Rabbi Chanan said:

<<even

<<if the master of

<<dreams

<<says

<<to him,

<<to a person,

<<“tomorrow

<<he

<<dies,”

<<let him not

<<withhold

<<himself

<<from

<<mercy,

<<as it is stated:

<<“For

<<in the multitude of

<<dreams

<<and vanities

<<and words

<<many;

<<rather,

<<God

<<fear.”

Immediately

<<“And turned

<<Chizkiyahu

<<his face

<<to

<<the wall

<<and prayed

<<to

<<Hashem.”

What is

<<“wall”?

<<Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said:

<<from the walls of

<<his heart,

<<as it is stated:

<<“My innards,

<<my innards!

<<I writhe;

<<the walls of

<<my heart,”

<<etc.

Rabbi Levi

<<said:

<<concerning

<<matters of

<<the wall.

<<He said

<<before Him:

<<Master of the world,

<<and just as

<<the Shunamite,

<<who did not

<<make

<<except

<<wall

<<one

<<small,

<<You revived

<<her son,

<<the father of

<<my father,

<<who covered

<<the Sanctuary

<<entirely

<<with silver

<<and gold —

<<all the more so.

<<“Remember

<<now

<<how

<<I have walked

<<before You

<<in truth

<<and with a heart

<<whole,

<<and what is good

<<in Your eyes

<<I have done.”

What is

<<“and what is good

<<in Your eyes

<<I have done”?

<<Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav:

<<that he joined

<<redemption

<<to prayer.

<<Rabbi Levi

<<said:

<<that he hid away

<<the book of

<<remedies.

The Rabbis taught:

<<six

<<things

<<did

<<Chizkiyahu

<<the king;

<<about

<<three

<<they agreed

<<with him,

<<and about

<<three

<<not

<<did they agree

<<with him.

About

<<three

<<they agreed

<<with him:

<<he hid

<<the book of

<<remedies,

<<and they agreed

<<with him;

<<he crushed

<<the serpent of

<<copper,

<<and they agreed

<<with him;

<<he dragged

<<the bones of

<<his father

<<on

<<a bed

<<of

<<ropes,

<<and they agreed

<<with him.

And about

<<three

<<not

<<did they agree

<<with him:

<<he stopped up

<<the waters of

<<Gichon,

<<and not

<<did they agree

<<with him;

<<he cut off

<<the doors of

<<the Sanctuary

<<and sent them

<<to the king of

<<Ashur,

<<and not

<<did they agree

<<with him;

<<he intercalated

<<Nisan

<<in Nisan,

<<and not

<<did they agree

<<with him.

And does

<<not

<<hold

<<Chizkiyahu:

<<“The month

<<this

<<for you

<<is the head of

<<months” —

<<this is

<<Nisan,

<<and there is no

<<other

<<Nisan?!

Rather,

<<he erred

<<in that of Shmuel,

<<for Shmuel said:

<<one does not

<<intercalate

<<the year

<<on day

<<thirty

<<of

<<Adar,

<<since

<<it is fit

<<to fix it

<<as Nisan.

<<He held:

<<“since

<<it is fit”

<<not

<<do we say.

Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of Rabbi Yosei ben Zimra:

<<anyone

<<who depends

<<on the merit of

<<himself,

<<they make it depend

<<for him

<<on the merit of

<<others;

<<and anyone

<<who depends

<<on the merit of

<<others,

<<they make it depend

<<for him

<<on the merit of

<<himself.

Moshe

<<depended

<<on the merit of

<<others,

<<as it is stated:

<<“Remember

<<Avraham,

<<Yitzchak,

<<and Israel,

<<Your servants.”

<<They made it depend

<<for him

<<on the merit of

<<himself,

<<as it is stated:

<<“And He said

<<to destroy them,

<<had not

<<Moshe,

<<His chosen one,

<<stood

<<in the breach

<<before Him

<<to turn back

<<His wrath

<<from destroying.”

