1who has created all things to his glory'. and 'the Creator of man', and 'who has created man in his image. In the image of the likeness of his form, and has prepared unto him out of himself a building forever. Blessed art thou, O Lord, Creator of man'. 'May the barren greatly rejoice and exult when her children will be gathered in her midst in joy. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who maketh Zion joyful through her children' 'Mayest Thou make the loved companions greatly to rejoice, even as of old Thou didst gladden Thy creature in the Garden of Eden. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who maketh bridegroom and bride to rejoice'. 'Blessed art Thou, O Lord our King, God of the universe, who has created joy and gladness, bridegroom and bride, rejoicing, song, mirth, and delight, love, and brotherhood, and peace, and friendship. Speedily, O Lord our God, may be heard in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of the singing of bridegrooms from their canopies and of youths from their feasts of song. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who maketh the bridegroom to rejoice with the bride'. Levi came to the house of Rabbi to the wedding-feast of R. Simeon his son [and] said five benedictions. R. Assi came to the house of R. Ashi to the wedding-feast of Mar his son [and] said six benedictions. Does it mean to say that they differ in this: that one holds that there was one formation, and the other holds that there were two formations? — No. All agree [that] there was [only] one formation, [but they differ in this:] one holds [that] we go according to the intention, and the other holds [that] we go according to the fact, as that [statement] of Rab Judah [who] asked: It is written, And God created man in his own image, and it is written, Male and female created He them. How is this [to be understood]? [In this way:] In the beginning it was the intention [of God] to create two [human beings], and in the end [only] one [human being] was created. R. Ashi came to the house of R. Kahana. The first day he said all the benedictions. From then and further on; if there were new guests he said all the benedictions, but if not [he declared] it to be merely a continuance of the same joy [in which case] one says [only] the benedictions 'in whose dwelling there is joy' and 'who has created'. From the seventh day to the thirtieth day. whether he said to them 'because of the wedding or whether he did not say to them 'because of the wedding', one says the benediction 'in whose dwelling there is joy'. From then and further on; if he said to them 'because of the wedding' he says the benediction 'in whose dwelling there is joy', but not otherwise. And if he says to them 'because of the wedding', until when [is this benediction said]? Said R. Papi in the name of Raba: Twelve months [forming] a year. And at first from when? Said R. Papa: From the time that they put barley into the mortar. But this is not so? Did not R. Papa busy himself for his son Abba Mar and say the benediction from the time of the betrothal? — It was different [in the case of] A. Papa, because he took the trouble [of preparing everything for the wedding]. Rabina busied himself for his son in the house of R. Habiba and said the benediction from the time of the betrothal. He said: I am sure with regard to them that they will not retract [the betrothal]. [But] the matter was not successful and they did retract. R. Tahlifa, son of the West, came to Babylon [and] said six long benedictions. But the law is not according to him. R. Habiba came into the house of a circumcision [and] said the benediction 'in whose dwelling there is joy.' But the law is not according to him, since they are distressed because the child has pain. R. Nahman said [that] Rab said: Bridegrooms are of the number, and mourners are not of the number. An objection was raised: Bridegrooms and mourners are of the number? — You ask [from] a Baraitha against Rab? Rab is a Tanna and differs! It has been said: R. Isaac said [that] R. Johanan said: Bridegrooms are of the number, and mourners are not of the number. An objection was raised: Bridegrooms and mourners are of the number? —ᵃᵇᶜᵈᵉᶠᵍʰⁱʲᵏˡᵐⁿᵒᵖᵠʳˢᵗᵘᵛʷˣʸᶻᵃᵃᵃᵇᵃᶜᵃᵈᵃᵉᵃᶠᵃᵍᵃʰᵃⁱᵃʲᵃᵏᵃˡᵃᵐᵃⁿᵃᵒᵃᵖᵃᵠᵃʳᵃˢᵃᵗᵃᵘᵃᵛᵃʷᵃˣᵃʸᵃᶻᵇᵃᵇᵇᵇᶜᵇᵈᵇᵉᵇᶠᵇᵍᵇʰᵇⁱᵇʲᵇᵏᵇˡᵇᵐᵇⁿᵇᵒᵇᵖᵇᵠᵇʳᵇˢᵇᵗ
2With regard to what was that taught? With regard to Grace after meals; [and] with regard to what did R. Johanan say [this ruling]? With regard to the line [of comforters]. But [then] what of the dictum of which )R. Isaac said [that] R. Johanan said: 'One says the benediction of the bridegrooms in the presence of ten [male persons] and the bridegrooms are of the number, and [one says] the benediction of the mourners in the presence of ten [male persons] and the mourners are not of the number' — is there a benediction [said] in the line [of comforters]? — But [the answer is]: With regard to what did R. Johanan say [this ruling]? with regard to the [benediction recited in the] open space. But [then] what of the dictum which R. Isaac said [that] R. Johanan said: 'One says the benediction of the bridegrooms in the presence of ten [male persons] all the seven [days] and the bridegrooms are of the number, and [one says] the benediction of the mourners in the presence of ten [male persons] all the seven [days] and the mourners are not of the number — is the benediction [recited in] the open space said all the seven