1] Days Begin at the End
2] Marking the End of the Day with Prayer
Lay us down, Adonai our God, in peace, and raise us up again, our ruler, to [new] life. And guide us with Your good counsel. Save us for Your name's sake.
Shield us from every enemy, plague, sword, famine, and sorrow. Remove the adversary from before and behind us. Shelter us in the shadow of Your wings,
Guard our going out and our coming in, and grant us life and peace, now and always.
Blessed are You, Adonai, who guards the people of Israel forever.
Blessed…Who makes the bands of sleep fall upon my eyes and slumber upon my eyelids,
and illuminates the pupil of the eye.
May it be Your will, O Lord my God,
that You make me lie down in peace and give me my portion in Your Torah,
accustom me to mitzvot and do not accustom me to transgression,
lead me not into error, nor into iniquity, nor into temptation nor into disgrace.
May the good inclination have dominion over me
and may the evil inclination not have dominion over me.
Save me from an evil mishap and evil diseases.
Let neither bad dreams nor troubling thoughts disturb me.
May my bed be flawless before You, that my progeny should not be flawed.
Enlighten my eyes in the morning lest I sleep the sleep of death, never to awaken.
Blessed are You, O Lord, Who gives light to the whole world in His glory.
3] The Week Ends and Shabbat Begins
4] Learning Ends and Begins Again
ואמר אביי תיתי לי דכי חזינא צורבא מרבנן דשלים מסכתיה עבידנא יומא טבא לרבנן.
And Abaye said: May I receive my reward because when I see a young Torah scholar who has completed a tractate, I make a feast for the Sages.
(כו) הַגָּה: כְּשֶׁמְּסַיֵּם מַסֶּכֶת, מִצְוָה לִשְׂמֹחַ וְלַעֲשׂוֹת סְעֻדָּה, וְנִקְרֵאת סְעֻדַּת מִצְוָה.
REMA: When you finish a tractate, it is a mitzvah to celebrate and to make a feast, which is considered a mitzvah feast.
הֲדְרָן עֲלָךְ מַסֶּכֶת (יאמר שם המסכת) וְהֲדְרָךְ עֲלָן, דַּעְתָּן עֲלָךְ מַסֶּכֶת (יאמר שם המסכת) וְדַעְתָּךְ עֲלָן. לָא נִתֽנְשֵׁי מִינָךְ מַסֶּכֶת (יאמר שם המסכת) וְלֹא תִתְנְשֵׁי מִינָן, לָא בְּעָלְמָא הָדֵין וְלֹא בְּעָלְמָא דְאַָתֵי:
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ ה' אֱלֹקֵינוּ וֶאֱלֹקֵי אַבוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁתְּהֵא תוֹרָתְךָ אֻמָּנוּתֵנוּ בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה ותְהֵא עִמָּנוּ לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. חֲנִינָא בַּר פָּפָּא, רָמִי בַּר פָּפָּא, נַחְמָן בַּר פָּפָּא, אַחָאי בַּר פָּפָּא, אַבָּא בַּר פָּפָּא, רַפֽרָם בַּר פָּפָּא, רָכִישׁ בַּר פָּפָּא, סוּרְחָב בַּר פָּפָּא, אַדָּא בַּר פָּפָּא, דָּרוּ בַּר פָּפָּא:
הַעֲרֵב נָא ה' אֱלֹקֵינוּ, אֶת דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָתְךָ בְּפִינוּ וּבְפִיפִיּוֹת עַמְּךָ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְנִהְיֶה אֲנַחְנוּ כּוּלָנוּ וְצֶאֱצָאֵינוּ וְצֶאֱצָאֵי עַמְּךָ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל, כּוּלָנוּ יוֹדְעֵי שְׁמֶךָ וְלוֹמְדֵי תּוֹרָתְךָ. מֵאֹיְבַי, תְּחַכְּמֵנִי מִצְוֹתֶךָ: כִּי לְעוֹלָם הִיא-לִי. יְהִי-לִבִּי תָמִים בְּחֻקֶּיךָ-- לְמַעַן, לֹא אֵבוֹש לְעוֹלָם, לֹא-אֶשְׁכַּח פִּקּוּדֶיךָ: כִּי בָם, חִיִּיתָנִי. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' לַמֽדֵנִי חֻקֶּיךָ.
We will return to you, Tractate ____ [fill in the name of the tractate], and you will return to us; our mind is on you, Tractate ____, and your mind is on us; we will not forget you, Tractate ____, and you will not forget us – not in this world and not in the next world.
May it be Your will, our God, and the God of our fathers, that we should be loyal to Your Torah in this world, and it should be with us in the next world. Chaninah bar Pappa, Rami bar Pappa, Nachman bar Pappa, Achai bar Pappa, Aba bar Pappa, Rafram bar Pappa, Rachish bar Pappa, Sorchav bar Pappa, Ada bar Pappa, Daro bar Pappa.
