Berachot 33: Making Changes to Prayer; The Amida and Havdala

Some lessons from today's daf before we begin a new Mishna:

• we do not stop our prayer if a snake wraps around our ankles because disturbing the snake might make it bite us
• we interrupt our prayer if a scorpion is approaching us because we can avoid being stung
• Tosefta teaches that we cannot testify that we have seen a person die if we only see that person fall into a lion's pit
• We can testify that we saw a person die if we have seen that person fall into a pit of snakes and scorpions
• We can interrupt our prayers if an ox is moving toward us - this is related to Rav Hoshaya's teaching that
• we move fifty cubits from a shor tam, an innocuous ox who has not caused damages with the intent to injure
• we move beyond earshot from a shor muad, a forewarned ox where the owner was warned that his ox has already gored three times
• An aggadah:
• People were being hurt by an arvad, either a large snake or reptile, and so they turned to Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa for help
• He put his heel over the hole where the arvad lived and then the arvad died
• Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa carried the arvad over his shoulder to the study hall 
• He taught that snakes don't kill people, transgressions kill people, ie. R. Chanina was free of transgression
• The Sages responded: Woe to the person who was attached by an arvad and woe to the arvad that was attached by Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa

The new Mishna teaches about how we say the Amida prayer:

• We mention the strength of the rains
• In the second blessing about the revival of the dead, we say that G-d makes the wind blow and the rain fall 
• The request for rain is "And grant dew and rain as a blessing" in the ninth blessing of the years
• In the havdala, the prayer of distinction between the holy and the profane, we say "Who graciously grants knowledge" in the fourth blessing
• Rabbi Akiva adds that havdala is recited as an independent fourth blessing
• Rabbi Eliezer says that it is recited in the seventeenth blessing of the Amida prayer, which is the blessing of thanksgiving

The rabbis make connections between each point in our Mishna and other related texts.  For example, Rav Yosef says that rain is an essential part of sustenance, and so it is part of our prayer requesting bountiful sustenance.  And Rav Yosef also says that wisdom is required to distinguish between two separate entities and thus the blessing of wisdom is connected with the havdala.  And the rabbis say that havdala separates the sacred and the profane and thus it is part of the blessing of weekdays; "Who graciously grants knowledge" is the first blessing recited only during the week.

Much of the rabbis conversations focus specifically on the havdala prayer.  They name a number of different errors that we might make and how to address what we have done.  

We learn a second Mishna in today's daf.  It teaches us about prayer leaders who introduce new prayers.  In Deuteronomy (22:6-7) we are told that G-d's mercy is given to a mother bird who should not be permitted to watch her chicks or eggs be taken away.  Similarly we ask for G-d's mercy on us and to one who says "May Your name be mentioned with the good" and one who says "We give thanks, we give thanks".  This is interpreted to mean that when one changes prayer at all, s/he should be silenced.  Or, perhaps, we do not silence that person, but we find it reprehensible.

The Gemara explains the reasoning behind the Mishna: if we say something twice, it could seem as though we are praying to two different authorities.  And we cannot only thank G-d for the good.  That rabbis wish to ensure that we do not say or do anything that can be interpreted as demeaning to G-d.  There is no trust in future generations' abilities to discern between what is praise and what is heresy.  

What is most interesting to me is that even with these halachot, these laws and discussions that have lasted thousands of years, we continue to adapt prayers.  Beyond simple words being added and removed, entire prayers have been added and removed.  This is true when considering new prayers, of course.  But it is even true of the Amidah.  We recognize the words mentioned in the Talmud, and we know that we have added words, like "and the entire world" and feminized language.  In my mind, the combination of respect for tradition and openness to progressive change in prayer is one of the reasons that Judaism continues to thrive.