Chizkiyahu

<<depended

<<on the merit of

<<himself,

<<as it is written:

<<“Remember

<<now

<<how

<<I have walked

<<before You”;

<<they made it depend

<<for him

<<on the merit of

<<others,

<<as it is stated:

<<“And I will defend

<<this city

<<to save it,

<<for My sake

<<and for the sake of

<<David

<<My servant.”

<<And this is

<<the teaching of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi,

<<for Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said:

<<what is

<<that which is written:

<<“Behold,

<<for peace

<<it was bitter

<<for me,

<<bitter”?

<<Even

<<at the time

<<that sent

<<him

<<the Holy One, Blessed be He,

<<peace,

<<bitter

<<it was

<<for him.

“Let us make,

<<please,

<<an upper chamber of

<<wall

<<small.”

Rav and Shmuel:

<<one

<<said:

<<an upper chamber

<<uncovered

<<it was,

<<and they roofed it.

<<And one

<<said:

<<a portico

<<large

<<it was,

<<and they divided it

<<into two.

Granted

<<according to the one

<<who said

<<“a portico,”

<<this is

<<what is written:

<<“wall.”

<<But

<<according to the one

<<who said

<<“an upper chamber,”

<<what is

<<“wall”?

That they roofed it.

Granted

<<according to the one

<<who said

<<“an upper chamber,”

<<this is

<<what is written:

<<“upper chamber.”

<<But

<<according to the one

<<who said

<<“a portico,”

<<what is

<<“upper chamber”?

“The most excellent”

<<of the houses.

“And let us place

<<for him

<<there

<<a bed

<<and a table

<<and a chair

<<and a lamp.”

Abaye said,

<<and some say

<<Rabbi Yitzchak:

<<one who wants

<<to benefit

<<may benefit,

<<like Elisha;

<<and one who does not

<<want

<<to benefit

<<should not

<<benefit,

<<like Shmuel

<<of Ramah,

<<as it is stated:

<<“And his return

<<was to Ramah,

<<for

<<there

<<was his house”;

<<And Rabbi Yochanan said:

<<that every

<<place

<<that he went,

<<there

<<his house

<<was with him.

“And she said

<<to

<<her husband:

<<behold,

<<now

<<I know

<<that

<<a man of

<<God,

<<holy,

<<is he.”

<<Rabbi Yosei son of Rabbi Chanina said:

<<from here

<<that a woman

<<recognizes

<<guests

<<more

<<than

<<the man.

“Holy

<<is he” —

<<how

<<did she know?

<<Rav and Shmuel:

<<one

<<said:

<<that not

<<she saw

<<a fly

<<passing

<<over

<<his table;

<<and one

<<said:

<<a sheet

<<of

<<linen

<<she spread

<<on

<<his bed,

<<and not

<<did she see

<<a nocturnal emission

<<on it.

“Holy

<<is he” —

<<Rabbi Yosei son of Rabbi Chanina said:

<<he

<<is holy,

<<but his attendant

<<is not

<<holy,

<<as it is stated:

<<“And approached

<<Geichazi

<<to push her away”;

<<Rabbi Yosei son of Rabbi Chanina said:

<<that he grabbed her

<<by the glory of

<<her beauty.

“Who passes

<<by us

<<continually.”

<<Rabbi Yosei son of Rabbi Chanina said in the name of Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov:

<<anyone

<<who hosts

<<a Torah scholar

<<in

<<his house

<<and benefits him

<<from his possessions,

<<credits

<<him

<<the verse

<<as if

<<he offers

<<the daily offerings.

And Rabbi Yosei son of Rabbi Chanina said in the name of Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov:

<<let not

<<stand

<<a person

<<in a place

<<high

<<and pray,

<<but

<<in a place

<<low

<<and pray,

<<as it is stated:

<<“From the depths

<<I have called You,

<<Hashem.”

