Study Berakhot folio 33A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
The officer said to him: No. The pious man continued: And if you would greet him, what would they do to you? The officer said to him: They would cut off my head with a sword. The pious man said to him: Isn’t this matter an a fortiori inference? You who were standing before a king of flesh and bl
When he heard this, the officer was immediately appeased and the pious man returned home in peace.
We learned in the Mishnah that even if a snake is wrapped around his heel, he may not interrupt his prayer. In limiting application of this principle, Rav Sheshet said: They only taught this Mishnah with regard to a snake, as if one does not attack the snake it will not bite him. But if a scorpion
The Talmud raises an objection based on what was taught in a Tosefta: Those who saw one fall into a lions’ den but did not see what happened to him thereafter, do not testify that he died. Their testimony is not accepted by the court as proof that he has died as it is possible that the lions did no
The Talmud responds: This is not difficult. There, in the case of one who falls into a pit of snakes, it is different, as due to the pressure of his falling on top of them, the snakes will harm him, but a snake who is not touched will not bite.