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1)

(a) 'Hanahu Biryonei' were 'tough guys who lived in the vicinity of Rebbi Meir, and who caused him endless trouble. Rebbi Meir, basing himself on the Pasuk "Yitamu Chata'im min ha'Aretz", wanted to pray that they should die. Beruryah his wife, however, prayed that they should do Teshuvah. She pointed out that the Pasuk does not write "Yitamu *Chot'im* min ha'Aretz", but "Yitamu *Chata'im* min ha'Aretz, and then automatically, "u'Resha'im Od Einam". Needless to say, *her* method was preferable to *his*.

(b) "Praise Hashem, the barren woman, who did not bear children who will go to Gehinom like you" Beruryah told that Tzedoki, explaining the Pasuk in Yeshayah.

(a) David placed the paragraph dealing with Avshalom (Perek 3) next to that of the battle with Gog and Magog, so that, if anyone ever questions the possibility of Gog and Magog ever happening (how can servants of Hashem rebel against Hashem?), they will learn from Avshalom's rebellion, since, who would ever envisage a son rebelling against his father? - Yet it happened!

(b) "Semuchim la'Ad le'Olam" is the Pasuk from which we learn to Darshen 'Semuchin' - to connect two consecutive Pesukim, that we treat them like a Hekesh, to learn one from another.

(a) "Borchi Nafshi es Hashem, *ve'Chol Keravai* es Sheim Kodsho* refers to David whilst still in his mother's womb, and "Borchu Hashem Mal'achav" etc., to the world of the stars and the planets.

(b) David sang Shirah about when he suckled from his mother's breasts as a sign of appreciation that Hashem created his source of nourishment *there* (in the of understanding - the heart), and not in the place of Ervah (as is the case by most of the other animals); and in order that he should not feed from a place of filth.

(c) The Pesukim "Borchi Nafshi es Hashem, Hashem Elokai Gadalta Me'od" and "Tastir Panecha Yibaheilun, Tosef Rucham Yigva'un" refers to death (which serves as an indispensible transition from this world and the next).

5)

(a) Both Hashem and the Neshamah are pure, and Both Hashem and the Neshamah are hidden.

(b) The comparison teaches us that it is fitting for the Neshamah, which has these five attributes to come and praise Hashem who has the same five attributes.

(a) Chizkiyah did not want to go to Yeshayah because he took his cue from Eliyahu; who went to Ach'av, and not vice-versa.
Whereas Yeshayah took his cue from Yehoram the son of Ach'av, who went to Eliyahu and not vice-versa.

(b) Hashem (evidently conceding to the Kavod due to both a King and a Navi), made Chizkiyahu ill, so that Yeshayah was anyway now obligated to perform the Mitzvah of Bikur Cholim.) in the meantime, he could convey to him Hashem's message without compromising his Kavod.

(c) Chizkiyah nearly lost both worlds for not getting married.

(d) He justified this by pointing to a prophecy which he had received, with the news that he would a son who would be wicked - To which the Navi replied that *that* was not his business; *his* business was to perform the Mitzvos of the Torah, and not to concern himself with the after-effects.

(e) It is never too late, replied Chizkiyah - even if there is a sword placed by one's neck, one should give up on the mercy of Hashem; because the Pasuk says that even when Hashem is killing someone, he should still have faith in Hashem.

7)

(a) We learn from Chizkiyah ha'Melech that one should Daven facing a wall.

(b) "El ha'Kir also means that he Davened from the inner recesses of his heart.

(c) Chizkiyahu was also referring to the Shunamis, who made for Elisha one wall (a room-divider) for Elisha, for which he brought her son back to life; If so, he argued, he, Chizkiyah, a descendent of Shlomoh ha'Melech, who built the entire Beis ha'Mikdash and overlaid it with silver and gold, should certainly have sufficient merit to be spared from death.

(d) He might also have been referring to his hiding of the book of cures for all illnesses, which he hid, and which the Chachamim termed a good deed.

(a) Hiding the book of all cures was considered a good deed, because as long as it was available, the people were availing themselves of its powers, its of praying to Hashem and doing Teshuvah - the purpose for which the person was afflicted in the first place.

