Mishnayos Brachos Perek 9 Mishnah 3
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ברכות פרק ט׳ משנה ג׳
Similarly, when one built a new house or purchased new vessels, he recites: Blessed…Who has given us life, sustained us, and brought us to this time. The mishna articulates a general principle: One recites a blessing for the bad that befalls him just as he does for the good. In other words, one recites the appropriate blessing for the trouble that he is experiencing at present despite the fact that it may conceal some positive element in the future. Similarly, one must recite a blessing for the good that befalls him just as for the bad. The mishna states: And one who cries out over the past in an attempt to change that which has already occurred, it is a vain prayer. For example, one whose wife was pregnant and he says: May it be God’s will that my wife will give birth to a male child, it is a vain prayer. Or one who was walking on the path home and he heard the sound of a scream in the city, and he says: May it be God’s will that this scream will not be from my house, it is a vain prayer. In both cases, the event already occurred.
בָּנָה בַיִת חָדָשׁ, וְקָנָה כֵלִים חֲדָשִׁים, אוֹמֵר בָּרוּךְ שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ. מְבָרֵךְ עַל הָרָעָה מֵעֵין הַטּוֹבָה, וְעַל הַטּוֹבָה מֵעֵין הָרָעָה. הַצּוֹעֵק לְשֶׁעָבַר, הֲרֵי זוֹ תְּפִלַּת שָׁוְא. כֵּיצַד. הָיְתָה אִשְׁתּוֹ מְעֻבֶּרֶת, וְאָמַר, יְהִי רָצוֹן שֶׁתֵּלֵד אִשְׁתִּי זָכָר, הֲרֵי זוֹ תְּפִלַּת שָׁוְא. הָיָה בָא בַדֶּרֶךְ וְשָׁמַע קוֹל צְוָחָה בָּעִיר, וְאָמַר יְהִי רָצוֹן שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיוּ אֵלּוּ בְּנֵי בֵיתִי, הֲרֵי זוֹ תְּפִלַּת שָׁוְא:
Bartenura
בנה בית חדש וקנה כלים חדשים. בין יש לו כיוצא בהן בין אין לו כיוצא בהן מברך שהחיינו:
על הרעה מעין הטובה. מפרש בגמרא כגון שצפו מים על ארצו ושטפו תבואתו של שנה זו, אע״פ שרוו המים פני האדמה ונעשית שדהו משובחת לשנים הבאות השתא מיהא רעה היא ומברך דיין האמת:
ועל הטובה מעין הרעה. כגון דאשכח מציאה, אע״ג דרעה היא דאי שמע בה מלכא חובטו במכות ויסורין ושקיל לה מיניה השתא מיהא טובה היא ומברך הטוב והמטיב:
הצועק לשעבר. המתפלל על מה שכבר היה הרי זו תפלת שוא, דמאי דהוה הוה:
בנה בית חדש וקנה כלים חדשים – whether he had it or something similar to it or he didn’t have something similar to them, he would recite the blessing “שהחיינו/who has sustained us.”
על הרעה מעין הטובה – It is explained in the Gemara (Tractate Berakhot 59b) such as the case where water floated on his land and flooded his grain for that year, even though the waters saturated the face of the earth but his field became even more praiseworthy for the coming years. Now, however, it is bad, and he recites the blessing, “[Praised Are You, O LORD] the Righteous Judge.”
ועל הטובה מעין רעךה – Such as the case where he found something [good] even though it is bad, for had he heard about it, the king would have punished him with whippings and sufferings and take it from him. Now, however, it is a “good thing, and he should recite the blessing, “הטוב והמטיב/Who is Good and Does Good.”
הצועק לשעבר – A person prays about something that already had occurred, this is a vain prayer, for what has occurred, has occurred.