Pt1 From Babylon’s Ruins to Jewish Multitudes: Talmudic Blessings for Idolatry, Crowds, and Leadership (Berakhot 57b-58a)

Blessings and Reflections: Encountering Paganism, Biblical Babylon’s Landmarks, Crowds, Scholars, and Kings

This is the first part of a two-part series. The outline of the series is below.

This Talmudic sugya discusses various blessings recited upon witnessing significant sites, objects, or events tied to idolatry, Babylon, Jewish identity, and leadership.¹ It includes discussions on blessings for places where paganism has been eradicated, archeological ruins of Babylon, and crowds of people, both Jewish and non-Jewish.

The sugya also discusses Ben Zoma’s perspectives on human effort.

Additionally, it outlines specific blessings for sages and rulers, differentiating between Jewish and non-Jewish figures.²

Outline

1. Blessings Upon Seeing Idolatry and Paganism

2. Blessings Upon Seeing Biblical Babylon’s Archeological Landmarks: Its Ruins, Nebuchadnezzar’s Palace, the Lion’s Den and Fiery Furnace from the Book of Daniel, Statue of Mercury, and Excavation Pit

3. Rabbis’ Practices Involving Babylonian Dirt

4. The Curse and Blessing of Babylon and Samaria

5. Blessings Upon Seeing Crowds of Jews and of Non-Jews

6. Ben Zoma’s Blessing over a Large Crowd of Jews in Late Second Temple Jerusalem and His Happiness for His Freedom from Manually Producing Food and Clothing

   1. Part 1: Ben Zoma’s Blessing on a Large Crowd of Jews in Jerusalem in the Late Second Temple Period

   2. Part 2: Ben Zoma’s Happiness for Not Needing to Labor to Produce Food and Clothing from Scratch

7. The Biblical Jesse's Large Entourages and the Definition of “Crowd”

8. Blessings Upon Seeing Scholars and Kings, Jewish and Non-Jewish

9. Appendix - Nebuchadnezzar's Giant Statue: The Beginning of the Fiery Furnace Story (Daniel 3:1-5), Formatted and With Etymologies

   1. Part 1

   2. Part 2

   3. Part 3

The Passage

Berakhot.57b.20-58a.8

Blessings Upon Seeing Idolatry and Paganism

One who sees (a statue of the Roman god) Mercury (מרקוליס) recites: “Blessed…Who has shown patience to those who violate His will.”³

Upon seeing a place where idolatry (עבודה זרה) was eradicated,⁴ the blessing is: “Blessed…Who eradicated paganism from our land.”

In Eretz Yisrael, the prayer adds: “And restore the hearts of their worshippers to worship You.” Outside of Eretz Yisrael, this is omitted due to the predominance of non-Jews (who are all pagan).

R' Shimon ben Elazar insists it is recited even outside of Eretz Yisrael, based on the prophetic vision of universal conversion: “For then will I turn to the peoples a pure language” (Zephaniah 3:9).

מקום שנעקרה ממנו עבודה זרה.

תנו רבנן:

הרואה מרקוליס, אומר: ״ברוך … שנתן ארך אפים לעוברי רצונו״.

מקום שנעקרה ממנו עבודה זרה, אומר:

״ברוך …

1. שעקר עבודה זרה מארצנו.

2. וכשם שנעקרה ממקום זה

3. כן תעקר מכל מקומות ישראל,

4. והשב לב עובדיהם לעבדך״.

ובחוץ לארץ, אין צריך לומר ״והשב לב עובדיהם לעבדך״,

מפני שרובה גויים.

רבי שמעון בן אלעזר אומר:

אף בחוץ לארץ צריך לומר כן,

מפני שעתידים להתגייר,

שנאמר: ״אז אהפך אל עמים שפה ברורה״.

We learned in the mishna that one who sees a place from which idolatry was eradicated should recite the blessing: Blessed…Who eradicated idolatry from our land.

On this topic the Sages taught in the Tosefta:

One who sees the idol called Mercury [Markulis] recites: Blessed…who has shown patience to those who violate His will, as each day new rocks would be thrown upon the pile constructed in Mercury’ honor (Tosafot).

One who sees a place from which idolatry was eradicated should recite:

Blessed…

1. Who eradicated idolatry from our land.

2. And just as it was eradicated from this place,

3. so too may it be eradicated from all places of Israel,

4. and restore the hearts of their worshippers to worship You.

Outside of Eretz Yisrael, one need not recite: And restore the hearts of their worshippers to worship You,

since it is predominantly populated by gentiles.

R'Shimon ben Elazar says:

Even outside of Eretz Yisrael one is required to recite that formula

because in the end of days all nations will convert,

as it is stated: “For then will I turn to the peoples a pure language, that they may all call upon the Name of the Lord, to serve Him with one consent” (Zephaniah 3:9).

