Archives for July 2009

Tractate Berachot, Chapter 6 Tosefta 31 Rebbi Meir2 says, “From where [do we know] that just like you have to bless [God] for good [things that happen to you], so too you have to bless [God] for bad [things that happen to you]? The Torah teaches us, ‘… that which Hashem, your God, has given you …’ (Devarim 26:11).3 Your God [meaning] your judge. For every judgment that He judges you, whether positively or negatively.”4

מסכת ברכות פרק ו תוספתא ג רבי מאיר אומר מניין שכשם שאתה מברך על הטובה כך אתה מברך על הרעה? תלמוד לומר (דברים כו:יא)  אשר נתן לך ה’ אלהיך. אלהיך – דיינך, בכל דין שדנך בין במדת הטוב בין במדת פורענות.

Notes:

1. In chapter 9 of Berachot the Mishna restates a similar law a few times. Mishna 9:2 says that a person must say a Beracha upon hearing good news and upon hearing bad news. Mishna 9:3 says that a person should say a Beracha on both types of news regardless of their actual outcome, whether positive or negative. And finally, Mishna 9:5 says that a person must bless God for positive things that happen to him as well as for negative things. Talmud Bavli (Berachot 60b) explains that the last Mishna is note referring to a specific Beracha that a person must actually say, but rather it is referring to the way a person should accept in his heart events that happen to him in his life, meaning that even if they are negative he should still accept them with happiness. Our Tosefta, although technically applicable to any of the above mentioned Mishnayot, specifically relates to the last Mishna that is speaking in general about how a person should accept in his heart positive and negative events. It does not refer to an actual particular Beracha that a person must say when positive or negative events happen to him. Although Mishna 9:5 learns out its statement from a verse in the Torah, our Tosefta provides a different source for the same teaching. I have translated the Tosefta according to the way it fits with the general teaching of Mishna 9:5 and not according to the law stated in Mishna 9:2 that a person must say a Beracha upon hearing good news as well as bad news.
2. In the printed editions of the Tosefta the words Meir is missing and it instead it says “Rebbi” which is a general reference to Rebbi Yehudah Hanassi, the author of the Mishna. However, all manuscripts have the text written as “Rebbi Meir”. I would like to point out that it is absolutely fitting that Rebbi Meir is the one who said this statement in the Tosefta and not someone else, because of the following two stories that appear in Talmud Bavli (Talmud Bavli, Avodah Zarah 18a-b). Rebbi Meir was married to the famous Beruriah, the daughter of Rebbi Chaninah Ben Teradyon. In the early part of the 2^nd century CE, after the Bar Kochba rebellion, the Romans have executed Rebbi Chaninah Ben Teradyon for teaching Torah publicly and ordered that his unmarried daughter, Beruriah’s sister, should be placed in a brothel. Beruriah asked her husband to save her sister. Rebbi Meir took a bag of coins and went to the brothel disguised as a Roman horseman. When he discovered that Beruriah’s sister kept her chastity, despite the fact that she was living in a brothel by pretending that she was always on her period, he offered the money as a bribe to the guard. The guard replied, “When the government will find out what I did they will kill me.” Rebbi Meir answered, “Take half the money for yourself, and use the other half to bribe various officials so that they do not kill you.” The guard answered back, “And when there is no more money, and I still need to give out more bribes what will I do?” Rebbi Meir answered, “Say, ‘The God of Meir – answer me!’ and you will be saved.” The guard asked, “And how can I be guaranteed that this will save me?” Rebbi Meir replied, “You will see for yourself right now.” Rebbi Meir walked over to the angry dogs that were nearby and threw a stone at them. When the dogs ran over to him to bite him, he exclaimed, “God of Meir – answer me!” and the dogs left him alone. The guard was convinced and gave him the girl. When the Romans founds out about what the guard they arrested him and sentenced him to death by hanging. When the executioners tied the rope around his neck he said, “God of Meir – answer me!” The executioners got curious about what he said and started asking him about it. He told them about Rebbi Meir. So the Romans issued an arrest warrant for Rebbi Meir. Due to this Rebbi Meir had to flee to Babylonia.  