תענית 7

¹ we should say both ‘the God to Whom thanksgivings are due’ and ‘to Whom abundant thanksgivings are due’. R. Abbahu said: The day when rain fails is greater than [the day of] the Revival of the Dead,for the Revival of the Dead is for the righteous only whereas rain is both for the righteous and for the wicked. And he differs from the opinion of R. Joseph who said: As [rain] is equal to the Revival of the Dead the mention of it has therefore been inserted in the section of the Revival of the Dead. Rab Judah said: The day when rain falls is as great as the day when the Torah was given, as it is said, My doctrine shall drop as the rain: and by ‘doctrine’ surely, Torah is meant as it is said, For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my Torah. Raba said: It is even greater than the day when the Torah was given, as it is said, My doctrine shall drop as the rain. Who is dependent upon whom? You must needs say, the lesser upon the greater. Raba pointed out a contradiction. It is written ‘My doctrine shall drop as the rain’, and immediately on this follows, My speech shall distil as dew. [The implication here is]. if the scholar is a worthy person then he is like unto dew, but if he is not then drop him like rain. It has been taught in a Baraitha: R. Banna'ah used to say: Whosoever occupies himself with the Torah for its own sake his learning becomes an elixir of life to him, for it is said, It is a tree of life to them that grasp it; and it is further said, It shall be as health to thy navel; and it is also said, For whoso findeth me findeth life. But, whosoever occupies himself with the Torah not for its own sake, it becomes to him a deadly poison, as it is said, My doctrine shall drop as the rain, and ‘arifa surely means, death, as it is said, And they shall break [we'arfu] the heifer's neck there in the valley. R. Jeremiah said to R. Zera: Pray, Master, come and teach. The latter replied: I do not feel well enough and am not able to do so. [Then said R. Jeremiah] Pray, Master, expound something of an aggadic character, and he replied: Thus said R. Johanan: What is the meaning of the verse, For is the tree of the field man? Is then man the tree of the field? [This can only be explained if we connect the verse with the words immediately before it] where it is written, For thou mayest eat of them, but thou shalt not cut them down; but then again it is written, ‘It thou shalt destroy and cut down’? How is this to be explained?-If the scholar is a worthy person learn [eat] from him and do not shun [cut] him, but if he is not destroy him and cut him down. R. Hama b. Hanina said: What is the meaning of the verse, Iron sharpneth iron?- This is to teach you that just as in the case of one [iron] iron sharpeneth the other so also do two scholars sharpen each others mind by halachah. Rabbah b. Hanah said: Why are the words of the Torah likened to fire, as it is said, Is not my word like as fire? saith the Lord? This is to teach you that just as fire does not ignite of itself so too the words of the Torah do not endure with him who studies alone. This is in agreement with what R. Jose b. Hanina said: What is the meaning of the verse, A sword is upon the lonely, and they shall become fools? This means, destruction comes upon the enemies of such scholars who confine themselves to private study; and what is even more they become stultified, as it is said, And they shall become fools; and what is more they are guilty of sin. For here it is written, And they shall become fools, and there it is written, For that we have done foolishly and for that we have sinned. If you wish, you can infer it from the following verse, The princes of Zoan are become fools . . . they have caused Egypt to go astray. R. Nahman b. Isaac said: Why are the words of the Torah likened to a tree, as it is said, It is a tree of life to them that grasp it? This is to teach you. just as a small tree may set on fire a bigger tree so too it is with scholars, the younger sharpen the minds of the older. This will be in agreement with what R. Hanina said: I have learnt much from my teachers, and from my colleagues more than from my teachers, but from my disciples more than from them all. R. Hanina b. Papa pointed out a contradiction . It is written, Unto him that is thirsty bring ye water; and it is also written Ho, everyone that thirsteth come ye for water. If he is a worthy disciple, then, ‘Unto him that is thirsty bring ye water’, but if he is not, then, ‘Ho, everyone that thirsteth come ye for water’. R. Hanina b. Hama pointed out a contradiction. It is written, Let thy springs be dispersed abroad, and it is also written, Let them be only thine own! If he is a worthy disciple. ‘Let thy springs be dispersed abroad,’ but if not, ‘Let them be thine own’. R. Hanina b. Ida said: Why are the words of the Torah likened unto water-as it is written, ‘Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye for water’? This is to teach you, just as water flows from a higher level to a lower, so too the words of the Torah endure only with him who is meekminded. R. Oshaia said: Why are the words of the Torah likened unto these three liquids, water, wine and milk — as it is written, ‘Ho, everyone that thirsteth come ye for water’; and it is written, Come ye, buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money, and without price? This is to teach you, just as these three liquids can only be preserved in the most inferior of vessels, so too the words of the Torah endure only with him who is meekminded. This is illustrated by the story of the daughter of the Roman Emperor who addressed R. Joshua b. Hanania, ‘O glorious Wisdom in an ugly vessel’. He replied, ‘Does not your father keep wine in an earthenware vessel?’ She asked, ‘Wherein else shall he keep it?’ He said to her, ‘You who are nobles should keep it in vessels of gold and silver’. Thereupon she went and told this to her father and he had the wine put into vessels of gold and silver and it became sour. When he was informed of this he asked his daughter, ‘Who gave you this advice?’ She replied. ‘R. Joshua b. Hanania’ — Thereupon the Emperor had him summoned before him and asked him, ‘Why did you give her such advice?’ He replied, ‘I answered her according to the way that she spoke to me’. But are there not good-looking people who are learned?^{ᵃᵇᶜᵈᵉᶠᵍʰⁱʲᵏˡᵐⁿᵒᵖᵠʳˢᵗᵘᵛʷˣʸᶻᵃᵃᵃᵇ}