It is taught

<<also

<<so:

<<let not

<<stand

<<a person

<<not

<<on top of

<<a chair,

<<and not

<<on top of

<<a stool,

<<and not

<<in a place

<<high,

<<and pray;

<<but

<<in a place

<<low,

<<and pray,

<<because

<<there is no

<<haughtiness

<<before

<<the Omnipresent,

<<as it is stated:

<<“From the depths

<<I have called You,

<<Hashem,”

<<and it is written:

<<“A prayer

<<of the poor man

<<when

<<he is faint.”

And Rabbi Yosei son of Rabbi Chanina said in the name of Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov:

<<one who prays

<<needs

<<to align

<<his feet,

<<as it is stated:

<<“And their feet

<<were a foot

<<straight.”

(Rabbi Yitzchak said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan)

<<And Rabbi Yosei son of Rabbi Chanina said in the name of Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov:

<<what is

<<that which is written:

<<“Do not

<<eat

<<with

<<the blood”?

<<Do not

<<eat

<<before

<<you pray

<<for

<<your blood.

Some say:

<<Rabbi Yitzchak said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan in the name of Rabbi Yosei son of Rabbi Chanina

<<in the name

<<of Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov:

<<anyone

<<who eats

<<and drinks

<<and afterward

<<prays,

<<about him

<<the verse

<<says:

<<“And Me

<<you have cast

<<behind

<<your back”;

<<do not

<<read

<<“your back”

<<but

<<“your pride.”

<<Said

<<the Holy One, Blessed be He:

<<after

<<has become haughty

<<this one,

<<he accepts

<<upon himself

<<the kingship of

<<Heaven?

“Rabbi Yehoshua

<<says:

<<until

<<three

<<hours.”

<<Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel:

<<the halachah

<<is like Rabbi Yehoshua.

One who recites

<<from then

<<and on

<<has not

<<lost.

Rav Chisda said in the name of Mar Ukva:

<<provided

<<that not

<<he says

<<“Who forms

<<light.”

They raised an objection:

<<one who recites

<<from then

<<and on

<<has not

<<lost,

<<like a person

<<who

<<reads

<<in the Torah;

<<but

<<blesses

<<he

<<two

<<before it

<<and one

<<after it.

<<A refutation

<<of Rav Chisda,

<<a refutation!

Some say:

<<Rav Chisda said in the name of Mar Ukva:

<<what is

<<“has not

<<lost”?

<<That not

<<has he lost

<<the blessings.

<<It is taught

<<also

<<so:

<<one who recites

<<from then

<<and on

<<has not

<<lost,

<<like a person

<<who reads

<<in the Torah;

<<but

<<blesses

<<he

<<two

<<before it

<<and one

<<after it.

Rabbi Mani said:

<<greater is

<<one who recites

<<the Shema

<<in its time

<<more

<<than one who engages

<<in Torah,

<<since it teaches:

<<“one who recites

<<from then

<<and on

<<has not

<<lost,

<<like a person

<<who reads

<<in the Torah” —

<<by implication,

<<one who recites

<<in its time

<<is preferable.

MISHNAH:

<<Beis Shammai

<<say:

<<in the evening

<<every

<<person

<<should recline

<<and recite,

<<and in the morning

<<he should stand,

<<as it is stated:

<<“and when you lie down

<<and when you rise.”

And Beis Hillel

<<say:

<<every

<<person

<<recites

<<in his own way,

<<as it is stated:

<<“and when you walk

<<on the way.”

If so,

<<why

<<is it stated

<<“and when you lie down

<<and when you rise”?

<<At the time

<<that people

<<lie down,

<<and at the time

<<that people

<<rise.

Rabbi Tarfon said:

<<I

<<was

<<coming

<<on the road,

<<and I reclined

<<to recite

<<in accordance with the words of

<<Beis Shammai,

<<and I endangered

<<myself

<<because of

<<the bandits.

They said

<<to him:

<<worthy

<<you would have been

<<to be liable

<<for yourself,

<<for you transgressed

<<the words of

<<Beis Hillel.