(b) Chizkiyah also cut up the copper snake, to stop Yisrael from worshipping it, and he dragged his father (Achaz)

(c) Chizkiyah also stopped up the waters of Gichon, to prevent them from falling into the hands of the enemy; And he cut down the doors of the Heichal, and sent them to the King of Ashur, as a form of bribery, to stave off his attack of Yerushalayim.

(a) When, following the Chet ha'Eigel, Moshe prayed to Hashem to save Yisrael from extinction, he mentioned the Zechus Avos, to which Hashem replied that he would save them on *his* merit (as David recorded in Tehilim). Whereas Chizkiyah, who asked Hashem to spare Yerushalayim on his merits, as we wrote earlier, he was told that Hashem would indeed do so, though for the sake of Hashem, and on the merits of David ha'Melech - not on *his*.

(b) "Aliyas Kir" might also mean an attic - meaning that she made him a ceiling, to build an attic above the existing room.

(c) Those who learn that she built him a room-divider, an "Aliyas Kir" will mean, a high-quality room.

(a) Elisha accepted the favor (in the form of the room that she had built) from the Shunamis; whilst Shmuel used to travel around the country accompanied by his house.

(b) Whichever of the two approaches one adopts is correct.

(c) It was the Shunamis who pointed the virtues of Elisha, from which we learn that the woman recognizes the guests more than the man.

(d) She knew that Elisha was a holy man because no flies ever appeared at the table where he was eating; and because his sheets never had any Keri on them.

(a) "Kadosh Hu" - *he* is holy, Chazal remark, but not his servant.

(b) This statement would be corroborated later when, in the Shunamis agony, she would fall in front of Elisha, and grab his feet. It was then that Geichazi grabbed her in an indecent fashion, in order to move her away.

(c) From the word "Tamid", they derive that anyone who takes a Talmid-Chacham into his home is considered as if he had brought Korbenos Tamid.

(a) Chazal learn from "mi'Ma'amakim Kerasicha Hashem" that the correct location to Daven is in a low place. Similarly, "Tefilah le'Ani Ki Ya'atof" teaches us that for Tefilah one should be humble ('like a poor man knocking at the door for a donation'), of which Davening low is symbolical.

(b) And from "ve'Ragleihem Regel Yesharah" (written in connection with the Angels who stand before Hashem), we learn that the Amidah should be said with one's feet together - like one foot.

(c) 1. "Lo Sochlu al ha'Dam" teaches us that one is forbidden to eat before one prayed for one's life.
2. "ve'Osi Hishlachta Acharei Geivecha" teaches us Hashem's reaction to someone who does eat before he has Davened - "You have thrown Me after your bodies - one first boosts one's own pride, and only then does one take upon oneself the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven!"

(a) The Halachah is like Rebbi Yehoshua, who holds that one may recite the Shema in the morning until the end of the third hour in the morning.

(b) Rav Chisda must have made a mistake, when he said that one can no longer recite the Berachah of 'Yotzer Or' after the end of the third hour; because the Beraisa specifically permits the recital of the Berachah then.

(c) In the second Lashon, Rav Chisda explains 'Lo Hifsid' to mean that he has not lost any of the three Berachos of the Shema.

(d) Since the Mishnah writes that someone who reads the Shema after its time has not lost, like someone who learns Torah, we can infer that if one reads it in its right time, it is even greater than reading the Shema.

(a) Beis Shamai take the Pasuk literally: "u've'Shochbecha" to mean that one must actually lie down for Keri'as Shema shel Arvis, and "u've'Kumecha" that one actually stand up for that of Shachris; But, according to Beis Hillel, one may recite the Shema in whatever position one pleases (though not lying down, because that is disrespectful). "u've'Shochbecha u've'Kumecha" come to teach us not, *how* to recite the Shema, but *when* to recite it, at the time that one lies down in the evening, and at the time that one gets up in the morning.

(b) The Torah writes "u've'Lechtecha va'Derech", from which Beis Hillel derive that one may say the Shema even walking, if one so wishes.

(c) Rebbi Tarfon reclined to say the Shema in the evening, in order to conform with the opinion of Beis Shamai; in the process he was apparently attacked by robbers who threatened his life.
Had they killed him, the Chachamim informed him, he would have had only himself to blame, because he should not have made a point of conforming with the opinion of Beis Shamai.