But some people said that that was not the reason why Rebbi Meir fled to Babylonia, but rather it was because of an incident that happened with his wife Beruriah. The Talmud or any other extant rabbinic source does not tell us what that incident was. However, Rashi (Avodah Zarah 18b, Veika Deamri) brings the details of that story. It is generally assumed (see Maharatz Chayes, Mevo Hatalmud, Chapter 31) that in Rashi’s times there were manuscripts of a Midrash that contained that story, which were subsequently lost, although this is unknown. The story is as follows. Beruriah kept taunting Rebbi Meir about the Rabbinic teaching that said that “women are light minded”. (See Talmud Bavli, Kiddushin 80b) He said to her that one day she will find out that that is the truth. Rebbi Meir ordered to one of his students to seduce her. She fell for it and eventually cheated on Rebbi Meir, proving that she was too weak to resist. Once she found out that it was Rebbi Meir who ordered his student to seduce her in the first place she committed suicide and Rebbi Meir fled to Babylonia out of embarrassment. From these two stories it is clear that Rebbi Meir’s life was full of horrible tribulations and still he accepted everything that God sent his way with a happy heart. I have to admit that the story that Rashi quotes sounds dubious, especially the part about Rebbi Meir telling his student to seduce his own wife, but still it illustrates some important points about Rebbi Meir’s life. It should be noted that the Shalshelet Hakabbalah by Rav Gedalyah Ibn Yachya (Jerusalem, 1962 edition p.71) has a slightly different version of the story of Beruriah’s suicide, where it was actually Rebbi Meir pretending to be his student with whom Beruriah slept with. His source is equally unknown. I have seen also quoted in the name of Rabeinu Nissim Bar Yakov of Kairouan, who lived a couple generations before Rashi, this story with a completely different outcome, which says that Rebbi Meir fled together with Beruriah to Babylonia as a result of Roman persecution, implying that Beruriah never committed suicide and the whole affair never took place. It is referenced by H.Z. Hirschberg (editor), Chibur Yafe Min Hayeshua, Mosad Harav Kook, 1970, p.39-40. He quotes the end of the story as brought down by Rabeinu Nissim as follows: הלך [ר’ מאיר] לקח את אשתו וכל מה שהיה לו ועבר אל עראק – Rebbi Meir went, took his wife and everything that he had, and fled to Iraq.
3. I have quoted the verse as it appears to be written in the Tosefta in both the Vienna and the Erfurt manuscripts and rightly so as I will explain below. Although the English translation remains the same regardless of the order of the words in the Hebrew verse, whether “Hashem your God” appears before “He has given you” or after, it makes a huge difference in the actual Hebrew text, since a wrong order of words would invalidate a Torah scroll. Many commentators on the Tosefta (see Minchat Bikkurim, Chazon Yechezkel, Mishna Vehatosefta Berachot, by Yakov Meir Zelkind) for some reason were not able to find the correct verse in the Tanach and have attempted to say that the text in the Tosefta is quoted incorrectly, and should be reversed to read as the following 3 possibilities. One possibility is: אשר ה’ אלהיך נתן לך. There are many different verses that would fit. This line appears in the following verses: Shemot 20:11, Devarim 4:21, 4:40, 5:15, 7:16, 12:9, 12:15, 13:13, 15:4, 15:7, 16:5, 16:18, 16:20, 17:2, 17:14, 18:9, 19:1, 19:2, 19:10, 19:14, 20:16, 21:1, 21:23, 24:4, 25:15, 25:19, 26:1, 26:2, 27:2, 27:3, 28:8. The second possibility is: ה’ אלהיך אשר נתן לך, in verse Devarim 16:17, which may fit well into our text since it says, “… according to the blessing that Hashem, your God, has given you.” Although the verse specifically discusses sacrifices that a person should bring when he visits Yerushalayim on the 3 pilgrimage holidays, Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot, it says specifically that a person should bring as many sacrifices as much as God has blessed him in general, referring to his general fortune. That type of context would fit our Tosefta since it is talking about a person’s general fortune. However, it is also possible that since the Tosefta is specifically emphasizing the word “your God” as “your Judge” it can refer to any of the above mentioned verses and still make sense. The third possibility is: אשר נתן ה’ אלהיך לך. This verse appears in Devarim 20:14 and 28:52. However, I am personally appalled by these commentators’ analysis, as the verse that our Tosefta quotes appears in the Torah twice, exactly as it is quoted in the Tosefta, in Devarim 26:11 and again in Devarim 26:53. It seems to me that the verse in Devarim 26:11 fits best, since it says “And you should rejoice in all the good that Hashem, your God, has given you, and your household…”, which is clearly talking about general personal fortune. To give some credit to the above mentioned commentators it seems that they were confused by the way in which this Tosefta is printed in the printed editions, starting with the first edition of the Tosefta (Venice 1521) including the one in the back of the Vilna edition of the Talmud Bavli and all subsequent printings, where the text of the Tosefta is printed as follows: ת”ל אשר נתן ה’ אלהיך [אשר נתן לך] דיינך. Obviously, they did not check any of the existing manuscripts of the Tosefta and decided on their own what it should be, however due to so many possibilities no obvious conclusion could have been reached. This example shows once again the importance of referring to manuscripts and not rely on printed editions and personal derivations, especially when the text of the Torah is at stake.
4. In other words, we should always accept God’s judgment happily, regardless of whatever happened to us seems to be a good thing or a bad thing.

