Arvei Pesachim

Rav Huna the son of Rabbi Yehuda went to Rava

It was on Motzi Shabbat

And he (Rav Huna) brought before them (Rava) light (אש) and spices (בשמים)

Rava made the blessing for spices first and then light

Rav Huna said “but both בית הלל and בית שמאי agree about the order of Havdalah (when it came to light coming before spices)

Were do we learn that Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel agreed about light coming before spices? It was in a Mishna where a man has eaten a meal and is now required to say Havdalah and Bentching but only has one cup of wine (we learnt before Pesachim 102b) that one can combine the Brachot. Then the Mishna tells the order of the Havdalah and Bentching. Bet Shammai says the order is Candle, Bentching, Spices, and then Havdalah. Bet Hillel says Candle, Spices, Bentching, and then Havdalah. But both houses agree that Candle comes first! (So surley Rava would say candle first!)

Rava answered him (Rav Huna) and said, "The mishna comes from Rabbi Meir. However, Rabbi Yehudah says that Bet Shammai (Benthcing,candle,spices,havdalah) and Bet Hillel (Bentching,spices,candle,havdalah) don't disagree over Bentching after meals, and everyone says it is recited first (Rabbi Yehudah and Rabbi Meir disagree when interperting Beit Shammai and Bet Hillel), and Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel didn't disagree over havdalah, as it is said last.

(So what did they disagree on?) They disgreed over the blessing in the middle of havdala (the blessing over light and over spices). Rabbi Yochanon said, "The people were accustomed to follow Bet Hillel according to the interpertation of Rabbi Yehudah. (Rava acted as according to that custom)

(The Gemara relates another incident with regard to establishing meals and reciting blessings) Rav Yaakov the son of Abba came to the house of Abba for a Shabbat meal. He (Rav Yaakov) saw that Rava recited Bracha of Hagaphen over the first cup of wine he drank at the meal and then he recited the same blessing upon the cup of wine he used for the blessing of Bircat Hamazon.And he drank from the cup. He (Rav Yaakov) asked him (Rava) why he made a second blessing, if you already made Hagaphen at the meal and drank? Rava said to him (Rav Yaakov), that this is what we did at the house of the Rash Galuta (Head of Galut) and he didn't correct us.

Rav Yaakov says to Rava That was good at the house of the Rash Galuta That which we did We didn't know if they would or wouldn't bring us (more wine) (and since we didn't know, we only kept in mind the first cup of Hagaphen) But over here (in the house of Rava) the cup is resting in front of us (they know they will use the second cup). And our mind is on it (the second cup) He (Rava) said to him (Rav Yaakov) I follow like the students of Rav Rav Brona and Rav Chananel were students of Rav And they were sitting during the meal

And Rav Yava Sava was helping them They (Rav Chananel and Rav Brona) said to him (Rav Yava Sava) Bring us (wine) and we will bless (the wine for bentching) And afterwards they (Rav Chananel and Rav Brona) said to him (Rav Yava Sava) (Nevermind Bentching now) We are thirsty and would rather have a drink (Which is wine) He (Rav Yava Sava) said to them (Rav Chananel and Rav Brona)⁶Rav said Since you said bring us (wine) and let us bentch It is forbidden to now drink (until you finish Bentching and after you finish benthcing you must make another Bracha) Why is this so Becasue it takes your mind of the meal

We will bless the one for Bircat Hamazon, but then they changed their mind and decided to have the wine as part of a meal

The Gemara relates that Ameimar, Mar Zutra, and Rav Ashi were sitting at a meal and Rav Acḥa, son of Rava, stood over them to serve them. Ameimar recited a blessing over each and every cup of wine he drank. And Mar Zutra recited a blessing over the first cup he drank during the meal and over the last cup he drank upon concluding Birchat Hamazon. Rav Ashi recited a blessing over the first cup and did not recite any further blessings over the subsequent cups he drank.

