The EDB Sit edition, an audio series of the Talmud Bavli, Masechet Megillah, has been dedicated by our good friend Mr. Stephen and his wife Gila Israel, who are charter members of our Daf Yomi shiur, for the success of both sets of parents and, of course, their dear children. May Hashem protect them and give them life, and with God's help, they should have continued success and prosperity in all their endeavors. This Masechet has also been dedicated by Stephen and his wife for the elevation of the souls of Adel bat Roza and Sarah bat Adel. May the spirit of Hashem rest upon them in Gan Eden along with all the children of Israel who lie with them, with all mercy and forgiveness, and let us say Amen. Today’s Daf is being studied for the elevation of the soul of Avraham ben Esther. May the spirit of Hashem rest upon him in Gan Eden, Amen. Today’s Daf is also being studied for the elevation of the soul of Rachel bat Shulamit, who passed away at a young age. May the spirit of Hashem rest upon her in Gan Eden, Amen.
We begin today’s Daf on Yud Chet Amud Rishon, and we are eight lines down. The subject of our Gemara discusses the order of the blessings of the Amidah. Until now, we have progressed to the blessing of Modim, and the order of the blessings of the Amidah has been based on verses that the Gemara justified for each blessing in its respective slot. Now, the Gemara interrupts the order of the blessings to discuss an insert that we have in the Amidah during the Chazarah, which is Birkat Kohanim. The Gemara asks: “What prompted the sages to place Birkat Kohanim after the blessing of Hoda'ah?” Why did the Chachamim deem it fit to insert the blessing for the Kohanim after the blessing of Hoda'ah, which states, “Ha-tov shimcha u-lecha na'eh lehodot,” and then immediately follow with the blessing for the Kohanim? Why this placement?
The Gemara answers: “It is based on a verse: ‘Vayissa Aharon et yadav el ha-am, va-yevarechem.’” It states that Aharon raised his hands to the people and blessed them, which refers to Birkat Kohanim. Following this, it mentions that he went down from performing the offerings. The Gemara understands that this indicates that after he completed the service of the offerings, he then blessed the people. The Gemara questions: “Could we not say that he blessed the people first?” The verse states, “Vayissa Aharon et yadav el ha-am, va-yevarechem,” and then it continues, “Va-yered,” indicating that he went down to bring the korban. So who told you that it happened after the korban? The Gemara responds: “Lo salka da'atach.” We would not think to interpret the verse that way. Why? Because it is written, “Va-yered me'asot hachatat.” If it had said, “La'asot,” meaning he went down to bring the korban, that would suggest he had not yet performed the service. However, since it says “me'asot,” it implies that he had already completed the service before the blessing. Thus, we see from this verse that the order should be that the avodah must precede Birkat Kohanim.
However, this contradicts the order of the Amidah that we have, where we place Birkat Kohanim after Hoda'ah. According to this verse, Birkat Kohanim should come after the blessing of Avodah, which is Retzei, which discusses the offerings, and then we should place Birkat Kohanim. The Gemara then asks: “So why did you place Birkat Kohanim after Hoda'ah based on this verse, which indicates that Aharon the Kohen first brought the korban?” The Gemara again states: “Lo salka da'atach.” We wouldn’t think such a thing. Why? Because it is written, “Zoveiach toda yechabdeneni.” We learned on the previous Daf that Hoda'ah must be next to the korban. The blessing of Retzei discusses the korbanot, such as the korban chatat and the korban shelamim.
The Gemara continues: “What do you see from this? You have two verses here. One implies that Hoda'ah must be next to the Avodah, and that is why we place Modim next to Avodah. But we have another verse that implies that the Birkat Kohanim must come next to the Avodah, as it says, ‘Va-yered me'asot hachatat,’ which means he came down from performing his chatat and then blessed the people. So make up your mind: What is supposed to be next to the Avodah? Is it Birkat Kohanim or korban toda?” The Gemara asks: “Why do you rely on the verse of Zoveiach toda more than on the verse about Aharon?” The Gemara answers: “Mistabra avodah ve-hoda'ah.” It makes more sense that Avodah and Hoda'ah are connected because they are one subject. Avodah refers to the service of Hashem through the korbanot, and Hoda'ah is also considered a service to Hashem, particularly as we understand it in relation to the korbanot.
Thus, when the verse states about Aharon, “Va-yered me'asot hachatat,” it means that Avodah and Hoda'ah are one unit. Therefore, we place Birkat Kohanim after Hoda'ah. The Gemara now turns to analyze the last blessing of the Amidah, Sim Shalom. Why does it find itself in the 19th slot? The Gemara asks: “What prompted them to say Sim Shalom after Birkat Kohanim?” The Gemara answers: “It is based on a verse: ‘Vesamu et shemi al bnei Yisrael va-ani avarchem.’” The verse states that the Kohanim will place My name upon the Jewish people, and then what does Borei Olam say? “Va-ani avarchem,” and I will bless the people. The Gemara concludes that the blessing of Hashem to the Jewish people is the blessing of peace, as it states, “Hashem yivarech et amo bashalom.” Therefore, the order is Birkat Kohanim followed by Sim Shalom.