Tractate Berachot, Chapter 6 Tosefta 21 From where do we know that just like you have to say a Beracha (blessing) after [eating food] you also have to say a Beracha before [eating food]?2 The Torah teaches us, “… which He has given you” (Devarim 8:10), [meaning] from the moment that He gave [the food] to you, [you have to say a Beracha on it.]3 From where do we know that [you have to say a Beracha] even on [seeing] mountains and hills? The Torah teaches us, “… for the land …” (Devarim 8:10).4 From where do we know that [you have to say a Beracha] even on [studying and reading] the Torah and on [performing] Mitzvot (commandments)? The Torah teaches us, “… which He has given you” (Devarim 8:10), and it says, “… and I will give you the tablets of stone …” (Shemot 24:12).5

מסכת ברכות פרק ו תוספתא ב מניין שכשם שאתה מברך לאחריו כך מברך לפניו? תלמוד לומר (דברים ח:י) אשר נתן לך, משעה שנתן לך. מניין אף על ההרים ועל הגבעות? תלמוד לומר (דברים ח:י) על הארץ. מנין אף על התורה ועל המצות? תלמוד לומר (דברים ח:י) אשר נתן לך ואומר (שמות כד:יב) ואתנה לך את לחת האבן.

Notes:

1. The Tosefta continues expounding on the same verse (Devarim 8:10) as the previous Tosefta did regarding the laws of Berachot. Also, the Tosefta brings a source for the law in Mishna 9:2 that a person who sees mountains has to say a Beracha.
2. For various types of Berachot before eating food see Berachot Mishna 6:1 and 6:3.
3. It is generally accepted in the Talmud that Berachot before eating food, as well as Berachot on seeing various phenomena, such as mountains, as well as Berachot before reading and studying the Torah and performing Mitzvot, are all of Rabbinical origin and are not Torah obligations. See Talmud Bavli (Berachot 33a), which says that various Berachot were established by Anshei Knesset Hagedolah (The Men of the Great Assembly) sometime during the early days of 2^nd Bet Hamikdash. It is not clear from this Tosefta if it really means to derive the origin of these Berachot from the Torah as a primary source, making them Torah obligations, or simply using the verses that it quotes them as an Asmachta (Scriptural text used as support for a Rabbinical enactment). Obviously the verses in this Tosefta are completely taken out of context since they are talking about saying a Beracha after food only, and about Moshe receiving the tablets with the 10 commandments on them, and not about Berachot that are said on Mitzvot or natural phenomena. However it is possible that just like the previous Tosefta held that Zimun and the 4^th Beracha of Birkat Hamazon are Torah obligations, so too all other Berachot are Torah obligations as well, and the Rabbis have merely defined a specific text for them, where as the Torah required them to be said, but did not specify the text.
4. Since mountains and hills are features of the land they would require a Beracha. I do not think that the Tosefta implies that this Beracha would specifically apply in the Land of Israel and not anywhere else, since “the land” referred to in the verse is specifically Israel, since it is using the verse out of context anyway. The Beracha on seeing mountains is mentioned in Berachot Mishna 9:2. It is ברוך אתה ה’ אלוהינו מלך העולם  עושה מעשה בראשית – Blessed You Hashem, our God, King of the world, who does the action of creation.
5. Since the word “give” is used in the ^2nd verse in reference to the Torah (the tablets with the 10 commandments) so too the ^1st verse must be using it with reference to Torah. This is an application of an exegetical tool called Gezeirah Shavah, which is one of the methods of Torah exegeses. The way a Gezeirah Shava works is it takes two unrelated verses that have the same word in them and applies a rule that is definitely known by one verse to the other verse. However, I am not completely sure if in this case the Tosefta really intends this to be a real Gezeirah Shavah, which would make these Berachot Torah obligations, or it simply uses the same methodology as a Gezeirah Shavah, but in a way of an Asmachta which would simply provide additional support to the Rabbinical enactment of these Berachot. Either way is possible. Talmud Bavli (Berachot 21a) quotes the opinion of Rebbi Yehudah who says that Berachot before studying and reading the Torah are Torah obligations, although he uses a different verse to derive this from than this Tosefta. A similar derivation is quoted by Talmud Yerushalmi (Berachot 7:1, Daf 52a) although anonymously. For a lengthy discussion on this matter see Mareh Hapanim on Yerushalmi (Berachot 7:1, Daf 52a, Katuv Batorah). The Beracha before studying the Torah consists of two Berachot and before reading the Torah consists of one Beracha. See the Siddur (Jewish Prayer Book) for the text of these Berachot, since they are somewhat too long to quote here.

