Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 8, scan section 22

be had for one Sela, still many people were starving to death, be- cause they did not have the necessary coin with which to pur- chase their grain." " If sufficient rain for the growth of sprouts . . . had fallen" etc. It may well be that sufficient rain can descend for the growth of sprouts that would not be beneficial to the growth of trees — for instance, a heavy rain ; or that the rain be suffi- cient for trees but inadequate for the growth of sprouts — for instance, a light rain (see page 5). It might also be that suffi- cient rain should descend for both the trees and the sprouts, which would, however, be inadequate to fill the wells, cisterns, and caves ; but how can that take place, after what we have learned in a Boraitha, namely : " that sufficient rain descended to fill the wells, cisterns, and caves, which was, however, inadequate for the trees and sprouts " ? That (Boraitha) refers to a rain which fell in torrents and filled up the wells, etc., but did no good to the trees and sprouts. The rabbis taught : In the midst of Passover, if sufficient rain had not yet fallen for the trees, the alarm is already to be sounded ; and if there was not sufficient rain by the time the middle (day) of the Feast of Tabernacles was reached, the alarm must immediately be sounded ; and at all times where there is not sufficient drinking-water on hand, the alarm should at once be sounded. What is meant by "at once"? The Monday, TRACT TAANITH (FASTING). 51 Thursday, and Monday following; and the sounding must be effected in the capital of the province concerned. On account of croup (quinsy or whooping-cough), if fatalities arise therefrom, the alarm must be sounded ; but if all affected become cured an alarm is not necessary. On account of locusts (Gobai),* as soon as they make their appearance the alarm is to be sounded. R. Simeon ben Elazar said : " Also on account of grasshoppers " (Chagabim).f The rabbis taught : An alarm may be sounded on account of the trees (when they have not succeeded) in ordinary years ; but when there is a want of rain for the wells, cisterns, and caves, this may be done even in the Sabbatical years. R. Simeon b. Gamaliel, however, said : " It may so be done in Sabbatical years even on account of the trees, as they constitute the means of livelihood of the poor." The same we have learned in another Boraitha, with the addition that even on account of the . . . it may be done, as they are the means of livelihood of the poor. The rabbis taught : It once happened that the Israelites came to Jerusalem for the festivals, and there was not sufficient water for drinking purposes. So Nakdimon ben Gurion went to a certain master (a heathen), and requested him to lend him twelve wells of water for the pilgrims, promising to return either the twelve wells of water or in lieu thereof twelve talents of silver, at a certain time. When the time arrived, the master sent to Nakdimon in the morning demanding either the wells of water or the silver, and Nakdimon replied : " I have still the whole day's time." At noon the same demand was made, and the same answer given. Late in the afternoon the master sent the same demand, and received a reply that the day had not yet passed. So the master laughed at the idea, saying that if a whole year had elapsed without it having rained, was it possible that it should still rain on that day ? and went to his bath rejoicing over the prospect of soon possessing the money due him. At the same time that he entered his bathroom, Nakdimon went into the Temple, wrapped himself in his cloak, and commenced to pray, saying : " Creator of the Universe ! It is known to Thee, that not for the sake of glory for me nor for my father's house, but * In Tract Chullin, 65 a, it says Go-bai zeh Arbah = Gobai, and means locust, f Chagab is also a locust, and presumably a grasshopper. See Numbers, xiii. 33 ; Isaiah, xl. 22, etc. 52 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. for the glory of Thy name,' that the pilgrims in Jerusalem might have water, did I borrow those wells." Immediately upon this the sky became clouded, rain began to fall, and the twelve wells became filled up to overflowing. When the master stepped out of his bath-house, Nakdimon went out of the Temple, and they met. Said Nakdimon to him : " Refund to me the amount for the water in excess of that which I borrowed from thee." And he replied : " I know well that the Holy One, blessed be He, caused the world to storm only on thy account, yet I can still claim the amount due me, for the sun has already set and the rain descended after the stated time had ex- pired." Nakdimon then reentered the Temple, again wrapped himself in his cloak and commenced to pray, saying : " Creator of the Universe ! Announce to the world that Thou hast favorites here on earth ! " Whereupon the clouds immediately scattered, and the sun again commenced to shine. The master seeing Nakdimon, said to him : " Had the sun not reappeared, I should have had a valid claim for the amount of money due me." We have learned in a Boraitha : His name was not Nakdimon, but Boni, and he was called Nakdimon because on his account the sun hastened.* The rabbis taught : " For the sake of each of three men alone the sun shone, and they are Moses, Joshua, and Nakdimon ben Gurion." This is correct in the case of Nakdimon ben Gurion, from the above-mentioned tradition. In the case of Joshua it is also cor- rect, because so is it written [Joshua, x. 13] : "And the sun stood still in the midst of the heavens." But whence do they adduce that the sun shone for Moses alone ? Said R. Elazar : This may be inferred from the analogous term : " I will commence." It is written [Deut. ii. 25]: "This day will I commence to put the dread of thee," and [Joshua, iii. 7] : " This day will I commence to make thee great," etc. R. Johanan said : " (No analogous comparison is necessary, for) it may be adduced from the passage itself [Deut. ii. 25]: 'Whoever will hear of thee shall tremble and shall quake because of thee.' Why will they do this ? Because on Moses' account alone the sun shone." The rabbis taught : A man should always be soft {i.e., plia- ble, yielding) as a reed, and not hard as a cedar-tree. It once ♦Hastening is called in Hebrew " K'dimah," and Nakdimon is derived from K'dimah, according to the annotations of Joel Sirkosh. TRACT TAANITH (FASTING). 53 happened that R. Elazar ben R. Simeon (should rather be R. Sim- eon ben Elazar) went from the tower of Gador, where resided his Master, riding on an ass. He rode leisurely on the banks of the river, being greatly rejoiced and feeling very proud on account of the wealth of knowledge he had accumulated from his Master. On the way he met a man who was terribly ugly (of face).* That