Taanit

as the stem of the Palm-tree does not renew itself1 so too the stem of the righteous, Heaven forfend, does not renew itself; therefore it is said ‘Cedar’. Had it been said ‘Cedar’ and not ‘Palmtree’, I might have argued that just in the same way as the Cedar does not yield fruit, so too the righteous do not yield fruit; therefore it is said, ‘Palm-tree’ and ‘Cedar’. But does the stem of the cedar renew itself. Surely it has been taught: If one buys a tree from his neighbour for felling he must leave of the trunk one handbreadth from the ground;2 of the trunk of the sycamore tree two handbreadths; of the virgin sycamore tree three handbreadths; of reeds and of vines from the knot above it;3 in the case, however, of date palms and cedars he may dig into the ground and uproot them because their stock does not renew itself.4 Here it speaks of other types of cedar trees in accordance with a statement of Rabbah b. Huna, who said:5 There are ten types of cedar trees, as it is said, I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia tree and the myrtle tree etc. 6 Our Rabbis have taught: It is related of R. Eliezer that he ordained thirteen fasts upon the community and no rain fell. In the end, as the people began to depart [from the synagogue], he exclaimed: Have you prepared graves for yourselves? Thereupon the people sobbed loudly and rain fell. It is further related of R. Eliezer that once he stepped down before the Ark and recited the twenty-four benedictions7 [for fast days] and his prayer was not answered. R. Akiba stepped down after him and exclaimed: Our Father, our King, we have no King but Thee; our Father, our King, for Thy sake have mercy upon us; and rain fell. The Rabbis present suspected [R. Eliezer], whereupon a Heavenly Voice was heard proclaiming.[The prayer of] this man [R. Akiba] was answered not because he is greater than the other man, but because he is ever forbearing and the other is not. Our Rabbis have taught: How long should it continue to rain to warrant the community breaking their fast? [Until the rain has penetrated] as far as the knee of the plough enters the soil; this is the opinion of R. Meir. The Sages, however, say: In the case of arid soil one handbreadth,in the case of moderately soft soil two handbreadths, and in the case of cultivated soil three handbreadths. It has been taught: R. Simeon b. Eliezer says: Not a handbreadth of rain coming down from above but that the deep with three handbreadths comes up from below to meet it.8 But has it not been taught: Two handbreadths? — There is no contradiction. In the one case it is cultivated soil, and in the other it is not.9 R. Eliezer said: When on the Feast of Tabernacles the water libations are carried out, Deep says to Deep, ‘Let thy waters spring forth, I hear the voice of two friends’,10 as it is said, Deep calleth unto Deep at the voice of Thy cataracts etc.11 Rabbah said: I myself have seen Ridya.12 who resembles a three years’ old heifer, with its lips parted; he stands between the lower deep and the upper deep; to the upper deep he says. ‘Distil thy waters’, and to the lower deep he says. ‘Let thy waters spring forth’, as it is said, The flowers appear on the earth etc. 13 IF WHILST THEY ARE FASTING RAIN FALLS, IF IT IS BEFORE SUNRISE etc. Our Rabbis have taught: If whilst they are fasting rain falls, if it is before sunrise they need not complete the fast; if it is after sunrise they must complete it; this is the opinion of R. Meir. R. Judah says: If before midday they need not complete the fast, if after midday they must complete it. R. Jose says: If before the ninth hour they need not complete the fast, if after the ninth hour they must complete it — For thus we find it in the case of Ahab, King of Israel, that he fasted from the ninth hour onwards, as it is said, Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before Me etc.14 R. Judah the Prince15 ordained a fast and rain fell after sunrise. He was of the opinion that the people should complete the fast. Said R. Ammi to him: We have learnt: [There is a difference] between before midday and after midday. Samuel the Little ordained a fast and rain fell before sunrise. The people thought that it was due to the merit of the community, whereupon he said to them: I will quote you a parable. This can be compared to a servant who asked his master for a gratuity and the master exclaimed, Give it to him, and let me not hear his voice. Another time Samuel the Little ordained a fast and rain fell after sunset. The people thought that it was due to the merit of the community. whereupon Samuel exclaimed: I will quote you a parable. This can be compared to a servant who asked his master for a gratuity and the master exclaimed, Keep him waiting until he is made submissive and is distressed, and then give him his gratuity. According to Samuel the Little, what would be an instance of rain falling on account of the merit of the community? — If they recited [the prayer]. ‘He causeth the wind to blow’, and the wind blew, and if they recited, ‘He causeth the rain to fail, and rain fell. IT HAPPENED THAT THE RABBIS ORDAINED A FAST IN LYDIA etc. Should they not have recited the Hallel first? — Abaye and Raba explained this to be because the Hallel is recited attracts the deep with a response of three handbreadths (Rashi). Strashun explains differently.] note. ‘and the voice of the turtle (ru,) is heard in our land’. ru, is taken in its Aramaic sense of ‘ox’, thus alluding to Ridya's resemblance to a three years’ old heifer.] us that Ahab fasted and humbled himself on the day that Elijah informed him of his doom. The Gemara construes Ahab's fasting to be that he went without his meal that day. This would prove that the last moment resolution to fast, provided a man had not partaken of any food before that time, is counted as a valid fast. V. 12a, the statement of R. Hisda.