- Machlokes whether the berachos of יוצר האדם and אשר יצר אדם בצלמו are both said
The Gemara lists the texts of the sheva berachos and relates that besides the berachah of בורא פרי הגפן, Levi only recited five berachos, including the third berachah of אשר יצר את האדם בצלמו – Who formed Man in His image, but leaving out the second berachah of יוצר האדם – Who formed the Man, but Rav Assi recited all six. The Gemara initially suggests that their machlokes is whether Hashem formed man once, as male and female, and therefore Levi holds it was unnecessary to have two berachos that deal with the making of Man, or Hashem first formed Man and then Woman, and therefore, according to Rav Assi, it is necessary to have two berachos. The Gemara rejects this, saying that everyone agrees there was only one act of formation. Rather, Rav Assi holds בתר מחשבה אזלינן – we follow Hashem’s plan, which was to make a separate male and female in a separate act of creation. Therefore, two berachos are necessary. Levi holds בתר מעשה אזלינן – we follow Hashem’s action, in which He created a single entity. Therefore, only one berachah is necessary. For Rav Yehudah taught, one passuk states, "ויברא אלקים את האדם בצלמו" – And Hashem created Man in His image, and another passuk states: "זכר ונקבה בראם" – He created them male and female. How so? בתחלה עלה במחשבה לבראות שנים ולבסוף נברא אחד – Initially, His plan was to create two beings, but in the end He only created one.
- אל תפתח פה לשטן
The Gemara relates that Rav Chiya bar Abba’s child died and Reish Lakish went the next day, along with his meturgemen, Yehudah bar Nachmani, to console him. Reish Lakish instructed his meturgeman to speak words of comfort several times, and regarding the mourners he said: Our brothers who are troubled and crushed, באבל הזה תנו לבבכם לחקור את זאת – during this aveilus, pay attention to investigate this, נתיב הוא מששת ימי הבראשית – It is the way of the world from the six days of creation, רבים שתו רבים ישתו – Many drunk from the cup of death, and many will drink, Like the drink of the earlier generations so is the drink of the later generations, אחינו בעל נחמות ינחם אתכם ברוך מנחם אבלים – Our brothers! May the Master of consolations comfort you. Blessed are You, Hashem, Who comforts the mourners. Abaye said one should not say, “Many will drink” nor mention “the drink of later generations,” for Rebbe Shimon ben Lakish taught, לעולם אל יפתח אדם פיו לשטן – One should never open one’s mouth to Satan. The Maharsha explains that this gives the Satan the opportunity to prosecute since the person is saying that he is deserving of this.
- עשרה כוסות תקנו חכמים בבית האבל
Ulla said, and some say it was taught in a Baraisa: עשרה כוסות תקנו חכמים בבית האבל – The Chochomim instituted ten cups of wine in the house of mourning. Rashi explains that it is fitting to give a mourner a lot to drink, as the passuk states, "תנו שכר לאובד ויין למרי נפש" – Give strong drink to one who is destroyed, and wine to those with a bitter soul. Three cups were given before the meal to whet the appetite, three during the meal, and four were given after the meal, each one upon the conclusion of one of the four berachos of birkas Hamazon. Four more cups were instituted, the last for Rabban Gamliel, but after the Chochomim saw people were getting drunk, they went back to only ten. A cup was drunk in honor of Rabban Gamliel, for after he saw that the expenses for elaborate funerals were hard on the relatives and causing them to flee, he instructed his attendants to bury him without all the kavod and only in plain linen garments, and this became the prevalent minhag.
