## Mishnah Berakhot Chapter 9

###### Mishnah Berakhot 9:1
[Mishnah Berakhot 9:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Mishnah%20Berakhot/r/9:1)

הָרוֹאֶה מָקוֹם שֶׁנַּעֲשׂוּ בוֹ נִסִּים לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, אוֹמֵר בָּרוּךְ שֶׁעָשָׂה נִסִּים לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה. מָקוֹם שֶׁנֶּעֶקְרָה מִמֶּנּוּ עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה, אוֹמֵר בָּרוּךְ שֶׁעָקַר עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה מֵאַרְצֵנוּ:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
This mishna, which includes all of this chapter’s *mishnayot*, contains a series of blessings and *halakhot* that are not recited at specific times, but rather in response to various experiences and events.
**MISHNA:<strong> One who sees a place where miracles occurred on Israel’s behalf recites: Blessed…Who performed miracles for our forefathers in this place. One who sees a place from which idolatry was eradicated recites: Blessed…Who eradicated idolatry from our land.**</strong>


###### Mishnah Berakhot 9:2
[Mishnah Berakhot 9:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Mishnah%20Berakhot/r/9:2)

עַל הַזִּיקִין, וְעַל הַזְּוָעוֹת, וְעַל הַבְּרָקִים, וְעַל הָרְעָמִים, וְעַל הָרוּחוֹת, אוֹמֵר בָּרוּךְ שֶׁכֹּחוֹ וּגְבוּרָתוֹ מָלֵא עוֹלָם. עַל הֶהָרִים, וְעַל הַגְּבָעוֹת, וְעַל הַיַּמִּים, וְעַל הַנְּהָרוֹת, וְעַל הַמִּדְבָּרוֹת, אוֹמֵר בָּרוּךְ עוֹשֵׂה מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, הָרוֹאֶה אֶת הַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל אוֹמֵר בָּרוּךְ שֶׁעָשָׂה אֶת הַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל, בִּזְמַן שֶׁרוֹאֶה אוֹתוֹ לִפְרָקִים. עַל הַגְּשָׁמִים וְעַל הַבְּשׂוֹרוֹת הַטּוֹבוֹת אוֹמֵר בָּרוּךְ הַטּוֹב וְהַמֵּטִיב, וְעַל שְׁמוּעוֹת רָעוֹת אוֹמֵר בָּרוּךְ דַּיַּן הָאֱמֶת:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
One who sees conspicuous natural occurrences recites a blessing. **For *zikin* and *zeva’ot*,** which the Gemara will discuss below, **for lightning, thunder,** and gale force **winds,** manifestations of the power of the Creator, one **recites: Blessed…Whose strength and power fill the world. For** extraordinary (Rambam) **mountains, hills, seas, rivers, and deserts, one recites: Blessed…Author of creation.** Consistent with his opinion that a separate blessing should be instituted for each individual species, **Rabbi Yehuda says: One who sees the great sea recites** a special blessing: **Blessed…Who made the great sea.** As with all blessings of this type, one only recites it **when he sees** the sea **intermittently,** not on a regular basis. **For rain and** other **good tidings, one recites** the special blessing: **Blessed…Who is good and Who does good.** Even **for bad tidings, one recites** a special blessing: **Blessed…the true Judge.**


###### Mishnah Berakhot 9:3
[Mishnah Berakhot 9:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Mishnah%20Berakhot/r/9:3)

