Study Avodah Zarah folio 8A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
רבי יהושע סבר: ילפינן ממשה, ורבי אליעזר סבר: לא ילפינן ממשה, שאני משה דרב גובריה. וחכמים אומרים: לא כדברי זה ולא כדברי זה, אלא שואל אדם צרכיו ב״שומע תפלה״.
R' Yehoshua holds that we derive from the case of Moses that one should first praise God in prayer and only afterward issue personal requests. And R' Eliezer holds that we do not derive from Moses how to act, since Moses is different, as his might is great, i.e., he knew how to pray to God in this order. And the Rabbis say: The halakha is not in accordance with the statement of this Sage, who says that one should issue personal requests before praying, nor is it in accordance with the statement of that Sage, who says that personal requests should follow prayer. Rather, a person requests his own needs in the blessing ending: Who listens to prayer. Therefore, when Naḥum the Mede stated that this is the halakha, he was merely concurring with the opinion of the Rabbis.
אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל, הלכה: שואל אדם צרכיו ב״שומע תפלה״. אמר רב יהודה בריה דרב שמואל בר שילת משמיה דרב: אף על פי שאמרו שואל אדם צרכיו בשומע תפלה״, אבל אם בא לומר בסוף כל ברכה וברכה מעין כל ברכה וברכה — אומר.
With regard to the halakhic ruling, Rav Yehuda says that Shmuel says: The halakha is that a person requests his own needs during the Amida prayer in the blessing ending: Who listens to prayer. Rav Yehuda, son of Rav Shmuel bar Sheilat, says in the name of Rav: Although the rabbis said that a person requests his own needs in the blessing ending: Who listens to prayer, that is not the only option. Rather, if he wishes to recite at the conclusion of each and every blessing personal requests that reflect the nature of each and every blessing, he may recite them.
אמר רב חייא בר אשי אמר רב: אף על פי שאמרו שואל אדם צרכיו ב״שומע תפלה״, אם יש לו חולה בתוך ביתו — אומר בברכת חולים, ואם צריך לפרנסה — אומר בברכת השנים.
Similarly, Rav Ḥiyya bar Ashi says that Rav says: Although the rabbis said that a person requests his own needs in the blessing ending: Who listens to prayer, if he has a sick person in his house he recites a special prayer for him during the blessing of the sick. And if he is in need of sustenance, he recites a request during the blessing of the years.