Siman - Pesachim Daf 104

  • מעין פתיחה או מעין חתימה סמוך לחתימתן

Rav Yehudah said in the name of Shmuel, המבדיל צריך שיאמר מעין חתימה סמוך לחתימתו – One who recites Havdalah must recite in the body of the berachah near its conclusion, a clause similar to the berachah’s conclusion, but the people of Pumbidisa say, מעין פתיחתן סמוך לחתימתן – He must recite near its conclusion a clause similar to the berachah’s opening words. The Gemara asks what the practical difference is between the two and answers it is the case of a Yom Tov that falls after Shabbos, where the chasimah of the berachah is בין קדש לקדש. According to the one who holds מעין פתיחתן, nothing particular needs to be added, whereas according to the one who holds מעין חתימתן, one is required to say the additional words of בין קדושת שבת לקדושת יום טוב הבדלת – between the kedushah of Shabbos and the kedushah of Yom Tov you have separated.

  • The seven havdalos mentioned in the Torah

Rebbe Yehoshua ben Levi said,  המבדיל צריך שיאמר מעין הבדלות האמורות בתורה – One who recites Havdalah must state “separations” that are similar to the “separations” mentioned in the Torah itself. The Gemara challenges whether this is required based on a Baraisa that teaches, הבדלות היאך – How are the “separations” one recites in Havdalah said? One says, המבדיל בין קודש לחול בין אור לחושך בין ישראל לעמים ובין יום השביע לששת ימי המעשה בין טמא לטהור בין הים לחרבה בין מים עליונים למים התחתונים בין כהנים ללוים וישראלים. Now if Havdalah can only include “separations” that were mentioned in the Torah, we do not find havdalah mentioned in reference “between the sea and the land?” The Gemara answers that that clause was an error and in order to have the requisite seven “separations”the clause ofכהנים לוים וישראלים is a combination of two things. It refers to a separation betweenלוים וישראלים as it is written, בעת ההיא הבדיל ה' את שבט הלוי – At that time, Hashem separated shevet Levi, and it also refers to a further separation between  כהנים ולוים as it is written, בני עמרם אהרן ומשה ויבדל אהרן להקדישו קדש קדשים – The sons of Amram: Aharon and Moshe; and Aharon was separated to sanctify him as holy of holies, and he and his children.

  • Beginnings and Ends of Berachos

A Baraisa teaches that a berachah must generally contain the word ברוך once at the beginning and again at the end. Exceptions to this rule are:

·         ברכת מצות – the berachah over mitzvos, which does not end with ברוך. Rashbam explains that this is because these berachos are short.

·         וברכת הפירות – the berachah over fruit (or other foods), which does not end with ברוך.

·         וברכה הסמוכה לחבירתה – a berachah that immediately follows another one, which does not begin with ברוך. Rashbam gives the berachos of Shemoneh Esrei as an example and indicates that such groups of berachos are considered like one berachah.

וברכה אחרונה שבקריאת שמע -– and the berachah that follows Kerias Shema, which does not begin with ברוך. Rashbam explains that this berachah is considered to immediately follow the berachah that preceded Kerias Shema because one may not interrupt between Kerias Shema and the berachah that follows it.