בָּנָה בַיִת חָדָשׁ, וְקָנָה כֵלִים חֲדָשִׁים, אוֹמֵר בָּרוּךְ שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ. מְבָרֵךְ עַל הָרָעָה מֵעֵין הַטּוֹבָה, וְעַל הַטּוֹבָה מֵעֵין הָרָעָה. הַצּוֹעֵק לְשֶׁעָבַר, הֲרֵי זוֹ תְּפִלַּת שָׁוְא. כֵּיצַד. הָיְתָה אִשְׁתּוֹ מְעֻבֶּרֶת, וְאָמַר, יְהִי רָצוֹן שֶׁתֵּלֵד אִשְׁתִּי זָכָר, הֲרֵי זוֹ תְּפִלַּת שָׁוְא. הָיָה בָא בַדֶּרֶךְ וְשָׁמַע קוֹל צְוָחָה בָּעִיר, וְאָמַר יְהִי רָצוֹן שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיוּ אֵלּוּ בְּנֵי בֵיתִי, הֲרֵי זוֹ תְּפִלַּת שָׁוְא:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
Similarly, when **one built a new house or purchased new vessels, he recites: Blessed…Who has given us life, sustained us, and brought us to this time.** The mishna articulates a general principle: **One recites a blessing for the bad** that befalls him **just as** he does **for the good.** In other words, one recites the appropriate blessing for the trouble that he is experiencing at present despite the fact that it may conceal some positive element in the future. **Similarly,** one must recite a blessing for **the good** that befalls him **just as for the bad.** The mishna states: **And one who cries out over the past** in an attempt to change that which has already occurred, **it is a vain prayer.** For example, **one whose wife was pregnant and he says: May it be** God’s **will that my wife will give birth to a male child, it is a vain prayer.** Or **one who was walking on the path** home **and he heard the sound of a scream in the city, and he says: May it be** God’s **will that** this scream **will not be from my house, it is a vain prayer.** In both cases, the event already occurred.


###### Mishnah Berakhot 9:4
[Mishnah Berakhot 9:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Mishnah%20Berakhot/r/9:4)

הַנִּכְנָס לִכְרַךְ מִתְפַּלֵּל שְׁתַּיִם, אַחַת בִּכְנִיסָתוֹ וְאַחַת בִּיצִיאָתוֹ. בֶּן עַזַּאי אוֹמֵר, אַרְבַּע, שְׁתַּיִם בִּכְנִיסָתוֹ וּשְׁתַּיִם בִּיצִיאָתוֹ, וְנוֹתֵן הוֹדָאָה לְשֶׁעָבַר, וְצוֹעֵק לֶעָתִיד לָבֹא:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Sages also said: **One who enters a large city,** the Gemara explains below that this is in a case where entering the city is dangerous, **recites two prayers: One upon his entrance,** that he may enter in peace, **and one upon his exit,** that he may leave in peace. **Ben Azzai says:** He recites **four** prayers, **two upon his entrance and two upon his exit.** In addition to praying that he may enter and depart in peace, he **gives thanks for the past and cries out** in prayer **for the future.**


###### Mishnah Berakhot 9:5
[Mishnah Berakhot 9:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Mishnah%20Berakhot/r/9:5)