days? — It is possible in the presence of new friends — as in the case of R. Hiyya. the son of Abba, [who was] the Bible teacher of the son of Resh Lakish, or, as some say, the Mishnah teacher of the son of Resh Lakish. [It happened as follows:] A child [of R. Hiyya, the son of Abba] died, The first day he [Resh Lakish] did not go to him. The next day he [Resh Lakish] took with him Judah the son of Nahmani, his meturgeman. [and] said to him: Rise [and] say something with regard to [the death of] the child. He spoke and said: [It is written.] And the Lord saw and spurned, because of the provoking of His sons and His daughters. [This means, in] a generation [in which the fathers spurn the Holy One, blessed be He, He is angry with their sons and their daughters and they die when they are young. And some say [that] he [the child of R. Hiyya, the son of Abba, that died] was a young man and that he [Judah the son of Nahmani] said thus to him: Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall He have compassion on their fatherless and widows; for every one is profane and an evil-doer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still. (What is the meaning of 'but His hand is stretched out still'? Said R. Hanan, the son of Rab: All know for what purpose a bride is brought into the bridal chamber, but whoever disgraces his mouth and utters a word of folly-even if a [divine] decree of seventy years of happiness were sealed [and granted] unto him, it is turned for him into evil.) — He came to comfort, [and] he grieved him? This he said to him: Thou art important enough to be held responsible for [the shortcomings of] the generation. He [then] said to him: Rise [and] say something with regard to the praise of the Holy One, blessed be He He spoke and said: The God, who is great in the abundance of His greatness, mighty and strong in the multitude of awe-inspiring deeds, who reviveth the dead with his word, who does great things that are unsearchable and wondrous works without number. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who revivest the dead. He then 'said to him: Rise [and] say something with regard to the mourners. He spoke and said: Our brethren, who are worn out, who are crushed by this bereavement, set your heart to consider this: This it is [that] stands for ever, it is a path from the six days of creation. Many have drunk, many will drink, as the drinking of the first ones, so will be that of the last ones. Our brethren, the Lord of consolation comfort you. Blessed be He who comforteth the mourners. (Said Abaye: 'Many have drunk' he should have said, 'many will drink' one should not have said, 'the drinking of the first ones', he should have said, 'the drinking of the last ones' one should not have said, for R. Simeon, the son of Lakish, said, and so one has taught in the name of R. Jose: Man should never open his mouth to Satan. Said R. Joseph: What text [shows this]? We should have been as Sodom, we should have been like unto Gomorrah. What did He reply unto him? Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom, etc. ) He [then] said to him: Rise [and] say something with regard to the comforters of the mourners. He spoke and said: Our brethren, bestowers of lovingkindnesses, sons of bestowers of lovingkindnesses, who hold fast to the covenant of Abraham our father [for it is said, For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children, etc.], our brethren, may the Lord of recompense pay you your reward. Blessed art Thou who payest the recompense. He [then] said unto him: Rise [and] say something with regard to the whole of Israel. He spoke and said: Master of the worlds, redeem and save, deliver [and] help Thy people Israel from pestilence, and from the sword, and from plundering, and from the blast, and from the mildew, and from all kinds of calamities that [may] break forth and come into the world. Before we call, mayest Thou answer, Blessed art Thou who stayest the plague. 'Ulla said, and some say [that] it was taught in a Baraitha: Ten cups [of wine] the scholars have instituted [to be drunk] in the house of the mourner: Three before the meal in order to open the small bowels, three during the meal in order to dissolve the food in the bowels, and four after the meal: one corresponding to 'who feedeth', one corresponding to the blessing of 'the land', one corresponding to 'who rebuildeth Jerusalem, and one corresponding to 'who is good and doeth good'. They [then] added unto them [another] four [cups]: one in honour of the officers of the town, and one in honour of the leaders of the town, and one in honour of the Temple. and one in honour of Rabban Gamaliel. [When] they began to drink [too much] and to become intoxicated, they restored the matter to its original state. What [about] Rabban Gamaliel? — As it has been taught: At first the carrying out of the dead was harder for his relatives than his death, so that they left him and ran away, until Rabban Gamaliel came and adopted a simple style and they carried him out in garments of linen, and [then] all the people followed his example and carried out [the dead] in garments of linen. Said R. Papa: And now it is the general practice [to carry out the dead] even in rough cloth worth [only] a zuz. R. Eleazar said: ᵇᵘᵇᵛᵇʷᵇˣᵇʸᵇᶻᶜᵃᶜᵇᶜᶜᶜᵈᶜᵉᶜᶠᶜᵍᶜʰᶜⁱᶜʲᶜᵏᶜˡᶜᵐᶜⁿᶜᵒᶜᵖᶜᵠᶜʳᶜˢᶜᵗᶜᵘᶜᵛᶜʷᶜˣᶜʸᶜᶻᵈᵃᵈᵇᵈᶜᵈᵈᵈᵉᵈᶠᵈᵍᵈʰᵈⁱᵈʲᵈᵏᵈˡᵈᵐᵈⁿᵈᵒᵈᵖᵈᵠᵈʳᵈˢᵈᵗᵈᵘᵈᵛᵈʷᵈˣᵈʸᵈᶻᵉᵃᵉᵇᵉᶜᵉᵈᵉᵉᵉᶠᵉᵍᵉʰᵉⁱᵉʲᵉᵏᵉˡᵉᵐᵉⁿᵉᵒᵉᵖᵉᵠᵉʳᵉˢᵉᵗᵉᵘᵉᵛᵉʷ