Blessings Upon Seeing Biblical Babylon’s Archeological Landmarks: Its Ruins, Nebuchadnezzar’s Palace, the Lion’s Den and Fiery Furnace from the Book of Daniel, Statue of Mercury, and Excavation Pit

Rav Hamnuna’s Five Blessings relating to the ancient city of Babylon’s historical sites:⁵

1. Seeing its ruins: “Blessed…Who destroyed the wicked Babylonia.”

2. Seeing Nebuchadnezzar’s palace:⁶ “Blessed…Who destroyed the house of wicked Nebuchadnezzar.”

3. Seeing the biblical Book of Daniel’s lion’s den (גוב) or fiery furnace (כבשן): “Blessed…Who performed miracles for our ancestors in this place.”

4. Seeing the statue of Mercury: “Blessed…Who has shown patience to those who violate His will.”⁷

5. Seeing “the place where earth was taken”:⁸“Blessed…Who speaks and acts, decrees and fulfills.”

דרש רב המנונא:

הרואה בבל הרשעה, צריך לברך חמש ברכות:

1. ראה בבל, אומר: ״ברוך … שהחריב בבל הרשעה״.

2. ראה ביתו של נבוכדנצר, אומר: ״ברוך … שהחריב ביתו של נבוכדנצר הרשע״.

3. ראה גוב של אריות או כבשן האש, אומר: ״ברוך … שעשה נסים לאבותינו במקום הזה״.

4. ראה מרקוליס, אומר: ״ברוך … שנתן ארך אפים לעוברי רצונו״.

5. ראה מקום שנוטלין ממנו עפר, אומר: ״ברוך … אומר ועושה, גוזר ומקיים״.

The Gemara goes on to discuss special blessings instituted by the Sages to be recited upon seeing extraordinary sights.

Rav Hamnuna taught:

One who sees the wicked Babylonia must recite five blessings. The Gemara elaborates:

1. One who saw the ruins of Babylonia, recites: Blessed…Who destroyed the wicked Babylonia.

2. One who saw the ruins of Nebuchadnezzar’s house, recites: Blessed…Who destroyed the house of wicked Nebuchadnezzar.

3. One who saw the lion’s den into which Daniel was thrown (see Daniel ch. 6) or the furnace into which Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were thrown (see Daniel ch. 3), recites: Blessed…Who performed miracles for our ancestors in this place.

4. One who saw Mercury, recites: Blessed…Who has shown patience to those who violate His will.

5. One who saw a place from which earth is taken, as over the generations earth was taken from certain places and used as fertilizer or for construction in the surrounding areas, recites: Blessed…Who speaks and acts, decrees and fulfills.

Rabbis’ Practices Involving Babylonian Dirt

Rava encouraged donkeys carrying Babylonian earth, saying: “Run, righteous ones, and fulfill the will of your Master.”

Mar bar Ravina threw Babylonian earth outside, fulfilling Isaiah 14:23 (which describes the destruction of Babylon).

Rav Ashi independently recited all the blessings, even without hearing Rav Hamnuna’s teaching.

רבא, כי הוה חזי חמרי דשקלי עפרא,

טריף להו ידא על גבייהו,

ואמר: רהוטו צדיקי, למעבד רעותא דמרייכו.

מר בריה דרבינא, כי הוה מטי לבבל

הוה שקיל עפרא בסודריה, ושדי לברא,

לקיים מה שנאמר: ״וטאטאתיה במטאטא השמד״.

אמר רב אשי: אנא, הא דרב המנונא לא שמיע לי, אלא מדעתאי בריכתינהו לכולהו.

The Gemara relates that when Rava would see donkeys carrying earth from Babylonia,

he would slap their backs with his hand

and say to them: Run, righteous ones, and fulfill the will of your Master.

When Mar, son of Ravina, would arrive in Babylonia

he would take earth in his kerchief and throw it outside,

to fulfill that which is said: “And I will sweep it with the broom of destruction” (Isaiah 14:23).

Rav Ashi said: I never heard the statement of Rav Hamnuna, that one who sees Babylonia the wicked must recite five blessings. However, based on my independent reasoning, I recited all of the blessings.

The Curse and Blessing of Babylon and Samaria

R' Yirmeya ben Elazar:

1. Babylonia’s Curse: Upon its destruction, its neighbors were cursed as well, as the area became desolate, as per Isaiah 14:23.

2. Samaria’s Curse: Upon its destruction,⁹ its neighbors were blessed, as it became a fertile land for vineyards (Micah 1:6).

אמר רבי ירמיה בן אלעזר:

1. נתקללה בבל — נתקללו שכניה.

2. נתקללה שומרון — נתברכו שכניה:

1. נתקללה בבל — נתקללו שכניה,

   1. דכתיב: ״ושמתיה למורש קפד ואגמי מים״.

2. נתקללה שומרון נתברכו שכניה —

   1. דכתיב: ״ושמתי שמרון לעי השדה למטעי כרם וגו׳״.

