BSD
Brochos 10a
Sivan 3, 5786. 05/19/2026
Short notes.
1 – We continued with the topic of how many Kipitlach תהילים there are – 150 or 147.
Both numbers have sources to back them.
A -150 – as it is printed in all our ספרי תהילים. [From our גמרא is seems to be that there are perhaps 149; since Kapital 1 and 2 are actually counted as one. See further on]
B – 147 – ירושלמי.
See here from Likkutei Sichos, 10.
[Speaking of numbers we mentioned the ‘frumakes’ in the past generation that ensured to have exact change when boarding a bus so as not to have to interact by asking for change from the bus driver if she happened to be a a woman….
In a particular town, if they did encountered a woman driver, they would drop the money in her hand and mumble שלא לשם קידושין….]
3 – Mentioned the Rebbe’s answer to the obvious question asked by many:
How do we reconcile these two numbers? Is it 150 or 147?
The Rebbe adds to their question: Why were none of the primary מפרשים on תהילים bothered by this discrepancy when all our ספרי תהילים printed show 150 chapters!
The Rebbe’s answer: There is more than one singular way to count the Kapitlach.
We find in the חומש itself, although we commonly refer to them as חמשה חומשי תורה, the גמרא says that they can also be divided into 7 חומשים.
Similarly, we say that there are 24 ספרי תנ”ך when one, תרי עשר, is actually a combination of 12!
Although we say that there are ג”ן סדרים in the תורה, meaning 53 פרשיות read throughout the year, in reality there are 54. So 53 is one way of counting them, but so is 54.
60 מסכתות when the number may be 61 or 63.
[Is the Rebbe saying that the numbers are arbitrary? Not hewn in stone?]
4 – We discussed two Kapitlach that some consider as one.
Both in הלל:
114 and 115.
Also 117 is not a stand alone Kapital but is the conclusion of 116.
See further in Likutei Sichos a deep explanation on the idea if Kapitalach 1 and 2 are one Kapital or two.
5 – Story with Reb Meir and his neighbors who so embittered his life that it caused him to pray that they should die. His wife Bruria corrected him that his prayer should be that they should do תשובה.
הַנְהוּ בִּרְיוֹנֵי דַּהֲווֹ בְּשִׁבְבוּתֵיהּ דְּרִבִּי מֵאִיר, וַהֲווֹ קָא מְצַעֲרוּ לֵיהּ טוּבָא. הֲוָה קָא בָעֵי רִבִּי מֵאִיר רַחֲמֵי עִלָּוַיְהוּ כִּי הֵיכִי דְּלִימוּתוּ. אֲמַרָה לֵיהּ בְּרוּרְיָא דְּבִיתְהוּ: מַאי דַּעְתָּךְ? מִשּׁוּם דִּכְתִיב ״יִתַּמּוּ חַטָּאִים״ (תהלים ק״ד:ל״ה), מִי כְתִיב חוֹטְאִים? חֲטָאִים כְּתִיב!
There were these hooligans in Rabbi Meir’s neighborhood who caused him a great deal of anguish. Rabbi Meir prayed for God to have mercy on them, that they should die. Rabbi Meir’s wife, Berurya, said to him: What is your thinking? On what basis do you pray for the death of these hooligans? Do you base yourself on the verse, as it is written: “Let sins cease from the land” (Psalms 104:35), which you interpret to mean that the world would be better if the wicked were destroyed? But is it written, let sinners cease?” Let sins cease, is written. One should pray for an end to their transgressions, not for the demise of the transgressors themselves.
We discussed the famous מהרש”א – on the topic of תפילה for oneself (or for another person) to become a ירא שמים when it flies against the fundamental idea that הכל בידי שמים חוץ מיראת שמים.
ויש לעיין בזה דודאי באדם המבקש רחמים על עצמו להחזירו בתשובה ניחא דאע״ג דהכל בידי שמים חוץ מיראת שמים הרי אמרו (מכות י) בדרך שאדם רוצה לילך מוליכין אותו והרוצה לטהר מסייעין לו (יומא לט:) וזה המבקש רחמים על עצמו להחזירו בתשובה ה״ז בכלל הרוצה לטהר כו׳ אבל לבקש רחמים על חברו להחזירו בתשובה קשה מה יועיל בקשתו הא אמרי׳ (לקמן לג) הכל בידי שמים כו׳ ושאנו מתפללים והחזירנו בתשובה שלימה כו׳ ל״ק כ״כ כיון שהוא כולל את עצמו ויש לישב וק״ל:
Sicha in ת”ש page 57 about the חסיד who said… and he will במילא be a ירא שמים.
The צמח צדק’s dislike for such an expression. ירא שמים is not something that comes במילא… it needs to be acquired thru עבודה.
גוט יום טוב.
קבלת התורה בשמחה ובפנימיות