Tractate Berachot, Chapter 6 Tosefta 11 The Beracha (blessing) of Zimun is from the Torah (i.e. a Torah obligation)2 as it is said, “And you should eat, and be satisfied, and bless…” (Devarim 8:10), this is [a reference to] the Beracha of Zimun.3 “… Hashem, your God …” (Devarim 8:10), this is [a reference to] the first Beracha [of Birkat Hamazon (Grace After meals)]. “… for the land …” (Devarim 8:10), this is [a reference to] the Beracha about the land (i.e. the second Beracha) [of Birkat Hamazon]. “… the good …” (Devarim 8:10), this is [a reference to the Beracha about] Yerushalayim (i.e. the third Beracha) [of Birkat Hamazon] as it is said “… this good mountain and Levanon.” (Devarim 3:25).4 “… which He has given you.” (Devarim 8:10), this is [a reference to the Beracha of] Hatov Vehameitiv (i.e. the forth Beracha) [of Birkat Hamazon].5

מסכת ברכות פרק ו תוספתא א ברכת הזימון מן התורה שנאמר (דברים ח:י) ואכלת ושבעת וברכת זו ברכת הזימון. (דברים ח:י) את ה’ אלהיך זו ברכה ראשנה. (דברים ח:י) על הארץ זו ברכת הארץ. (דברים ח:י) הטבה זו ירושלים שנאמר (דברים ג:כה) ההר הטוב הזה והלבנן. (דברים ח:י) אשר נתן לך זו הטוב והמטיב.

Notes:

