakhot 52a. In both of these sources, the House of Shammai is reported to require light before spices and the House of Hillel spices before light. R. Arieh Leib Yellin in his Yephe Enayim points out that the text of the Yerushalmi is consistent with all the inferences drawn here and in Halakhah 5. Hence, there is a genuine difference in tradition between Galilee and Babylonia.: “Rebbi Yehudah said, the house of Shammai and the house of Hillel do not disagree that Grace comes first and Havdalah at the end. They disagree only over light and spices because the House of Shammai say spices and afterwards light, but the house of Hillel say light and afterwards spices.” Rebbi Abba and Rav Jehudah²⁷Two Babylonians, one an authority in Galilee, the other in Babylonia. They are responsible for enforcing uniformity in Jewish custom in both countries.: Practice follows him who says spices and afterwards light. What should he do following the opinion of the House of Hillel? He should say Grace first, afterwards he should recite the benediction over wine and afterwards Havdalah.

A holiday that starts at the end of Sabbath. Rebbi Yoḥanan said YQNH, wine, Qiddush, light, Havdalah. Ḥanan bar Abba said in the name of Rav: Wine, Qiddush, light, Havdalah, sukkah, time³⁰He agrees with Rebbi Yoḥanan but includes all possibilities that may be appropriate for a holiday. The benediction for time is: “He Who let us live, kept us, and let us reach this time.” This benediction is not recited on the last day of Passover. Hence, Rebbi Yoḥanan gives the minimal formula as pointed out in the Babli (Pesaḥim101b).. Rebbi Ḥanina said, NHYQ³¹Light, Havdalah, wine, Qiddush. In the Babli (Pesaḥim 102a), this order is attributed to R. Joshua, the early highest authority who is given his full name, R. Joshua ben Ḥananiah. It is possible that this led to the substitution of “R. Joshua ben Levi” for “Samuel” in the following parable. However, Rashbam (R. Samuel ben Meïr), in his commentary to Babli Pesaḥim, quotes R. Ḥanina as requiring YNHQ, wine, light, Havdalah, Qiddush. But this is the undisputed order of Levi here who is described as taking a middle road between R. Ḥanina and R. Yoḥanan. The Venice print of the Yerushalmi has the impossible reading YNHYQ which is a confluence of the codes attributed to R. Ḥanina in the Babli and the Yerushalmi.. Samuel follows the opinion of Rebbi Ḥanina since Rebbi Aḥa said in the name of Rebbi Joshua ben Levi³²Rashbam quotes “in the name of Samuel”. In the Babli, as mentioned earlier, this parable is from “R. Ḥanina illustrating the words of R. Joshua ben Ḥananiah.”: A king³³The king is the Sabbath and the subordinate prefect is the holiday; the Sabbath has to be mentioned first, including the light that belongs to the ceremony of Sabbath end, before making Qiddush for the holiday. Since holidays also give one spiritual ease, spices are not added at the end of a Sabbath that is the start of a holiday. leaves and a prefect comes. One accompanies the king and only afterwards does one receive the prefect. Levi said YNHQ³⁴Wine, light, Havdalah, Qiddush; first the full Havdalah and then an appended Qiddush. In the Babli (Pesaḥim102a), Levi is reported as requiring QNYH, in opposition to everybody mentioned here.. It seems that Levi says it both ways³⁵He puts wine first following R. Yoḥanan and Havdalah before Qiddush following R. Ḥanina.. Rebbi Zeïra asked before Rebbi Yose³⁶R. Yasa (Assi) elsewhere. The Babylonian R. Zeïra inquired from the Tiberian R. Assi whether the practice in Galilee was identical with the Babylonian.: What does one do in practice? He said to him: one follows Rav and Rebbi Yoḥanan. And so it became the practice following Rav and Rebbi Yoḥanan.

When Rebbi Abbahu went to the South³⁷The region of Lod, the only remaining Jewish settlement in Judea and the Southern plain. R. Abbahu lived in Caesarea and personally followed the rule of R. Ḥanina who always speaks in the name of the authority of Rebbi., he followed Rebbi Ḥanina. When he descended³⁸Tiberias is below sea level. From Caesarea Philippi (Banias) one has to descend, from Caesarea Maritima via Bet Sheän one would ascend. to Tiberias, he followed Rebbi Yoḥanan in order not to disagree with anybody in his home town.

The opinion of Rebbi Ḥanina is understandable. It is difficult to understand Rebbi Yoḥanan: Does one not pronounce the benediction over the light at all other days that one should extinguish it⁴⁰Since the light is for celebration only; it is extinguished after Havdalah. The light for Havdalah is preferably a torch, but the light for a meal is from a lamp.? And here, he makes the benediction over the light so that he should not extinguish it⁴¹On a holiday, one may light a fire (from an existing one) but one may not extinguish it. Hence, the light in our case is a light for the meal, not for Havdalah, and should precede Qiddush irrespective of the order of Qiddush and Havdalah. [In current practice, the wife lights the candles first with her own benediction and the husband then recites his benediction (after Qiddush) over the same lights. That does not seem to be reasonable. It may be assumed that R. Ḥanina requires either husband or wife to recite the first benediction over light.]. How does Rebbi Yoḥanan handle this? Since he has wine⁴²For a full meal for which the light is needed., his light will not go out. Then he might say the benediction over the light at the end⁴³When the light is really needed for the food.. In order not to disturb its timing from other Sabbaths⁴⁴To keep the order wine - (spices) - light - Havdalah as a matter of course..