There is a difficulty:

<<Rabbi Meir

<<against Rabbi Meir!

<<Two

<<tannaim

<<according to

<<Rabbi Meir.

There is a difficulty:

<<Rabbi Eliezer

<<against Rabbi Eliezer!

Two

<<tannaim

<<according to

<<Rabbi Eliezer;

<<and if you wish, say:

<<the first clause

<<is not

<<Rabbi Eliezer

<<it is.

“Until

<<the end of

<<the watch.”

What

<<holds

<<Rabbi Eliezer?

<<If

<<he holds

<<three

<<watches

<<are

<<the night,

<<let him say:

<<“until

<<four

<<hours”;

<<and if

<<he holds

<<four

<<watches

<<are

<<the night,

<<let him say:

<<“until

<<three

<<hours”!

Actually

<<he holds

<<three

<<watches

<<are

<<the night,

<<and this

<<he teaches us:

<<that there are

<<watches

<<in heaven

<<and there are

<<watches

<<on earth.

<<As it is taught:

<<Rabbi Eliezer

<<says:

<<three

<<watches

<<are

<<the night,

<<and over

<<each

<<watch

<<and watch

<<sits

<<the Holy One, Blessed be He,

<<and roars

<<like a lion,

<<as it is stated:

<<“Hashem

<<from on high

<<will roar,

<<and from the abode of

<<His holiness

<<will give

<<His voice;

<<roaring

<<He will roar

<<over

<<His habitation.”

And a sign

<<for the matter:

<<watch

<<the first —

<<a donkey

<<braying;

<<the second —

<<dogs

<<howling;

<<the third —

<<an infant

<<nursing

<<from the breasts of

<<its mother,

<<and a woman

<<talking

<<with

<<her husband.

What

<<does count

<<Rabbi Eliezer?

<<If

<<the beginning of

<<the watches

<<he counts,

<<the beginning of

<<watch

<<the first —

<<a sign

<<why do I need?

<<Evening

<<it is!

<<If

<<the end of

<<the watches

<<he counts,

<<the end of

<<watch

<<the last —

<<why do I need

<<a sign?

<<Day

<<it is!

Rather:

<<he counts

<<the end of

<<watch

<<the first,

<<and the beginning of

<<watch

<<the last,

<<and the middle

<<of the middle one.

<<And if you wish, say:

<<all of them

<<the end of

<<the watches

<<he counts,

<<and if you say

<<the last

<<is not

<<necessary —

For what

<<difference

<<does it make?

<<For reciting

<<the recitation of

<<Shema

<<for one

<<who sleeps

<<in a house

<<dark

<<and does not

<<know

<<the time of

<<the recitation of

<<Shema

<<when [it is]:

<<once

<<a woman

<<talks

<<with

<<her husband

<<and an infant

<<nurses

<<from the breasts of

<<its mother,

<<let him rise

<<and recite.

Rav Yitzchak bar Shmuel said in the name of Rav:

<<three

<<watches

<<are

<<the night,

<<and over

<<each

<<watch

<<and watch

<<sits

<<the Holy One, Blessed be He,

<<and roars

<<like a lion,

<<and says:

<<“Woe

<<that I destroyed

<<My house

<<and burned

<<My Sanctuary

<<and exiled

<<My children

<<among

<<the nations of

<<the world.”

It is taught:

<<Rabbi Yosei said:

<<once

<<I was

<<walking

<<on the road,

<<and I entered

<<a ruin

<<one

<<of the ruins of

<<Jerusalem

<<to pray.

<<Came

<<Eliyahu

<<— may he be remembered for good —

<<and waited

<<for me

<<at

<<the entrance,

<<(and waited

<<for me)

<<until

<<I finished

<<my prayer.

<<After

<<I finished

<<my prayer

<<he said to me:

<<“peace

<<upon you,

<<my master.”

<<And I said to him:

<<“peace

<<upon you,

<<my master

<<and my teacher.”

<<And he said to me:

<<my son,

<<why

<<did you enter

<<a ruin

<<this?

<<I said to him:

<<to pray.

<<And he said to me:

<<you should have

<<prayed

<<on the road.

<<And I said to him:

<<afraid

<<I was

<<lest

<<interrupt

<<me

<<passers

<<by.

<<And he said to me:

<<you should have

<<prayed

<<a prayer

<<short.

At that

<<hour

<<I learned

<<from him

<<three

<<things:

<<I learned

<<that one does not

<<enter

<<a ruin,

<<and I learned

<<that one may pray

<<on the road,

<<and I learned

<<that one who prays

<<on the road

<<prays

<<a prayer

<<short.

And he said to me:

<<my son,

<<what

<<sound

<<did you hear

<<in ruin

<<this?

<<And I said to him:

<<I heard

<<a heavenly voice

<<moaning

<<like a dove

<<and saying:

<<“Woe

<<that I destroyed

<<My house

<<and burned

<<My Sanctuary

<<and exiled

<<My children

<<among

<<the nations of

<<the world.”

<<And he said to me:

<<by your life

<<and the life of

<<your head,

<<not

<<hour

<<this

<<alone

<<does it say

<<so,

<<but

<<every

<<day

<<and day

<<three

<<times

<<it says

<<so.

<<And not

<<this

<<alone,

<<but

<<at the hour

<<that Israel

<<enter

<<the houses of

<<assembly

<<and the houses of

<<study

<<and answer

<<“may be

<<His name

<<great

<<blessed,”

<<the Holy One, Blessed be He,

<<shakes

<<His head

<<and says:

<<fortunate is

<<the King

<<who is praised

<<in His house

<<thus;

<<what is it

<<for

<<a father

<<who exiled

<<his children,

<<and woe

<<to them,

<<the children,

<<who were exiled

<<from

<<the table of

<<their father.

The Rabbis taught:

<<because of

<<three

<<things

<<one does not

<<enter

<<a ruin:

<<because of

<<suspicion,

<<because of

<<collapse,

<<and because of

<<harmful spirits.

<<“Because of

<<suspicion” —

<<let it derive it

<<“because of

<<collapse”?