## Mishnah Berakhot Chapter 5

###### Mishnah Berakhot 5:1
[Mishnah Berakhot 5:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Mishnah%20Berakhot/r/5:1)

אֵין עוֹמְדִין לְהִתְפַּלֵּל אֶלָּא מִתּוֹךְ כֹּבֶד רֹאשׁ. חֲסִידִים הָרִאשׁוֹנִים הָיוּ שׁוֹהִים שָׁעָה אַחַת וּמִתְפַּלְּלִים, כְּדֵי שֶׁיְּכַוְּנוּ אֶת לִבָּם לַמָּקוֹם. אֲפִלּוּ הַמֶּלֶךְ שׁוֹאֵל בִּשְׁלוֹמוֹ, לֹא יְשִׁיבֶנּוּ. וַאֲפִלּוּ נָחָשׁ כָּרוּךְ עַל עֲקֵבוֹ, לֹא יַפְסִיק:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**One** may **only stand** and begin to pray **from** an approach of **gravity** and submission. There is a tradition that **the early** generations of **pious** men **would wait one hour,** in order to reach the solemn frame of mind appropriate for prayer, **and** then **pray, so that they would focus their hearts toward their Father in Heaven.** Standing in prayer is standing before God and, as such, **even** if **the king greets him, he should not respond to him; and even if a snake is wrapped on his heel, he should not interrupt** his prayer.


###### Mishnah Berakhot 5:2
[Mishnah Berakhot 5:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Mishnah%20Berakhot/r/5:2)

מַזְכִּירִין גְּבוּרוֹת גְּשָׁמִים בִּתְחִיַּת הַמֵּתִים, וְשׁוֹאֲלִין הַגְּשָׁמִים בְּבִרְכַּת הַשָּׁנִים, וְהַבְדָּלָה בְּחוֹנֵן הַדָּעַת. רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר, אוֹמְרָהּ בְּרָכָה רְבִיעִית בִּפְנֵי עַצְמָהּ. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, בְּהוֹדָאָה:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
This mishna speaks of additions to the standard formula of the *Amida* prayer and the blessings in which they are incorporated. **One mentions the might of the rains** and recites: He makes the wind blow and the rain fall, **in** the second blessing of the *Amida* prayer, the blessing of **the revival of the dead. And the request** for rain: And grant dew and rain as a blessing, **in** the ninth blessing of the *Amida* prayer, **the blessing of the years. And the prayer of distinction [*havdala*],** between the holy and the profane recited in the evening prayer following Shabbat and festivals, **in** the fourth blessing of the *Amida* prayer: **Who graciously grants knowledge. Rabbi Akiva says:** *Havdala* **is recited** as **an independent fourth blessing. Rabbi Eliezer says** that it is recited **in** the seventeenth blessing of the *Amida* prayer, the blessing of **thanksgiving.**


###### Mishnah Berakhot 5:3
[Mishnah Berakhot 5:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Mishnah%20Berakhot/r/5:3)

הָאוֹמֵר עַל קַן צִפּוֹר יַגִּיעוּ רַחֲמֶיךָ, וְעַל טוֹב יִזָּכֵר שְׁמֶךָ, מוֹדִים מוֹדִים, מְשַׁתְּקִין אוֹתוֹ. הָעוֹבֵר לִפְנֵי הַתֵּיבָה וְטָעָה, יַעֲבֹר אַחֵר תַּחְתָּיו, וְלֹא יְהֵא סָרְבָן בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה. מִנַּיִן הוּא מַתְחִיל, מִתְּחִלַּת הַבְּרָכָה שֶׁטָּעָה בָהּ:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
Concluding the laws of prayer in this tractate, the mishna raises several prayer-related matters. This mishna speaks of certain innovations in the prayer formula that warrant the silencing of a communal prayer leader who attempts to introduce them in his prayers, as their content tends toward heresy. **One who recites** in his supplication: Just as **Your mercy is extended to a bird’s nest,** as You have commanded us to send away the mother before taking her chicks or eggs (Deuteronomy 22:6–7), so too extend Your mercy to us; **and** one who recites: **May Your name be mentioned with the good** or one who recites: **We give thanks, we give thanks** twice, they **silence him.** This mishna and the next one deal with the communal prayer leader. **(If one says: “May the good bless You,” this is a path of heresy.) One who is passing before the ark,** as prayer leader, **and erred, another should** immediately **pass in his place, and at that moment,** this replacement **should not refuse** in the interest of courtesy. The *Amida* prayer was interrupted and he should replace him as quickly as possible. **From where does** the replacement **commence? From the beginning of the blessing in which** the former **had erred.**


###### Mishnah Berakhot 5:4
[Mishnah Berakhot 5:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Mishnah%20Berakhot/r/5:4)

הָעוֹבֵר לִפְנֵי הַתֵּיבָה, לֹא יַעֲנֶה אַחַר הַכֹּהֲנִים אָמֵן, מִפְּנֵי הַטֵּרוּף. וְאִם אֵין שָׁם כֹּהֵן אֶלָּא הוּא, לֹא יִשָּׂא אֶת כַּפָּיו. וְאִם הַבְטָחָתוֹ שֶׁהוּא נוֹשֵׂא אֶת כַּפָּיו וְחוֹזֵר לִתְפִלָּתוֹ, רַשַּׁאי:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
In order to prevent the prayer leader from erring in his prayer, it was said that **one who passes before the ark should not respond amen after the** blessing of the **priests, because of** potential **confusion.** Since the mishna is describing a situation in which he was praying without a prayer book, responding amen would interrupt the order of the prayer and potentially lead him to begin a different blessing. For this reason, even **if there is no priest other than** the communal prayer leader, **he does not lift his hands** to bless the people, lest he become confused. **And,** however, **if he is certain that he can lift his hands and resume his prayer** without becoming confused, **he is permitted** to recite the blessing.


###### Mishnah Berakhot 5:5
[Mishnah Berakhot 5:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Mishnah%20Berakhot/r/5:5)

הַמִּתְפַּלֵּל וְטָעָה, סִימָן רַע לוֹ. וְאִם שְׁלִיחַ צִבּוּר הוּא, סִימָן רַע לְשׁוֹלְחָיו, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁשְּׁלוּחוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם כְּמוֹתוֹ. אָמְרוּ עָלָיו עַל רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בֶן דּוֹסָא, כְּשֶׁהָיָה מִתְפַּלֵּל עַל הַחוֹלִים וְאוֹמֵר, זֶה חַי וְזֶה מֵת. אָמְרוּ לוֹ, מִנַּיִן אַתָּה יוֹדֵעַ. אָמַר לָהֶם, אִם שְׁגוּרָה תְפִלָּתִי בְּפִי, יוֹדֵעַ אֲנִי שֶׁהוּא מְקֻבָּל. וְאִם לָאו, יוֹדֵעַ אֲנִי שֶׁהוּא מְטֹרָף:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
Concluding its discussion of the *halakhot* of prayer, the mishna discusses less practical aspects of prayer. **One who prays and** realizes that he **erred** in his prayer, it is **a bad omen for him;** it indicates to him that his prayer was not accepted. **And if he** who erred **is the communal prayer leader,** it is **a bad omen for those who sent him, because a person’s agent** has legal status **equivalent to his own.** On a similar note, **they said about Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa that he would pray on** behalf of **the sick and** immediately after his prayer he would **say: This** one shall recover from his illness and **live and this** one shall **die.** When **they said to him: From where do you know? He said to them: If my prayer is fluent in my mouth** as I recite it and there are no errors, **I know that** my prayer **is accepted. And if not, I know that** my prayer **is rejected.**