1. The Tosefta already discussed the Beracha of Zimun back in chapter 5 in Toseftot 7,11,19,20, and 21. This Tosefta is definitely placed out of order, since it is referring to the Beracha of Zimun which was introduced in Mishna 7:1. For the description of the Beracha of Zimun see Mishna Berachot 7:1 and 7:3. For the description of Birkat Hamazon see above chapter 4, Tosefta 6, note 6.
2. The Tosefta clearly argues on Talmud Bavli (Berachot 45a) which implies that the Beracha of Zimun is a Rabbinical obligation which relied on derivations from verses in Tehillim and in the Torah. In fact when the Talmud Bavli (Berachot 48b) quotes a Beraita which appears to be similar to this Tosefta which instead of the word “הזימון” has the word “המזון” which is a clear reference to Birkat Hamazon itself and not to Zimun. However in all Tosefta manuscripts the reading is הזימון as I have quoted above. The Beraita that the Talmud Bavli quotes is not our Tosefta, but rather a Mechilta Derabbi Yishmael (Parshat Bo 102 [Masechta Pischa, Parsha 16]).
3. From this derivation of the Tosefta it is implied that Zimun needs to be said even when a person ate alone, and not in a group of 3 people, since the verse is not talking about a group of people. However, that is impossible since by definition Zimun is a Beracha that requires a responsive dialog between a leader and at least 2 other people, as described as can be inferred from the text of Zimun, since a leader refers to his colleagues in plural form, “Nevarech” (Let us bless) or “Barchu” (You, in plural, should bless), as mentioned by the Mishna (Berachot 7:3). There is no indication in any other Tosefta that Zimun should be said by an individual without a group. All Toseftot that discussed Zimun earlier in chapter 5 imply that it is said in a group, as the Mishna says, especially Tosefta 5:19.
4. This verse in no way implies that “this good mountain” refers to Yerushalayim. It is said as a part of Moshe’s final speech to the Jews in which he recalls how he pleaded with God to allow him to enter the Land of Israel after God forbade him to do so due to the incident of hitting the rock (see Bemidbar 20:1-13). When Moshe originally pleaded with God (see Bemidbar 27:12-22) the Torah explicitly says (Bemidbar 27:12) that it took place on the mountain Avarim, and there it refers to it as “this mountain”, which is a clear reference to Moshe’s repetition of that event (in Devarim 3:25). There is some dispute to where mountain Avarim is located (see the Living Torah, by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, Moznaim, 1981, Numbers 27:12, note Avarim Mountain, p.810-811) but the opinions are that it either is in front of the city of Yericho (Jericho) or about 8 miles from there, neither of which is anywhere near Yerushalayim. What Moshe seems to be saying in the verse quoted by this Tosefta is that he would like to cross the Yarden into the Land of Israel and look back on to this mountain, meaning mountain Avarim, from Israel, instead of looking on Israel from mountain Avarim, which is what God told him to do. The Tosefta seems to take this verse somewhat out of context to arrive at the conclusion that it is referring to Yerushalayim.
5. Talmud Bavli (Berachot 48b) says that the 4^th Beracha of Birkat Hamazon was enacted by the Rabbis in Yavne to commemorate the destruction of the city of Beitar by the Romans. For more details about this event see above chapter 4, Tosefta 6, note 6. This Tosefta implies that all Berachot of Birkat Hamazon are Torah obligations, which is very strange since all Berachot were essentially enacted by the Rabbis. See Talmud Bavli (Berachot 33a), which says that various Berachot were established by Anshei Knesset Hagedolah (The Men of the Great Assembly) sometime during the early days of 2^nd Bet Hamikdash. All the Torah required a person to say is some generic version of a Beracha that a person could make up, but it did not prescribe a specific text. Talmud Bavli (Berachot 48b) says that the first 3 Berachot of Birkat Hamazon were enacted by the early prophets, but in no ways it implies that somehow God commanded them in the Torah itself.

Tractate Berachot, Chapter 5 Tosefta 361 Fire and mixtures [of animals]2 are not [actually existent] from the six days of creation,3 but they are considered to be [as if they are existent] from six days of creation.4 Rebbi Yossi says, “The fire of hell was created on the second day [of creation] and will never be extinguished,5 as it is said, ‘And they will go out and see the corpses of men who rebelled against Me, because their worms will not die and their fire will not be extinguished, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.’”6 (Yeshayahu 66:24) We do not say a Beracha [on seeing the light of the fire and on smelling the spices during Havdalah] on the fire and spices of a bath house.7

מסכת ברכות פרק ה תוספתא לו האש והכלאים אינן מששת ימי בראשית אבל חשובין מששת ימי בראשית. רבי יוסי אומר אש גיהנם נבראת ביום השני ואינה כבה עולמית שנאמר (ישעיהו סו:כד) ויצאו וראו בפגרי האנשים, הפושעים בי: כי תולעתם לא תמות, ואישם לא תכבה, והיו דיראון, לכל בשר. האש והבשמים של מרחץ אין מברכין עליהן.

Notes:

1. Since the previous Toseftot discussed the Beracha on seeing the light of fire of Havdalah which commemorates the creation of fire, the Tosefta continues with an Aggadic statement about the creation of fire. It is not related to any Mishna. In addition, the Tosefta says a new law about Havdalah which is related to the discussion of Mishna 6 of chapter 8, which says that we do not make a Beracha during Havdalah on a candle and spices that were put by a dead body.
2. Animals that do not naturally occur, but are rather a hybrid of two different species of animals, such as a mule, which is a hybrid of a male donkey and a female horse.
3. Meaning that God did not create them as a separate standalone thing, but rather they were created by man after God’s process of creation was over. Talmud Bavli (Pesachim 54a) says that man created the first fire by rubbing two stones together and figured out how to breed a horse and a donkey to create a mule.
4. Talmud Yerushalmi (Berachot 8:5, Daf 60a) has a slightly different version of this quote. Instead of saying that “they are considered to be from six days of creation” it says that “God thought about them during six days of creation”, implying that it was God who created them on the 8^th day after Shabbat and not man. I think that this is not what our Tosefta is trying to say, but rather it means as I explained above in the previous note that God did not create them, but rather it was man who created them later. The Tosefta has to clarify that even though God did not create fire, we consider it as if He did, because in the Beracha on seeing the light of fire, in Havdalah, we say that it was God who “creates the light of fire”. The reason that we consider fire to be created by God is because it is something so basic to human life that without it life cannot exist and it is God who put the idea in man’s mind how to extract fire by hitting two rocks together, and not something that man thought up on his own. See Talmud Bavli (Pesachim 54a). Hybrid animals are something so strange that they are considered to be created by God as well, since it is God who formed their bodies in such a way allowing their union to produce offspring, even though it is something that logically should not work, since most different types of animals cannot produce offspring if bred.

