Berakhot 14B

״וה׳ אלהים אמת״.

“And YHWH, God, is True” (Jeremiah 10:10).

חוזר ואומר ״אמת״, או אינו חוזר ואומר ״אמת״?

After the conclusion of the final paragraph of Shema along with the first word of the subsequent blessing, with the words: “YHWH, your God, is True [Hashem Eloheikhem emet],” the question is posed: Does one repeat emet when he begins the blessing of emet veyatziv, or does he not repeat emet?

אמר רבי אבהו אמר רבי יוחנן: חוזר ואומר ״אמת״. רבה אמר: אינו חוזר ואומר ״אמת״. ההוא דנחית קמיה דרבה. שמעיה רבה דאמר ״אמת״ ״אמת״ תרי זימני. אמר רבה: כל ״אמת״ ״אמת״ תפסיה להאי.

R' Abbahu said that R' Yoḥanan said: He repeats emet. Rabba said: He does not repeat emet. The Talmud relates: This person who descended to lead the service before Rabba, Rabba heard that he said emet, emet twice. Rabba mocked him and said: Every emet, emet has caught this one; he must be passionate about the pursuit of truth.

אמר רב יוסף: כמה מעליא הא שמעתתא, דכי אתא רב שמואל בר יהודה אמר: אמרי במערבא ערבית ⁠— ״דבר אל בני ישראל ואמרת אליהם אני ה׳ אלהיכם אמת״.

Rav Yosef said: How excellent is this tradition that I heard, as when Rav Shmuel bar Yehuda came from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia he said: In Eretz Yisrael, at the evening prayer they do not recite the entire third portion of Shema, which deals with tzitzit, as there is no obligation to wear tzitzit at night. Rather, they say a condensed version of that portion that includes an excerpt from the beginning and an excerpt from the end: “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them…I am YHWH, your God, True” (Numbers 15:38, Numbers 15:41).

אמר ליה אביי: מאי מעליותא? והא אמר רב כהנא אמר רב: לא יתחיל, ואם התחיל ⁠— גומר. וכי תימא ״ואמרת אליהם״ לא הוי התחלה ⁠— והאמר רב שמואל בר יצחק אמר רב: ״דבר אל בני ישראל״ לא הוי התחלה, ״ואמרת אליהם״ הוי התחלה.

Abaye said to him: What is excellent about this tradition? Didn’t Rav Kahana say that Rav said: One should not begin to recite the portion of tzitzit at night, but if he does begin, he completes it? And if you say that: Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, is not considered the beginning of the portion of tzitzit, didn’t Rav Shmuel bar Yitzḥak say that Rav said: Speak to the children of Israel, is not considered a beginning of the portion of tzitzit, as many passages in the Torah begin this way; and say to them, is considered a beginning.