This mishnah is the closing mishnah of Maseches Berachos, and we hope you will join us for Maseches Peah as well. The mishnah returns to the subject of the berachos a person recites when good things happen and when bad things happen, and it teaches us the attitude a person must adopt.
Over bad tidings a person recites the berachah of Dayan HaEmes, and he must recite this berachah with the same completeness with which he recites a berachah over good tidings. This does not mean joy in its simple sense - it is hard to describe it as joy - but rather fullness of heart and faith in Hashem, exactly as he recites a berachah when good comes his way. This is the level he must reach.
"Ve'ahavta es Hashem Elokecha bechol levavcha uvechol nafshecha uvechol me'odecha":
"Bechol levavcha" - even when a person is engaged in matters usually identified with his evil inclination, such as physical pleasures and the like, his intentions must be for the sake of Heaven.
"Uvechol nafshecha" - even if it comes to the point of giving up one's life, a person must love Hashem.
"Uvechol me'odecha" - with all your money; even if a person is required to give up all his money in order to serve Hashem, he must be prepared to do so under the appropriate circumstances.
Here the mishnah arrives at the source for the principle with which we began, that even when a person recites the berachah of Dayan HaEmes he must do so with a full heart, just as he recites a berachah over good tidings. This is derived from the other interpretation in the mishnah: "bechol middah umiddah shehu moded lecha - heyeh modeh lo bime'od me'od" - with whatever measure He measures out to you, thank Him very, very much. That is, whether it appears good or whether it appears bad, a person must thank and praise abundantly. From here we learn that in everything the Holy One, Blessed is He, does with us, we must be in step with Him.
The laws of reverence for the Mikdash:
The mishnah moves on to laws concerning the Beis HaMikdash, and teaches that a person may not behave with levity while standing opposite the eastern gate of the Beis HaMikdash, because it faces directly toward the Kodesh HaKodashim. The mishnah likewise lists the things with which one may not enter the Har HaBayis:
"Bemaklo" - with his walking stick.
"Uveminalo" - with his shoes.
"Uvefundaso" - with his money belt.
"Uve'avak sheal raglav" - with the dust on his feet; he must wash his feet first.
"Velo ya'aseh mimenu kappandaria" - he may not use the Har HaBayis as a shortcut.
"Urekikah mikal vachomer" - all the more so is it forbidden to spit there.
The conclusions of berachos in the Mikdash:
The mishnah moves on to the special way berachos were recited in the Mikdash, and this is the conclusion of Maseches Berachos: "Kol chosmei berachos shehayu bamikdash hayu omerim 'min ha'olam'" - instead of saying "Melech ha'olam," they would say that He is "min ha'olam," meaning forever: "Baruch Attah Hashem Elokei Yisrael min ha'olam, magen Avraham."
"Umishekilkelu haminim ve'ameru: ein olam ella echad" - after the heretics raised the denial of the World to Come and caused the difficulties they caused, since they did not believe in the World to Come, "hitkinu sheyihyu omerim: min ha'olam ve'ad ha'olam" - from this world until the World to Come, in order to emphasize that there are two worlds.
Greeting another with the Name of Hashem:
"Vetiknu sheyeheh adam sho'el es shelom chavero bashem" - this too is one of the enactments of Chazal, that a person should greet his fellow with the Name of the Holy One, Blessed is He. And so we find that Boaz conducted himself in the story of Rus: "Vehinneh Boaz ba miBeis Lechem vayomer lakotzrim: Hashem imachem. Vayomeru lo: yevarechecha Hashem" - they blessed one another with the Name of the Holy One, Blessed is He.
The mishnah brings a further proof: "Ve'omer: Hashem imcha gibor hechayil" - this is how the angel greeted Gideon in the Book of Shoftim. And further: "Ve'omer: al tavuz ki zaknah immecha" - and this verse is expounded not as referring to one's actual mother, but to the heads of the nations and the elders of the nation: do not scorn the possibility of learning from the elders of the nation such as Boaz, and say that this was a matter unique to him alone; rather, you must learn from him.
Finally the mishnah brings: "Ve'omer: es la'asos laHashem hefeiru Torasecha". From here we learn why this is not a misuse of the Name of the Holy One, Blessed is He, even though on the surface it appears to contradict the Torah when a person greets his fellow with the Name of Hashem. There are times when one must do something that appears to contradict the Torah, such as using the Name of Hashem, when it constitutes "a time to act for Hashem" - when Chazal understand that the matter is beneficial, for the ultimate benefit of the honor of Hashem.
In summary: the closing mishnah of the maseches taught us that a person must recite a berachah over bad tidings with the same completeness of heart with which he recites a berachah over good tidings, based on "with whatever measure He measures out to you, thank Him very, very much"; we examined the laws of reverence for the Mikdash and entering the Har HaBayis, the wording of the conclusions of berachos in the Mikdash and the enactment of "min ha'olam ve'ad ha'olam" against the heretics, and the enactment of greeting another with the Name of Hashem, which is rooted in "a time to act for Hashem."
Thank you for joining us for Maseches Berachos. We look forward to learning Maseches Peah together.