Thursday, September 18, 2008

Berachos 4b - Part 3

Statement of Rabbi Elazar: Rabbi Elazar says in the name of Rabbi Avina - One who says Tehillah L'Dovid three times a day it is guaranteed that he is a ben olam haba.

Question: What is the reason?

Answer #1: If you say it is because it follows the order of the alef beis why not say Ashrei Temimei Derech which follows the alef beis 8 times?

Answer #2: Rather it is because of the passuk of poseach es yadecha. If so, why not say hallel hagadol which says nosen lechem l'chol basar?

Answer #3: Rather it is because it has both factors within it.

Statement of Rabbi Yochanon: Why doesn't it say a pasuk for the letter nun in Ashrei? Because that letter contains the downfall of the enemies of Israel as it says Naflah Lo Sosif Kum Besulas Yisrael.

Statement from the West: In the west they explain that pasuk to mean that she fell but she no longer falls and she gets up the besulas yisrael.

Concluding thought of the gemara: The gemara concludes that nevertheless, even though nun is left out, King David does include it and supports the fallen b'ruach hakodesh when he writes somech Hashem l'chol hanoflim.