Taanit

In a dream he was made to recite the verse, ‘And I cut off the three shepherds’. When next day these disciples took leave of him he said to them, Go in peace.1 R. Shimi b. Ashi was wont to frequent [the discourses] of R. Papa and used to annoy him, very much with questions. One day he observed that R. Papa fell on his face2 [in prayer] and he heard him saying. ‘May God preserve me from the insolence of Shimi’. The latter thereupon vowed silence and annoyed him no more [with questions]. Resh Lakish too held the view that rain may fall even for the sake of an individual, for Resh Lakish said: Whence do we adduce that rain may fall even for the sake of an individual? Because it is written, Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain, even of the Lord that maketh lightnings, and He will give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.3 You might have thought, only when all need [it]. therefore Scripture says. ‘to everyone’. Further, it has been taught: Had Scripture said, ‘to everyone’ [only] you might have thought [rain would fall] only when one needs it for all his fields, therefore Scripture adds, ‘field’. Had the word ‘field’ [been used] you might have thought only when the whole field needs [rain] Scripture therefore adds, ‘grass’. This is borne out by the case of Daniel b. Kattina who had a garden which he was in the habit of inspecting daily and he would exclaim, ‘This bed needs water and that one does not’; and rain would fall on those beds that needed water. What is the meaning of the verse, ‘Even the Lord that maketh hazizim [lightnings]? — R. Jose son of R. Hanina said: This teaches that God provides a haziz for each righteous man. What are hazizim? Rab Judah said: Porehoth.4 R. Johanan said: Porehoth are a sign of [coming] rain. What are porehoth? — R. Papa said: A thin cloud under a thick cloud. Rab Judah said: Should fine rain come down before the heavy rain then the rain will continue for some time; should it follow a heavy downpour of rain then the rain will soon cease. If before the rain, the rain will continue, of this the sieve serves as a reminder; if after a heavy rain, the rain will cease, of this goats’ excrement serves as a reminder.5 ‘Ulla chanced to be in Babylon and observing light clouds [porehoth] he exclaimed, ‘Remove the vessels for rain is now coming’. No rain however fell and he exclaimed, As the Babylonians are false, so too is their rain. ‘Ulla chanced to be in Babylon and observing that a basketful of dates was being sold for a zuz6 he exclaimed, ‘A basketful of honey for a zuz and yet the Babylonians do not occupy themselves with the study of the Torah’. During the night he was in agony [from eating the dates] and he then exclaimed, ‘A basketful of knives for a zuz and yet the Babylonians occupy themselves with the study of the Torah. It has been taught: R. Eliezer said: The whole world draws its water supply from the waters of the ocean, as it is said, But there went up a mist from the earth and watered the whole of the ground.7 Thereupon R. Joshua said to him: But are not the waters of the ocean salty? He replied: They are sweetened by the clouds. R. Joshua said: The whole world drinks from the upper waters, as it is said, And drinketh water as the rain of heaven cometh down.8 If so, what is the force of the verse, ‘But there went up a mist from the earth’? This teaches that the clouds grow in strength as they rise towards the firmament and then open their mouth as a flask and catch the rain water, as it is said, Which distil rain from His vapour,9 they are perforated like a sieve and they slowly distil [mehashroth] waters on the ground. as it is said, Distilling [hashroth] of waters, thick clouds of the skies;10 there is but one hand-breadth space between one drop and another, in order to teach you that the day on which rain falls is as great as the day whereon heaven and earth were created, as it is said, Who doeth great things past finding out;11 and it is written, Who giveth rain upon the earth;12 and it is also written, Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard that the everlasting God, the Lord . . . His discernment is past finding out?13 Whose view is supported by the verse, Who waterest the mountains from Thine upper chambers,14 which R. Johanan interprets to mean the upper chambers of the Almighty? Whose view? — It is that of R. Joshua. And R. Eliezer's15 view?-As [the waters] ultimately find their way above [Scripture] aptly terms them, ‘from Thine upper chambers’14 For if it were not so, how will you explain, Powder and dust from heaven?’16 What you must [say is] that as these rise upwards [from the ground] the words, ‘from heaven’ are quite aptly applied to them. Likewise as the waters eventually find their way above Scripture aptly refers to them as, from Thine upper chambers’. Whose view supports R. Hanina who said this, He gathereth the waters of the sea together as a heap; He layeth up the deeps in storehouses,17 [as meaning,] Who caused the storehouses to be filled with grain? The deeps-the view of R. Eliezer. And what of R. Joshua's [view]?18 — That [verse] refers to Creation of the world. Ber. 64a. R. Papa. by his greeting, implied that the disciples would not survive long. [MSM. however reads okak ‘to peace’. R. Papa then in using this formula expressed the wish that the implications of the dream would not be fulfilled.] relaxes.