It was a weekday

Rav Acha bar Rava said to them: In accordance with whose opinion should we act in this matter? (We have witnessed three different courses of action) Ameimar said: I repeatedly changed my mind. In other words, the reason Ameimar recited a blessing over each cup was not because he maintains that it is always necessary to do so. Rather, he drank each cup with the intention that it should be his last. Consequently, he diverted his attention from drinking each time, and therefore he was required to recite a new blessing before he could drink again. Mar Zutra said: I acted in accordance with the opinion of the students of Rav. (They maintain that one who prepares to recite Benthcing after Meals has completely diverted his attention from drinking, and therefore the blessing on wine that one recites during the meal does not include the wine he drinks after Bentching.

And Rav Ashi said: The Halacha is not in accordance with the opinion of the students of Rav. This can be proven from a ruling of Rav himself, as with regard to a Festival that occurs after Shabbat, Rav said that the order of blessings is yod, kuf, nun, heh: Wine [ yayin], kiddush, candle [ner], and havdala. (This shows that although one recites kiddush between the blessing over wine and havdala, it is unnecessary to recite the blessing over wine again before havdala. The same should hold true in our case: Just as kiddush is not considered an interruption between the blessing over wine and its consumption, Bentching should not be considered an interruption either)

(The Gemara rejects this reasoning) And that is not so. There, when one is preparing himself to recite Bentching, he has already uprooted his mind from drinking. Here, with regard to kiddush and havdala, he has not uprooted his mind from drinking (because he is holding the cup of wine).

After discussing the opinion of the students of Rav, the Gemara returns to the story of Rav Ya’akov bar Abba’s visit to Rava. When the time came to recite havdala, Rava’s attendant got up and lit a torch (Torch= 2 or more wicks) from a candle. Rav Ya’akov bar Abba said to him: Why do you need all this? (The candle was present, and you could have recited the blessing over the light of the candle itself) Rava said to him: The attendant did this on his own accord, without consulting me. Rav Ya’akov bar Abba said to him: If he had not heard it from the Master he would not have done it on his own; he must have been following your opinion on this matter. Rava said to him: Do you not hold that using a torch for havdala is the optimal manner in which to fulfill the mitzva? It is for this reason that the attendant lit a torch for havdala.

Rava began his recitation of havdala and said: Who distinguishes between holy and normal, between light and darkness, between Israel and the rest of the nations, between the seventh day and the six days of work. Rav Ya’akov bar Abba said to him: Why do you need all this? Didn’t Rav Yehuda say that Rav said with regard to the statement: Who distinguishes between holy and normal, that this alone is the havdala of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi? Why is this plain statement not enough for you?

Rava began his recitation of havdala and said: Who distinguishes between sacred and profane, between light and darkness, between Israel and the nations, between the seventh day and the six days of work. Rav Ya’akov bar Abba said to him: Why do you need all this? Didn’t Rav Yehuda say that Rav said with regard to the statement: Who distinguishes between sacred and profane, that this alone is the havdala of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi? Why is this plain statement not enough for you?

The Gemara asks: What formula should be used to conclude the blessing of havdala? Rav said the blessing should conclude with the phrase: Who sanctifies Israel. And Shmuel said the concluding phrase is: Who distinguishes between sacred and profane. The Gemara adds that Abaye, and some say it was Rav Yosef, cursed it, i.e., he would become angry at one who concluded the blessing in accordance with that opinion of Rav.

Ravina objected to this answer: And do we say that a mitzva is beloved in its proper time? But wasn’t it taught in a baraita: One who enters his home at the conclusion of Shabbat recites the blessing over the wine, and then over the light, and then over the spices, and recites havdala thereafter over the cup of wine. And if he has only one cup of wine, he leaves it for after he eats his food, and uses it for Grace after Meals, and arranges all of the other blessings together thereafter. This baraita indicates that we do not say that a mitzva is beloved in its proper time, as one does not have to recite havdala immediately, i.e., before partaking of his meal.

As stated above, the sons of Rabbi Ḥiyya say: One who did not recite havdala at the conclusion of Shabbat may recite havdala anytime over the course of the entire week. The Gemara asks: And until how many days of that week have passed may one still recite havdala? Rabbi Zeira said: Until the fourth day of the week, Wednesday, after which it is no longer considered the same week as the previous Shabbat.