With regard to Babylonia, the Gemara cites what R' Yirmeya ben Elazar said:

1. When Babylonia was cursed, its neighbors were cursed along with it.

2. When Samaria was cursed, its neighbors were blessed.

1. When Babylonia was cursed its neighbors were cursed along with it,

   1. as it is written: “I will also make it a possession for the bittern, a wading bird, and pools of water” (Isaiah 14:23); not only will it be destroyed, but the site will become a habitat for destructive, environmentally harmful creatures.

2. When Samaria was cursed, however, its neighbors were blessed,

   1. as it is written: “Therefore I will make Samaria a heap in the field, a place for the planting of vineyards” (Micah 1:6); although destroyed, it will serve a beneficial purpose.

1. Compare my piece “From Animal Attacks to Biblical Miracles: Blessings at the Sites of Supernatural Rescues (Berakhot 54a)”, on a sugya that appears a few pages earlier in the Talmud. And see also my piece on the Geonic blessing on virginity.

2. Notably, the Steinsaltz translation and commentary on this sugya contain an unusually large number of inaccuracies and imprecisions, much of which appear to result from bowdlerization and self-censorship concerning non-Jews and issues of elitism.

See Wikipedia, Expurgation:

An expurgation of a work, also known as a bowdlerization, or censorship by political correctness is a form of censorship that involves purging anything deemed noxious or offensive from an artistic work or other type of writing or media.

3. Compare my piece on the Mishnaic discussion about the statue of the Greek god Aphrodite in a bathhouse: “Proclus and Rabban Gamliel: A Philosophical Exchange on Idolatry and Civic Spaces Outside of Aphrodite's Bathhouse (Mishnah Avodah Zarah 3:4)”

4. Presumably referring to pagan temples and statues.

Compare Wikipedia, “Persecution of pagans in the late Roman Empire“:

Persecution of pagans in the late Roman Empire began during the reign of Constantine the Great (r. 306–337) in the military colony of Aelia Capitolina (Jerusalem), when he destroyed a pagan temple for the purpose of constructing a Christian church.

Rome had periodically confiscated church properties, and Constantine was vigorous in reclaiming them whenever these issues were brought to his attention. Christian historians alleged that Hadrian (2nd century) had constructed a temple to Venus on the site of the crucifixion of Jesus on Golgotha hill in order to suppress Christian veneration there. Constantine used that to justify the temple's destruction, saying he was simply reclaiming the property. Using the vocabulary of reclamation, Constantine acquired several more sites of Christian significance in the Holy Land.

From 313, with the exception of the brief reign of Julian, non-Christians were subject to a variety of hostile and discriminatory imperial laws aimed at suppressing sacrifice and magic and closing any temples that continued their use. The majority of these laws were local, though some were thought to be valid across the whole empire, with some threatening the death penalty, but not resulting in action. None seem to have been effectively applied empire-wide. For example, in 341, Constantine's son Constantius II enacted legislation forbidding pagan sacrifices in Roman Italy. In 356, he issued two more laws forbidding sacrifice and the worship of images, making them capital crimes, as well as ordering the closing of all temples.

5. Wikipedia:

Babylon was an ancient city located on the lower Euphrates river in southern Mesopotamia, within modern-day Hillah, Iraq, about 85 kilometres (55 miles) south of modern day Baghdad.

6. In Babylon, see Ishtar Gate - Wikipedia:

The Ishtar Gate was the eighth gate to the inner city of Babylon (in the area of present-day Hillah, Babil Governorate, Iraq).

It was constructed c. 569 BC by order of King Nebuchadnezzar II on the north side of the city. It was part of a grand walled processional way leading into the city.

7. This may be an oblique reference to the giant statue of Nebuchadnezzar rmentioned in the introduction to the fiery furnace story in Daniel.3.1-5. I quote the full passage in my appendix to this piece.

8. I.e. a historical clay or soil pit, a location where earth or clay was extracted for practical purposes.

The Mesopotamian environment is characterized by its rich alluvial plains and heavy reliance on clay for construction and daily life. Babylonia lacked natural stone resources, and mudbrick construction was predominant.

Pits where clay was taken were essential for producing bricks used in homes, walls, and public structures.

See Wikipedia, “Digging”, section “Borrow pit”:

In construction and civil engineering, a borrow pit, also known as a sand box, is an area where material (usually soil, gravel or sand) has been dug for use at another location. Borrow pits can be found close to many major construction projects.

For example, soil might be excavated to fill an embankment for a highway, clay might be excavated for use in brick-making, gravel to be used for making concrete, etc.

9. Referring to its conquest by the Neo-Assyrian Empire (732–720 BCE).

Wikipedia:

Samaria was the capital city of the Kingdom of Israel between c. 880 BCE and c. 720 BCE […]

After the Assyrian conquest of Israel, Samaria was annexed by the Neo-Assyrian Empire and continued as an administrative centre. It retained this status in the Neo-Babylonian Empire and the Achaemenid Persian Empire before being destroyed during the Wars of Alexander the Great.