Berachot 15: Speaking and Hearing the Shema

Rabbi Yochanan said that a person who seeks to accept upon oneself the complete yoke of the kingdom of heaven should relieve himself, wash his hands, put on tefillin, recite Shema, and pray.  Rabbi Chiyya bar Abba notes that Rabbi Yochanan said that one who does those things is like one who has offered a sacrifice.  The act of washing one's hands is discussed before we begin a new Mishna.

We learn from our new Mishna about Rabbi Yosei's opinion: that one must recite the Shema audibly to one's own ear.  Rabbi Yehuda says that recitation without precision in the pronunciation of letters is acceptable.  The Mishna simply states that the Shema must be said in order.  If one said things in the wrong order, it would be necessary to go back and begin again from the place where one erred.

Rabbi Yosei argues that our ears must hear what our mouths say.  Thus we say the Shema in any language that we can shema, hear, and understand.  Rabbi Yosei adds a principle: we must recite the shema loudly enough for our own ears to hear.  The rabbis compare this to a person who is deaf but can speak fulfilling his/her obligation after the fact, but not ab initio (with forethought).  What about saying the Birkat HaMazon, Grace after Meals, inaudibly?  The rabbis suggest that this should not be allowed ad initio.   The rabbis also consider whether or not all are responsible for reading the Megilla, including those whose capacities are compromised (this is the first time that we hear the jarring and offensive categories of those excluded for reasons of disability - deaf-mute, imbecile, minor)?

Throughout most of amud (b),  the rabbis argue about whether or not a minor should be placed in the same category as a deaf-mute and an imbecile.  They consider what we say aloud and what we say in our hears.  The Gemara attempts to understand which rabbis are teaching halacha in accordance with which other rabbis in the name of yet other rabbis.  

We learn now about the principle of gezeira shava, a verbal analogy.  When the same word or phrase appears in two places in the Torah and a law is stated in one of those places, it is understood that the same law applies in the other case.  This principle only applies to ancient traditions.  

Rabbi Tavi says that Rabbi Yoshiya said that there are three that are never satisfied... the grave and the barren womb" (Proverbs 30:15-16).  How are these two things similar?  Some ideas:

• a womb and a grave both take in and give forth (a grave offers resurrection of the dead)
• a baby is removed from the womb with loud cries, one returns to the grave with loud cries of mourning

TheGemara notes other instances of gezeira shava - writing for mezuzot, the sota, and sanctified objects, curses and commands - there are instances of all of these where direct instruction is not provided.  

Finally, we are presented with reasons to say the letters of the Shema with precision, mostly because of two times where we are to read a work in an alternate way.  By doing this we are reminded that we can avoid Gehenna with our actions.

There is room in today's daf to find inspiration - our prayer comes from our heart; we might not need to say it aloud in order for it to matter.  We can make mistakes as long as the intent is there.  However, it also introduces us to the barriers for those in ancient society who were excluded from standard religious practice.  One could argue that each person had a role - the Kohanim, the Levites, and groups within those groups.  However, all women were excluded from participation in many rituals, particularly after the second Temple was destroyed.  Even so, it is challenging to be reminded that people were thought of as 'less than' in their communities if they had conditions beyond their control, like deaf-blindness or developmental disabilities.