Translation:Mishnah/Seder Zeraim/Tractate Berakhot/Chapter 5

Mishnah 1

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[One] should not stand up to pray unless he is in a serious frame of mind {lit. "heaviness of head"}.

The original pious ones used to wait one hour and then pray,

in order to direct their hearts towards the Omnipresent.

[While one is reciting Shemona Esrei,] even if a [Jewish] king greets him {lit. "asks about his welfare"}, he should not respond to him,

and even if a [non-poisonous] snake wraps around his heel, he should not interrupt [verbally].

Mishnah 2

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[We] mention the request for rain {lit. "Strength of the Rains"; ref. to the short prayer Mashiv Haruach} in [the blessing of] Techiyat Hameitim (Resurrection of the dead);

and [we] ask for rain [by adding the phrase V'tein tal umatar l'vracha] in Birkat Hashanim (Blessing of the year's crops);

and [we recite] Havdalah (Separation between sacred and mundane) in [the blessing of] Chonein Hadaat (Imbuer of knowledge).

Rabbi Akiva says:

One recites [Havdalah] as a fourth blessing by itself [before Chonein Hadaat].

Rabbi Eliezer says:

[One recites Havdalah] in the blessing of Modim (Thanksgiving).

Mishnah 3

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One who says [to Hashem]:

• "To the nest of a bird does Your compassion reach!"
• "On the good shall Your Name be mentioned!"
• "Modim Modim" (repetition of the prayer)

[We] silence him.

One who leads the prayer service {lit. "passes before the ark"}, and falters;

[the congregation should] replace him with another.

And he [who is asked to serve as the replacement] should not [courteously] refuse at such a time.

And from where should [the replacing leader] begin?

From the beginning of the blessing in which [the first leader] faltered.

Mishnah 4

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One who leads the prayers {lit. "passes before the ark"}

should not repond after [the blessing of] the kohanim [by saying] "Amen",

because [he may] lose his concentration [and become unable to begin the next blessing].

If there is no kohen there [to recite the Priestly Blessing],

He should not recite the Priestly Blessing {lit. "He should not lift his palms"}.

But, if he is confident that he will [be able to] recite the Priestly Blessing {lit. "lift his palms} and then return to his prayer,

he is permitted.

Mishnah 5

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One who is praying, and makes a mistake,

it is a bad omen for him;

and if he was a delegate of the congregation, it is a bad omen for his delegators (the congregation),

because "a person's messenger is [considered] like himself".

They used to say about Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa

that when he would pray for the sick,

he would say, "This one will live, and this one will die".

They said to him: "How do you know"?

He replied to them:

"If the prayer is fluent in my mouth, then I know that it has been accepted;

and if not, then I know that it has been torn up [because the person is better off dying]."