תענית 3 — Soncino English Talmud

¹If he accepts the view of R. Judah b. Bathyra let him also agree with him [that one begins to make mention on the second day of the Feast]? — R. Akiba holds the view that the additional Libation occurs in the text on the sixth day. It has been taught: R. Nathan says, In the holy place shalt thou pour out a drink-offering of strong drink unto the Lord. Scripture [here] speaks of two Libations, the Libation of Water and the Libation of Wine. Perhaps both are of wine?- If it were so, he should have said, either hassek hassek or nasok nesek. What is the force [of the words] hassek nesek? — From this is to be inferred, that one points to the Libation of Water, and the other to the Libation of Wine. Who is the authority for that which we have learnt, The Libation of Water [is performed] throughout the seven days [of the Feast]? Is it R. Joshua? He would have stated on one day only! Is it R. Akiba? According to him it is performed on two days! Is it R. Judah b. Bathyra? According to him it is performed on six days? — I can still say, It is R. Judah b. Bathyra and he will hold the same opinion as R. Judah of the following Mishnah. For we have learnt: R. Judah says, A vessel of a log capacity was used for Libation throughout the eight days [of the Feast]; but he [R. Judah b. Bathyra] excludes the first day and includes the eighth day. Why does he exclude the first day? Is it because the [first of the] biblical allusions to water [is to be found] on the second day? Then the eighth day too should be excluded seeing that the last [of the] allusions to water is on the seventh day! — It must then be R. Joshua, and as for the Libation of Water being performed throughout the seven days [of the Feast] this is founded on a tradition; for R. Ami said in the name of R. Johanan, in the name of R. Nehunia a native of the Plain of Beth-Hawartan, the laws concerning the Ten Young Trees, the Willow of the Brook, and the Libation of Water are laws [communicated] to Moses from Sinai. ‘R. Judah in the name of R. Joshua says: The last to step before the Ark on the last day of the Feast makes mention [of rain], the first does not; on the first day of Passover the first makes mention, the last does not. Which R. Joshua? Is it R. Joshua of our Mishnah? Surely he said, ON THE LAST DAY OF THE FEAST ONE MAKES MENTION? Or, is it R. Joshua of the Baraitha? Surely he said: From the day that the Lulab is discarded? And further, when it is taught: R. Judah says in the name of Ben Bathyra: The last to step before the Ark on the last day of the Feast makes mention. Which Ben Bathyra [is meant]? Is it R. Judah b. Bathyra? Surely he said: On the second day of the Feast one makes mention? — R. Nathan bar Isaac replied: [In both passages cited] it is R. Joshua b. Bathyra. Sometimes he is called by his own name and some times he is referred to by his father's name; by the one before his ordination, and by the other after his ordination. It has been taught: The Sages did not make it obligatory on one to make mention of dew and winds, but if one desires to make mention he may do so. What is the reason? — R. Hanina said: Because they are never withheld. And how do we know that dew is never withheld? — For it is written, And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab: As the Lord the God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years but according to my word. And it is written further, Go, show thyself unto Ahab, and I will send rain upon the land. Of dew, however, Scripture does not speak. Why?^ᵃ^ᵇ^ᶜ^ᵈ^ᵉ^ᶠ^ᵍ^ʰ^ⁱ^ʲ^ᵏ^ˡ^ᵐ^ⁿ^ᵒ^ᵖ^ᵠ

^ᵃnote:Lit., ‘written’.
^ᵇnote:Num. XXVIII, 7.
^ᶜnote:On the Festival of Tabernacles.
^ᵈnote:The two different word formations of the root, lxb seem to point to two kinds of libation.
^ᵉnote:On the seventh day, since R. Joshua says: We begin to make mention from the time when the Lulab is discarded. [The question is not quite clear. Rashi did not seem to have this passage which is also omitted by MS.M.]
^ᶠnote:On the sixth and seventh day. Cf. 2b.
^ᵍnote:From the second until the seventh inclusive.
^ʰnote:A liquid measure equal to the contents of six eggs.
^ⁱnote:[l.e., whilst R. Judah b. Bathyra agreed with R. Judah that the Water Libation continued to the eighth day, he differs in so far that he holds that the rite began only with the second day, so that it lasted only seven days.]
^ʲnote:[Var. lec. omit R. Joshua and read, ‘It must then be that as for the libation of water being performed etc.’ On this reading all authorities agree that the rite is performed for seven days, the difference between them being only as to where the allusion is to be found, v. D.S. a.l.]
^ᵏnote:Lit., ‘a man of’.
^ˡnote:Perhaps Beth Hawran, east of the Jordan. V. Neubauer, Geog. du Talmud, p. 50.
^ᵐnote:All work in a tree-planted field had to be discontinued thirty days before the end of the sixth year of the Sabbatical cycle; but where ten saplings are spread over an area of fifty square cubits they may be cultivated right until the end of the sixth year. V. Sheb. 1, 6.
^ⁿnote:The use of the Willow in the daily processions around the altar during the festival of Tabernacles. V. Suk. IV, 5-6.
^ᵒnote:A phrase often denoting a law which has no scriptural basis and the origin of which is no longer known. V. Moore, Judaism I, 256.
^ᵖnote:I Kings XVII, 1.
^ᵠnote:I Kings XVIII, 1.

