Taanit 2a — the Talmud in English

Introduction The Meiri wrote: The principal intention of this tractate is to clarify the matters of repentance and prayer in times of troubles, and what a person must and awaken himself to it, through an abundance of prayers, cries, and fasts. The tractate deals principally with three main matters: A. Prayer for rain, from the day on which the “rainy season” begins, which is the beginning of winter, until the day when the summer days arrive, which is the end of the rainy season; and likewise, how one is to conduct oneself during a time when the rains are withheld. B. Prayer concerning the other troubles: for which of them one fasts, and how one conducts oneself during those fasts. C. The days on which one fasts because of the ancient troubles that occurred on them, namely, the four fasts. Incidentally to these matters, the tractate also deals with additional matters, such as the matters of the watches and the stations that existed in the Temple. The first chapter deals principally with two subjects connected with the falling of the rains: A. Mentioning the rains in the second blessing of the Eighteen, by saying “Who makes the wind blow and the rain fall”; and likewise requesting the rains in the blessing of the years, by saying “And grant dew and rain for a blessing”: when one begins mentioning and requesting them, and when one finishes. B. When the rains are late in coming: when one begins fasting on their account, how many fasts are decreed on account of this, how long they continue fasting if they are not answered, and how they conduct themselves on these days. Mishna:

From when

do they mention

in the prayer

mighty acts of

rains?

That is, from when do they begin saying “Who makes the wind blow and the rain fall” in the prayer of the Eighteen?

Rabbi Eliezer says: From the first festival day of the festival

of Sukkot.

Rabbi Yehoshua says: From the last festival day of

the

festival .

That is, from the day of Shemini Atzeret.

Rabbi Yehoshua said to him

to Rabbi Eliezer: It is not logical that one should begin mentioning the rains at the beginning of the festival of Sukkot.

For

since there is no

falling of

the rains except

a sign of a curse

during the festival

of Sukkot, for because of their falling a person is forced to leave the sukka , and certainly a person does not want rains to fall during the festival,

why does he mention

their matter during the festival, so that through this it appears that he desires their falling!?

Rabbi Eliezer said to him:

Indeed, so.

I too did not say

that it is necessary

to request [to ask for] the falling of the rains during the festival of Sukkot by saying “And grant dew and rain for a blessing,” for in truth this is not the proper time for the rains to fall,

Rather,

rather I said that one must

mention

mention the might of the Holy One, blessed is He, and say that He

makes the wind blow

makes the wind blow

He said to him,

and makes the rain fall in its season, at its appropriate time, after the festival of Sukkot.

He said to him,

He said to him

Rabbi Yehoshua:

If so,

if one merely mentions that the Holy One, blessed is He, makes the rain fall at its proper time,

always,

continuously,

let

a person

mention

the falling of the rains throughout the entire year, and why do they stop mentioning the falling of the rain at the entrance of the festival of Passover?

And the tanna continues to discuss the matter of mentioning the falling of the rains in the prayer, and says:

One does not request the rains except close to

the time of the falling of the

rains [this matter is explained below in the Gemara] .

This matter is explained below in the Gemara.

Rabbi Yehuda says,

this is how one is to conduct oneself concerning the mentioning of the rains:

The prayer leader

who passes before the lectern

on the last festival day of the festival

of Sukkot, which is the day of Shemini Atzeret, and on the morning of this day there are two prayers, the Shacharit prayer and the Musaf prayer—

the last one,

the one who prays the Musaf prayer —

mentions

the rains. And from then onward they continue mentioning them until the festival of Passover.

But the prayer leader

the first one,

who prays Shacharit—

does not mention

the rains .

Whereas

on the first festival day of Passover,

on which there are likewise two prayers in the morning, Shacharit and Musaf, they conduct themselves oppositely:

The prayer leader

the

one who passes before the lectern

first,

who prays Shacharit,

mentions

the rains still .

But

the last one,

the one who prays the Musaf prayer—

does not mention.

And again they do not mention them until the festival of Sukkot.

Gemara:

The meaning of the Mishna is that we already know that it is necessary to mention the rains in the prayer, and the tanna need not teach us the very matter of mentioning the rains. Rather, he comes to discuss only from when is the time for mentioning them.

And the Gemara is astonished:

The tanna, where does he stand [what are the words of the tanna based upon]

the blessing that concludes, “Who blesses the years.”

that he teaches

“They mention the mighty deeds of rain in

“From when?”

That is, where did the tanna mention the very matter that it is necessary to mention the rains, so that he began here to discuss from when is the time for mentioning them?

of the dead, and they request ask for] rainfall in the blessing of the years [the blessing that concludes, “Who blesses the years”],

And the Gemara explains: the words of the tanna, there,

concerning the words of the Mishna there, in tractate Berakhot,

stand [are based upon].

For it teaches [as we learned there, in tractate Berakhot]:

They mention the mighty acts of rains in

the blessing of

the revival of

the dead,

and they request [ask for]

the falling of the rains

in the blessing of the years [the blessing that concludes with “Who blesses the years”],

And

the

havdalah ["You have granted us knowledge, etc., and distinguished between the holy and the profane, etc.," in the evening prayer of the conclusion of Shabbat] is recited

within

the

blessing of

"Who grants knowledge."