² — If these very people were ugly they would be still more learned. Another explanation: Just as these three liquids can become unfit for consumption only through inattention, so too the words of the Torah are forgotten only through inattention. R. Hania b. Hanina said: The day when rain falls is as great as the day on which heaven and earth were created, as it is said, Drop down, ye heavens from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, that they may bring forth salvation, and let her cause righteousness to spring up together; I the Lord have created it. It is not said, ‘I created them’, but I have created it. R. Oshaia said: The day when rain falls is great for on it even salvation springs forth and waxes great, as it is said, ‘Let the earth open, that they may bring forth salvation’. R. Tanhum b. Hanilai said, No rain falls unless the sins of Israel have been forgiven, as it is said, Lord, Thou hast been favourable unto Thy land, Thou hast turned the Captivity of Jacob. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of Thy people, Thou hast pardoned all their sins. Selah. Ze'iri of Dahabath said to Rabina: You have learnt it from this verse, but we have learnt from the following verse, Then hear Thou in heaven and forgive the sin etc. R. Tanhum the son of R. Hiyya of Kefar Acco said: Rain is withheld only when the enemies of Israel have merited destruction as it is said, Drought and heat consume the snow waters; so doth the nether world those that have sinned. Ze'iri of Dahabath said to Rabina: You have learnt from this verse, but we have learnt it from the following verse, And He will shut up the heaven . . . and ye perish quickly. R. Hisda said: Rain is withheld only because of the neglect to bring heave-offerings and tithes, as it is said, Drought and heat consume the snow waters. How is this derived from the verse? — In the school of R. Ishmael it was taught: Because you have not performed in the summer the things I have commanded you, you shall be denied snow waters in the winter. R. Simeon b. Pazzi said: Rain is withheld only because of those who talk slander, as it is said, The north wind bringeth forth rain, and a backbiting tongue an angry countenance. R. Salla said in the name of R. Hamnuna: Rain is withheld only because of the insolent, as it is said,Therefore the showers have been withheld, and there hath been no latter rain; yet thou hadst a harlot's forehead etc. R. Salla further said in the name of R. Hamnuna: Any man who is insolent stumbles in the end into sin, for it is said, ‘Thou hadst a harlot's forehead’. R. Nahman said: It is evident that he [actually] stumbled into sin, for it is said ‘Thou hadst’ and not, ‘thou wilt have’. Rabbah the son of R. Huna said: It is permissible to call ‘wicked’ any one who is insolent, as it is said, A wicked man hardeneth his face. R. Nahman the son of R. Isaac said: One may even hate him, as it is said, And the boldness of his face is changed. Do not read yeshuneh [changed] but yesuneh [hated]. R. Kaltina said: Rain is withheld only because of the neglect of the Torah , as it is said, By slothfulness the rafters sank in [yimak]. Because of the sloth displayed by Israel in not occupying themselves with the Torah the enemy of the Holy One, blessed be He, becomes Poor. Mak, actually means, poor, as it is said, But if he be too poor [mak] for thy valuation. Mekoreh actually denotes God, as it is said, Who layest [ha-mekoreh] the beams of Thine upper chambers in the waters. R. Joseph derived it from the following verse, And how men see not the light which is bright in the skies; but the wind passeth and cleanseth them. And ‘light’ surely means Torah, as it is said, For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching [Torah] is light. ‘Which is bright in the skies’: [With reference to this] it was taught In the school of R. Ishmael: Even when the heavens are full of white spotted clouds ready to cause dew and rain to fall a wind passes and cleanses them . R. Ammi said: Rain is withheld only because of the sin of violent robbery, as it is said, He covereth His hands with the lightning; that is to say, for the sin [of violent robbery committed by] their hands He covereth the light. And ‘hands’ surely signifies, violent robbery, as it is said, And from the violence that is in their hands, and ‘light’ Surely [stands for] rain, as it is said, He spreadeth abroad the cloud of His lightning. What is then his remedy? — Let a man make many prayers, as it is said, And giveth it a charge that it strike the mark [be-mafgi'ah], and pegi'ah is prayer, as it is said, Therefore pray not thou for this people . . . neither make intercession [tifga’] to me. R. Ammi further said: What is the meaning of the verse, If the iron be blunt, and one do not whet the edge? If you see the sky hard as iron so that neither dew nor rain fall, this is to be attributed to the deeds of the generation which are corrupt, as it is said, And one do not whet the edge. What then shall be their remedy? Let them make many prayers [for mercy], as it is said, Then must he put to more strength; but wisdom is profitable to direct. [The latter words indicate,] how much more [efficacious their prayer would prove] if their deeds had originally been righteous. Resh Lakish said: If you see a student^{ᵃᶜᵃᵈᵃᵉᵃᶠᵃᵍᵃʰᵃⁱᵃʲᵃᵏᵃˡᵃᵐᵃⁿᵃᵒᵃᵖᵃᵠᵃʳᵃˢᵃᵗᵃᵘᵃᵛᵃʷᵃˣᵃʸᵃᶻᵇᵃᵇᵇᵇᶜᵇᵈᵇᵉᵇᶠᵇᵍ}