חַיָּב אָדָם לְבָרֵךְ עַל הָרָעָה כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהוּא מְבָרֵךְ עַל הַטּוֹבָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ו) וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁךָ וּבְכָל מְאֹדֶךָ. בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ, בִּשְׁנֵי יְצָרֶיךָ, בְּיֵצֶר טוֹב וּבְיֵצֶר רָע. וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁךָ, אֲפִלּוּ הוּא נוֹטֵל אֶת נַפְשֶׁךָ. וּבְכָל מְאֹדֶךָ, בְּכָל מָמוֹנֶךָ. דָּבָר אַחֵר בְּכָל מְאֹדֶךָ, בְּכָל מִדָּה וּמִדָּה שֶׁהוּא מוֹדֵד לְךָ הֱוֵי מוֹדֶה לוֹ בִּמְאֹד מְאֹד. לֹא יָקֵל אָדָם אֶת רֹאשׁוֹ כְּנֶגֶד שַׁעַר הַמִּזְרָח, שֶׁהוּא מְכֻוָּן כְּנֶגֶד בֵּית קָדְשֵׁי הַקָּדָשִׁים. לֹא יִכָּנֵס לְהַר הַבַּיִת בְּמַקְלוֹ, וּבְמִנְעָלוֹ, וּבְפֻנְדָּתוֹ, וּבְאָבָק שֶׁעַל רַגְלָיו, וְלֹא יַעֲשֶׂנּוּ קַפַּנְדַּרְיָא, וּרְקִיקָה מִקַּל וָחֹמֶר. כָּל חוֹתְמֵי בְרָכוֹת שֶׁהָיוּ בַמִּקְדָּשׁ, הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים מִן הָעוֹלָם. מִשֶּׁקִּלְקְלוּ הַמִּינִין, וְאָמְרוּ, אֵין עוֹלָם אֶלָּא אֶחָד, הִתְקִינוּ שֶׁיְּהוּ אוֹמְרִים, מִן הָעוֹלָם וְעַד הָעוֹלָם. וְהִתְקִינוּ, שֶׁיְּהֵא אָדָם שׁוֹאֵל אֶת שְׁלוֹם חֲבֵרוֹ בַּשֵּׁם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (רות ב) וְהִנֵּה בֹעַז בָּא מִבֵּית לֶחֶם, וַיֹּאמֶר לַקּוֹצְרִים יְיָ עִמָּכֶם, וַיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹ, יְבָרֶכְךָ יְיָ. וְאוֹמֵר (שופטים ו) יְיָ עִמְּךָ גִּבּוֹר הֶחָיִל. וְאוֹמֵר (משלי כג) אַל תָּבוּז כִּי זָקְנָה אִמֶּךָ. וְאוֹמֵר (תהלים קיט) עֵת לַעֲשׂוֹת לַייָ הֵפֵרוּ תוֹרָתֶךָ. רַבִּי נָתָן אוֹמֵר, הֵפֵרוּ תוֹרָתֶךָ עֵת לַעֲשׂוֹת לַייָ:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The mishna articulates a general principle: **One is obligated to recite a blessing for the bad** that befalls him **just as he recites a blessing for the good** that befalls him, **as it is stated: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,** with all your soul, and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). The mishna explains this verse as follows: “**With all your heart”** means **with your two inclinations, with your good inclination and your evil inclination,** both of which must be subjugated to the love of God. **“With all your soul”** means **even if God takes your soul. “And with all your might”** means **with all your money,** as money is referred to in the Bible as might. **Alternatively,** it may be explained that “**with all your might”** means **with every measure that He metes out to you;** whether it is good or troublesome, **thank Him.** The mishna teaches several Temple-related *halakhot*. **One may not act irreverently** or conduct himself flippantly **opposite the eastern gate** of the Temple Mount, **which is aligned opposite the Holy of Holies.** In deference to the Temple, one **may not enter the Temple Mount with his staff, his shoes, his money belt [*punda*], or** even **the dust on his feet. One may not make** the Temple **a shortcut** to pass through it, **and through an *a fortiori* inference,** all the more so **one may not spit** on the Temple Mount. The mishna relates: **At the conclusion of all blessings** recited **in the Temple, those** reciting the blessing **would say:** Blessed are You Lord, God of Israel, **until everlasting [*haolam*]**, the world. But **when the Sadducees strayed and declared** that **there is but one world** and there is no World-to-Come, the Sages **instituted that** at the conclusion of the blessing **one recites: From everlasting [*haolam*] to everlasting [*haolam*]**. The Sages also **instituted that one should greet another in the name** of God, i.e., one should mention God’s name in his greeting, **as it is stated: “And presently Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the harvesters, The Lord is with you, and they said to him, May the Lord bless you”** (Ruth 2:4). **And it says:** “And the angel of God appeared to him **and said to him, God is with you, mighty man of valor”** (Judges 6:12). **And it says: “And despise not your mother when she is old”** (Proverbs 23:22), i.e., one must not neglect customs which he inherits. **And** lest you say that mentioning God’s name is prohibited, **it says: “It is time to work for the Lord; they have made void Your Torah”** (Psalms 119:126), i.e., it is occasionally necessary to negate biblical precepts in order to perform God’s will, and greeting another is certainly God’s will. **Rabbi Natan says** another interpretation of the verse: **“Make void Your Torah” because “it is the time to work for the Lord,”** i.e., occasionally it is necessary to negate biblical precepts in order to bolster the Torah.