Introduction to Shema and its Berachot (7) – The Blessings and the Amida (4) – סמיכת גאולה לתפילה – Berachot 4b, Tosafot & Rav Amram
Our Halakhic analysis of the requirement to move quickly from the beracha of geula to Tefila began with the Gemara in Berachot 4b that introduced the debate between R. Yochanan and R. Yehoshua b. Levi:
ברכות דף ד:
אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אֵיזֶהוּ בֶּן הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא? זֶה הַסּוֹמֵךְ גְּאוּלָּה לִתְפִלָּה שֶׁל עַרְבִית. רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי אוֹמֵר תְּפִלּוֹת בָּאֶמְצַע תִּקְּנוּם.
Bavli Berachot 4b
R. Yochanan said, “Who is assured a place in the World to Come? It is one who goes immediately from the beracha of geula to Tefila in Arvit. R. Yehoshua b. Levi said, “Tefilot were instituted in the middle.”
Here is a simple chart to help see just how far apart these two positions are:
שחרית | ערבית | |
רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן | שמע ← עמידה | שמע ← עמידה |
רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי | שמע ← עמידה | עמידה ← שמע |
The gemara there goes on to try to pinpoint the central point of debate and shows us just how much they agree as well as where they disagree: …