²Because it is never withheld. But if it is never withheld, why did Elijah take an oath on it? — This is what he conveyed to him [Ahab]. THe dew of blessing also would not fall. Then the dew of blessing should also have been restored? — Because the difference would not have been discernable. How do we know that winds are not withheld? R. Joshua b. Levi said: Scripture says, For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of heaven, saith the Lord. What does the prophet desire to convey? Shall we say that the Holy One, blessed be He, spoke thus to Israel, ‘I have scattered you to the four corners of the world’. If so, Scripture should have said not ‘as the four’ but ‘to the four’. But this is what he meant: ‘As the world cannot endure without winds, so too the world cannot exist without Israel’. R. Hanina said: Therefore, if in the summer one inserted [in the Tefillah the words], ‘He causeth the wind to blow’, he is not compelled to repeat [the Tefillah]; if, however, he said, ‘He causeth the rain to fall’, he is compelled to repeat [it]. Similarly, if in winter one did not insert, ‘He causeth the wind to blow’, he is not compelled to repeat; if, however, he did not say, ‘He causeth the rain to fall’, he is compelled to repeat. And furthermore, even if he said, ‘He causeth the wind to pass and the dew to disappear’, he is not compelled to repeat. A Tanna taught: The Sages did not make it obligatory to make mention of clouds and winds, but if one desires to make mention he may do so. What is the reason? Is it because they are never withheld? But are they never withheld? Did not R. Joseph learn, ‘And He will shut up the heaven, means, in respect of clouds and winds. You say that this verse is in respect of clouds and winds, perhaps it is not so but means in respect of rain? When Scripture adds, So that there shall be no rain, rain is thus already referred to. What then is the force of [the words], And He will shut up the heaven? [It must mean] in respect of clouds and winds’. There will then be a contradiction between ‘winds and winds’ and between ‘clouds and clouds’? — There is really no contradiction between clouds and clouds’. In the one case [the reference is] to early clouds and in the other to late clouds. Between winds and winds’ too there is no contradiction; in the one case they are normal winds and in the other extraordinary winds. But are not extraordinary winds suitable for [winnowing] in the barn? — This can be done with sieves [independently of the wind]. A Tanna taught: The clouds and the winds are secondary to rain. Which are they? ‘Ulla said, or as some say, R. Judah said: Those that come after the rain. Can we then say that these are beneficial? Is it not written, The Lord will make the rain of thy land powder and dust, and on this ‘Ulla, or as some say, R. Judah commented, [This refers to] the wind following the rain? — There is no contradiction; in the one case [it speaks] of when the rain comes down gently and in the other when it comes down with vehemence. In the latter it throws up dust, and in the former it does not. Rab Judah further said: Wind after rain is as beneficial as rain, clouds after rain as beneficial as rain, sunshine after rain as beneficial as twofold rain. What does this exclude? — The glow after sunset and sunshine between clouds. Raba said: Snow is beneficial to the mountains as fivefold rain to the earth, as it is said, For he saith to the snow, ‘Fall thou on the earth’; likewise to the shower of rain and to the showers of His mighty rain. Raba further said: Snow is beneficial to the mountain, heavy rain to the trees, gentle rain to the fruits of the field,^ʳ^ˢ^ᵗ^ᵘ^ᵛ^ʷ^ˣ^ʸ^ᶻ^ᵃᵃ^ᵃᵇ^ᵃᶜ^ᵃᵈ

^ʳnote:Zech. II, 10.
^ˢnote:Lit., ‘to fly away’.
^ᵗnote:Deut, XI, 17.
^ᵘnote:Before the rain. These are never withheld.
^ᵛnote:After the rain. [Such clouds depend on the rain and are withheld, nevertheless, as clouds as a whole are never withheld, no mention need be made of them.]
^ʷnote:[Such are withheld. Since, however, they are not particularly beneficial no mention need be made of then,.
^ˣnote:[R. Gershom reads, ‘are necessary’].
^ʸnote:I.e., they are almost as beneficial as rain.
^ᶻnote:[Read with MS.M., Rab Judah.]
^ᵃᵃnote:Deut. XXVIII, 24.
^ᵃᵇnote:The wind raises dust which in turn sticks to the damp produce.
^ᵃᶜnote:[Cur. edd. insert here in brackets, ‘If you wish I can tell you’, but this is best left out.]
^ᵃᵈnote:Job XXXVII, 6.