The Gemara then poses a question regarding Rabbi Shimon Hapakuli, who was the one that arranged the Amidah in front of Rabban Gamliel in the yeshiva of Yavne. The Gemara asks: “Since there were 120 elders, and among them were several prophets who instituted the prayer in order, what did Shimon Hapakuli arrange?” The Gemara answers: “Shachachum ve-chazar vesidrum.” The order was forgotten. This implies that even though the order of the Amidah was not forgotten, the reasons behind the order were lost. Therefore, he came along and provided the verses to justify why they placed the blessings in their respective orders.
The Gemara continues with a general rule: After the institution of the Amidah according to the blessings we have, it is forbidden to add praises of Hashem to the Amidah. This means that one cannot add a twentieth blessing to the Amidah. The Gemara states: “Rabbi Elazar said: What does it mean when it says in the verse, ‘Who is worthy to sing the praises of Hashem? Who can sound all His praises?’” The Gemara explains: “Who is befitting to sing the praises of Hashem? Only one who can recite all of His praises.” Since no one is able to do that, whatever the Chachamim established is sufficient. If a person starts adding praises beyond what the Chachamim established, it is as if he is saying, “Is that it? You finished?” By adding an extra blessing, he implies that he has completed all the praises of Hashem.
Rabbah bar bar Chana said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: “Anyone who overly praises Hashem with excessive accolades and adjectives beyond what the Chachamim established is uprooted from the world.” As it states: “Is it possible that someone can speak of all the praises of Hashem? If someone tries to do so, he is worthy to be swallowed up.” The Gemara continues with a similar teaching from Rabbi Yehuda, who said: “What does it mean when it says in the verse, ‘To You, silence is praise’? The Gemara explains: “The best praise you can give to Hashem is silence. When a person attempts to praise someone, he limits that person with words and adjectives. When one is faced with praising Hashem, what could one possibly say? Thus, the greatest praise is to remain silent, as Hashem is above all terminology and words.
When Rav Dimi came, he said: “In the West, they said: ‘A word is worth a coin, but silence is worth two.’” The Gemara discusses the value of silence, stating that anyone can talk, but being silent requires wisdom. Therefore, the Gemara concludes that the value of silence is twice that of words. An interesting question arises from a prayer we recite every Shabbat, Nishmat Kol Chai. In Nishmat Kol Chai, we say: “If our mouths were filled with song like the sea, and our tongues with praise like the waves, and our lips with praise as vast as the heavens, and our eyes shining like the sun and moon, and our hands spread like the eagles of the sky, and our feet swift like the gazelles, with all that, we cannot thank You for even one of the thousands of thousands of things You do.” This indicates that we cannot say anything at all. Then, we say: “Therefore, the limbs You have split among us and the tongue You have placed in our mouths, they will thank, bless, praise, and glorify You.” This presents a contradiction: If we cannot say anything, then why do we say that we will praise You?
The explanation given is that the king had an advisor who was very close to him. This advisor was a Jew, which created jealousy among the other advisors. They tried to malign him to break that relationship. One day, they suggested to the king that he should tell the advisor to throw him a banquet to see if he truly cares for him. The king agreed. The advisor prepared the banquet with great effort and expense. When the king arrived, everyone was celebrating, but the advisor appeared sad. The jealous advisors pointed this out to the king, suggesting that the advisor was upset about the expense. The king decided to test the advisor again by offering to pay for the next banquet. The advisor prepared the banquet again, but this time he was joyful because he did not have to spend his own money. The advisors reported back to the king that the advisor was only happy because he did not spend his own money. The king confronted the advisor, demanding an explanation for his behavior.
The advisor explained that when he was spending his own money, he felt that no matter how much he spent, he could never give the king the honor he deserved. Therefore, he was upset, thinking he had not fulfilled his obligation. However, when the king provided the budget, he knew he had fulfilled his obligation. The same applies to our situation: If we had unlimited powers and were superhuman, we could never properly praise Hashem because we would always fall short. However, since we have a limited capacity, we can praise Him within the constraints He has given us.
The Gemara continues discussing the praises of silence, stating that the best praise for Hashem is silence. It is better to remain silent than to attempt to praise Him with words that can never fully encompass His greatness. The Gemara concludes with various teachings about the significance of silence in praising Hashem, emphasizing that true praise comes from recognizing the limitations of human expression.
As the Gemara progresses, it addresses various aspects of the reading of the Megillah, including the requirement for the reader to recite the verses correctly and the implications of reading from memory versus from a written text. The discussions highlight the importance of accuracy in the recitation of the Megillah and the various circumstances under which one may fulfill their obligation to read it. The Gemara also examines the nuances of different opinions regarding the reading of the Megillah, providing a comprehensive understanding of the halachic principles governing this important mitzvah.
In conclusion, the study of Masechet Megillah reveals the intricate relationship between the blessings of the Amidah, the significance of proper recitation, and the profound nature of our praises to Hashem. It emphasizes the importance of intention, accuracy, and the recognition of our limitations in expressing gratitude and reverence to the Creator.