Please make it sweet, God our God, the words of Your Torah. In our mouths, and in the mouths of your nation the House of Israel. And it should be that we, all of us, our children and the children of your nation the House of Israel, that we should all know Your name and learn Your Torah. [Psalms 119:98] "Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me." [Psalms 119:80] "Let my heart be complete in Your statutes, in order that I may not be put to shame." [Psalms 119:93] "I will never forget Your precepts; for with them You have quickened me." [Psalms 119:12] "Blessed are You O God, teach me Your statutes."
מוֹדִים אֲנַחְנוּ לְּפָנֶיךָ ה' אֱלֹקֵינוּ וֶאֱלֹקֵי אַבוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁשַּׂמְתָּ חֶלְקֵנוּ מִיּוֹשְׁבֵי בֵּית הַמִּדְרָשׁ, וְלֹא שַׂמְתָּ חֶלְקֵנוּ מִיּוֹשְׁבֵי קְרָנוֹת. שֶׁאָנוּ מַשְׁכִּימִים וְהֵם מַשְׁכִּימִים אָנוּ מַשְׁכִּימִים לְדִבְרֵי תּוֹרָה וְהֵם מַשְׁכִּימִים לִדְבָרִים בְּטֵלִים. אָנוּ עֲמֵלִים וְהֵם עֲמֵלִים. אָנו עֲמֵלִים וּמְקַבְּלִים שָׂכָר וְהֵם עֲמֵלִים וְאֵינָם מְקַבְּלִים שָׂכָר. אָנוּ רָצִים וְהֵם רָצִים. אָנוּ רָצִים לְחַיֵּי הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, וְהֵם רָצִים לִבְאֵר שַׁחַת. שֶׁנֱאמַר: וְאַתָּה אֱלֹקים, תּוֹרִדֵם לִבְאֵר שַׁחַת--אַנְשֵׁי דָמִים וּמִרְמָה, לֹא-יֶחֱצוּ יְמֵיהֶם; וַאֲנִי, אֶבְטַח-בָּךְ.
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ ה' אלקי, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁעֲזַרֽתַּנִי לְסַיֵים מַסֶּכֶת (יאמר שם המסכת), כֵּן תּֽעַזְרֵנִי לְהַתְחִיל מְסֶכְתוֹת וּסֽפָרִים אַחֵרים וּלְסַיֵימָם, לִלְמֹד וּלְלַמֵּד, לִשְׁמֹר וְלַעֲשׂוֹת וּלְקַיֵּם אֶת כָּל דִּבְרֵי תַלְמוּד תּוֹרָתְךָ בְּאַהֲבָה, וּזְכוּת כֹֹּל הַתְנָאִים וְאָמוֹרָאִים וּתַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים יַעֲמוֹד לִי וּלְזַרְעִי שֶׁלֹא תָּמוּש הַתּוֹרָה מִפֽי וּמִפִי זַרְעִי עד עוֹלָם. וַיִתְקַיֵים בִּי: בְּהִתְהַלֶּכְךָ, תַּנְחֶה אֹתָךְ, בְּשָׁכְבְּךָ תִּשְׁמֹר עָלֶיךָ; וַהֲקִיצוֹתָ, הִיא תְשִׂיחֶךָ. כִּי-בִי, יִרְבּוּ יָמֶיךָ; וְיוֹסִיפוּ לְּךָ, שְׁנוֹת חַיִּים אֹרֶךְ יָמִים, בִּימִינָהּ; בִּשְׂמֹאולָהּ, עֹשֶׁר וְכָבוֹד. 'ה' עֹז לְעַמּוֹ יִתֵּן; ה', יְבָרֵךְ אֶת-עַמּוֹ בַשָּׁלוֹם.
We give thanks before You, Adonai, our God and God of our ancestors, for you gave us a share among those who sit in the study hall, and not among those who sit on street corners. For we arise early, and they arise early; we arise for words of Torah, and they arise for words of emptiness. We work, and they work; we work and receive a reward, and they work and do not receive a reward. We run, and they run; we run towards eternal life, and they run to a pit of desolation. As it says: (Psalms 55:24) "And You, O God, bring them down into a pit of desolation, people of blood and deceit will not live out half of their days; and I, I will trust in You."
May it be your will, Adonai my God, just as You have helped me to complete tractate _____, so too may you help me to start other tractates and books, and to complete them, to learn and to teach, to observe and to enact and to fulfill all the words of the teaching of your Torah with love. And may the merit of all of the Tannaim and Amoraim and Torah scholars be present for me and for my descendants, to ensure that the Torah does not depart from my mouth and from the mouths of my descendants for all eternity. And may the following be fulfilled for me: (Proverbs 6:22) "When you walk, it will lead you, when you lie down, it will watch over you. When you awake, it will speak with you." (Proverbs 9:11) "For through me your days will be multiplied, and the years of your life will be increased." (Proverbs 3:16) "Length of days is in her right hand; in her left, riches and honor." (Psalms 29:11) "God will give strength to his nation, God will bless his nation with peace."
5] Ending the Torah Reading
One who reads from the Torah has to grasp hold of the scroll at the time of the blessing. REMA: And this custom is connected to that which is said in Joshua, that 'this scroll of teaching should not depart from your mouth... be strong and resolute'. And from this came the custom to say to one who finishes reading the Torah on each occasion, Chazak!
6] Signs of the End of the World