If so, we have already found that rain is mentioned, but we still do not know from when one begins to mention it.

And

following the words of the tanna there,

he teaches [that is, we learned] in our Mishna:

that

from when do they mention

those

powers of rain

that we learned in tractate Berakhot are mentioned in the blessing of the revival of the dead.

And

the Gemara objects: If so, that the words of the tanna of our Mishna are a continuation of the words of the Mishna in tractate Berakhot,

let him teach [that the tanna should have taught]

the words of our Mishna

there [in that place], in the Order of Seeds

, since this is a continuation of the words of that Mishna, which was also taught in the Order of Seeds!

What is different, that he left it until here

[why did the tanna leave off stating his words until here, until tractate Taanit, which was taught in the Order of Festivals]?

And since it is not the way of the tanna to teach something in one Order and to teach the continuation of the matter in another Order, certainly the words of the tanna do not refer to the words of the Mishna in tractate Berakhot.

Rather,

the

tanna

of our Mishna

from

tractate

Rosh Hashanah,

which is in the Order of Festivals [which is the same Order as tractate Taanit],

ascends [that is, follows] .

[follows] .

For we learned [that we learned] in tractate Rosh Hashanah: “At four times the world is judged, etc.,”

and on the Festival they are judged concerning the waters.

That is, on the Festival of Sukkot the world is judged concerning the waters,

how much rain will fall during that year.

And since the tanna

[and since the tanna there incidentally taught]

“And on the Festival they are judged concerning the waters,”

the tanna of our Mishna reasoned that since they are judged concerning the waters, one certainly needs to mention the matter of rain in prayer, so that the rains should come for a blessing .

If so, we have already found that rain must be mentioned. But we still do not know from when one begins to mention it.

Therefore

the tanna

here, as a continuation of the words of the Mishna in tractate Rosh Hashanah, teaches:

from when do they mention

the powers of rain .

And the Gemara continues and discusses the words of the Mishna.

The Gemara asks: Why did the tanna teach this wording: “From when do they mention the powers of rain

—and let him teach

[that the tanna should have taught] in this wording:

“From when do they mention concerning the rains!”

What is meant by “the powers of rain”

[what did the tanna intend by using the expression “the powers of rain”?]

Rabbi Yohanan said: Because

the rains

fall with power .

As it is stated

in the Book of Job:

“He performs great things beyond investigation, and wonders without number.”

And it is written

[and it is written in the verse following this verse]:

“He gives rain upon the face of the earth and sends waters upon the face of the open places.”

The Gemara wonders:

What does this imply?

How is it implied from these verses that the rains fall with power? For in this verse only an expression of “greatness” is mentioned, and not “power”?

Rabba bar Shila said: It is derived

[this exposition comes and is learned] by a

gzerah shavah, “investigation” “investigation,”

from the creation

of the world .

It is written here,

concerning the falling of rain:

“He performs

great things beyond investigation.”

And it is written there

[and it is written there, in the Book of Isaiah], concerning the creation of the world:

“Have you not known, have you not heard? The God of eternity, the Lord, Creator of the ends of the earth, neither grows weary nor tires; there is no investigation of His understanding; He gives strength to the weary.”

Thus, in both matters—in the matter of the falling of rain and in the matter of the creation of the world—the expression “investigation” is stated.

And it is written

in the Book of Psalms, concerning the creation of the world:

“He prepares mountains with His strength; He is girded with power.”

Thus the expression “power” is stated concerning the creation of the world.

And since this is so—that in both matters the expression “investigation” is stated, while concerning the creation of the world the expression “power” is written—it is as though the expression “power” were written also concerning rain .

The Gemara continues and asks:

And from where do we know

that

one

must mention the matter of the rains specifically

in prayer?

The Gemara explains:

For it was taught:

It is written:

“To love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart.”

What is “and to serve Him with all your heart”?

What is the service that is

performed

in the heart

of a person?

You must say: This is prayer ,

which is service of the heart. For if a person merely brings out the words of prayer with his mouth, but does not direct his heart, this is not prayer.

And it is written afterward

[and it is written in the continuation of that verse]:

“And I shall give the rain of your land in its time, the early rain and the late rain.”

This implies that one must mention the matter of rain in prayer .

The Gemara continues and brings a statement of Rabbi Yohanan relating to the falling of rain.

Rabbi Yohanan said: Three

keys

there are

in the hand of the Holy One, blessed be He

, which were never given

all together

into the hand of one agent

.

And these are

the three keys that were not given into the hand of an agent:

A.

The key of rain,

B.

the key of giving birth [a woman giving birth] ,

[the woman giving birth],

C.

and the key of the revival of the dead .

And now the Gemara explains to us: from where do we know that these keys were not entrusted to the hand of an agent.

The key of rain,

from where do we know that it was not entrusted to the hand of an agent?

As it is written: “The Lord will open for you His good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain of your land in its time.”

It implies that the Holy One, blessed is He, Himself opens the treasury of rain, and does not entrust the key of rain to the hand of an agent.

The key of childbirth, from where

that it was not entrusted to the hand of an agent?