It is interesting to note that the Tosefta goes against the common Greek and Roman belief that it was the gods who created fire and not man, as known from the Greek myth of Prometheus who stole the fire from the gods and gave it to humans. I have to admit that it is really strange for the Rabbis to believe that it was man who created fire and not God, because fire occurs in nature in various places, such as when lightning strikes a tree or a volcano erupts and flowing lava burns everything in its path, so it does not make any sense to say that fire is something that was created by man when it is a natural phenomena. It make more sense to say that man created hybrid animals, because different species of animals generally do not copulate in nature and have to be pushed by humans to do so. It should be noted that Talmud Bavli (Pesachim 54a) sites the opinion of Rebbi Nechemyah who says that God created both the light (meaning fire, since light itself was created on the 1^st day as it says in the Torah (Bereishit 1:4)) and the mule on the 6^th day of creation, which clearly argues on this Tosefta. It is difficult to say that our Tosefta means that it was man who simply figured out how to reproduce them and control them and did not create them from scratch, since that is not what the literal meaning of the Tosefta implies.

1. Rebbi Yossi argues on the Tanna Kama and holds that God created fire on the 2^nd day and the place where he created it first was hell.
2. The verse in Yeshayahu is talking about God telling the prophet that in the end of days all men will worship God and will see how the wicked people will get punished. Rebbi Yossi uses it to support his opinion that hell itself will never cease to exist, even in the end of days when all people will recognize the supremacy of God.
3. In Zuckermandel’s edition of the Tosefta this last line belongs to the next Tosefta which makes more sense in the context. Mishna 8:6 says that we do not make a Beracha during Havdalah on a candle and spices that were put by a dead body. Talmud Bavli (Berachot 53a) explains that the reason is because for Havdalah the candle and the spices must serve the purpose of pure pleasure for the individual who is using them, where as spices by a dead body are placed there to neutralize the smell of the corpse and the candle is placed to honor the dead person, and neither one of them is for looking at or for smelling for pleasure. The same reasoning applies to the spices and the fire of a bath house. The fire in the bath house is used to heat up the water and is not meant to be looked at and the spices are used to neutralize the smell of sweat from all the sweaty people who are walking around and are not meant to be smelled for pleasure.

Tractate Berachot, Chapter 5 Tosefta 371 [If a person] was standing in a store [that sells] spices all day [long], he only says the Beracha [on smelling spices] once [in the beginning].2 [But if] he was going in and out [of the store all the time, then] he says a Beracha [on smelling the spices] each time [he goes back inside the store].3

מסכת ברכות פרק ה תוספתא לז היה עומד בחנות של בשמים כל היום אינו מברך אלא אחת. היה נכנס ויוצא נכנס ויוצא מברך על כל אחת ואחת

Notes:

1. Since the previous Tosefta mentioned the Beracha on smelling spices during Havdalah, this Tosefta states a new law regarding the Beracha on smelling spices in general. It is not related to any Mishna.
2. Talmud Bavli (Berachot 53a) explains that spices that are sold in a store are intended to be smelled so that people will enjoy their smell and buy them because of that. Therefore a person has to say a Beracha on smelling spices when he just walks into the store and smells all the different spices simultaneously. He does not have to specifically smell some particular spice in order to say the Beracha.  This is opposed to spices that are placed by a  dead body that are not intended to be smelled at all, but rather to neutralize the bad odor of the corpse, as I explained above in the previous Tosefta, note 7.
3. The reason that he has to say the Beracha on smelling the spices every time he walks back in is because it is considered to be an interruption of the smell when he walked out of the store. So each time he comes back in it is like he smelled something from scratch, therefore requiring a new Beracha. This is similar to saying new Berachot on food if a meal was interrupted, as was discussed above in chapter 4, Tosefta 17.