Three things that prolong life The Gemara analyzes the three actions which, when prolonged, prolong one’s life, according to Rav Yehudah (54b): • Spending a long time in tefillah. • Spending a long time at the table, thereby affording the poor a greater chance to come and share in the meal. • Spending a long time in the bathroom. 2. Betzalel’s wisdom The Gemara discusses Betzalel’s wisdom: • He was called Betzalel because “he lived in the shadow of G-d” )קל בצל ,)as he knew the order in which Hashem had commanded the building of the Mishkan—first the Mishkan, then the vessels—despite Moshe changing the order in his instructions to him. • He knew how to join together the letters of the Torah in the same way they were combined to create heaven and earth. 3. Dreams The daf discusses dreams at length: • A dream that has not been interpreted is like an unread letter. • One who is troubled by a dream should have it remedied in the presence of three people. The text of חלום הטבת is presented. • One who doesn’t understand the meaning of his dream should stand before the kohanim during Birkas Kohanim and recite a supplication, aiming to finish it as the congregation responds amein, so that his supplication will be affirmed together with the blessing of the kohanim. We are accustomed to doing this during Mussaf on Yom Tov. Siman - Speed Limit – 55 Rabbi Betzalel dreamt that he planted a speed limit sign in the middle of shul to remind the congregants that the key to long life is spending more time in tefillah, and his congregants begged him to do Hatavos Chalom. Key words – Betzalel, long life, hatavos chalom