Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 8, scan section 8

For the verse signifies that in one city it will rain too much and in another it will not rain at all, which is a curse ; but if it rain ordinarily in one city and not at all in another (one city can draw its supply from the other). Said R. Ashi : " This very thing may be inferred from the passage itself ; for it says ' one piece of land was rained upon! and that implies that in that piece of land there will be too much rain." * R. Abbahu said : " The day of rain is of more importance than the day of resurrection ; for on the latter day only the righteous will arise from the dead, but rain falls for all alike, righteous and wicked." And R. Abbahu differs with R. Jose, who declares that the day of rain is just as important as the day of resurrection, and for that reason is mentioned in the prayer at the benediction regarding the resurrection of the dead. R. Jehudah said : " The day of rain is as important as the day on which the Law was given, because it is written [Deut. xxxii. 2] : ' My doctrine shall drop as the rain,' and by doctrine is meant the Law ; for it is written [Proverbs, iv. 2] : ' For good doctrine do I give you : my law must ye not forsake.' " And Rabha said : " The day of rain is even more important than the day on which the Law was given ; for it says : ' My doctrine shall drop as the rain,' and surely the thing upon which another is * The benediction on rain is transferred from here to Tract Berachoth, as the proper place. TRACT TAANITH (FASTING). 13 dependent, or to which another is compared, is more important than that other." The same interpreters cite the following contradiction : It is written [Deut. xxxii. 2]: " My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew." In the first he says " rain," and in the other " dew." (It is said above that dew is always good, but with rain the case is different ?) From this it is to be signified that if the scholar is a conscientious man, consider him as dew, which is always useful ; but if he is not, turn your neck to him * as we do to rain. We have learned : R. Banaha said : " He who studies the Law for the honor of God, his knowledge becomes to him the elixir of life, as it is written [Proverbs, iii. 18]: 'A tree of life is she to those that lay hold on her ' ; and it is also written [ibid. 8] : 'It will be healing to thy body ' ; while, further, it is said [ibid. viii. 35] : ' For he who findeth me, findeth life ' ; but he who studies the Law, not for the honor of God (but in order to injure others or for other purpose), his knowledge becomes to him a deadly poison." As it is written in the passage just quoted, the term Yaaroph is to be interpreted as the term Vearphu [Deut. xxi. 4] : "And they shall break there the neck of the heifer in the valley." R. Jeremiah said to R. Zera : " Let Master go and teach." And he answered: " My heart is weak, and I cannot." "Then let Master relate some trifling thing from the Haggada," said R. Jeremiah. And R. Zera spoke : " Thus said R. Johanan : ' It is written [Deut. xx. 19] : " The man is a tree of the field." ' Is then a man a tree of the field ? The passage says previously : ' For of them mayest thou eat, and thou shalt not cut them down ' ; and further, it says [ibid. 20] : ' Only those trees of which thou knowest that they are not fruit-trees, thou mayest destroy and cut down.' And this implies that the man is compared to a tree, and that if thou knowest a man to be a scholar and a good man, thou shouldst enjoy his company and derive benefit from him ; but if he be a scholar but an evil man, thou shouldst avoid him and cut off thy intercourse with him." R. Hama bar Hanina said : " It is written [Proverbs, xxvii. 17] : ' Iron is sharpened by iron,' and this applies to two scholars who study together, when one sharpens the intellect of the other." * The Hebrew term for this is arpehu, the term in the beginning of the passage quoted is yaaroph, the term for " neck " in Hebrew is aroph ; hence the explanation according to Samuel Eidlis, which is more proper here than Rashi's. i4 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. Rabba bar bar Hana said : Why were the words of the Law compared to fire, as it is written [Jeremiah, xxiii. 29] : " Is not this my word like the fire? saith the Lord." As fire cannot burn without having hold of an object, so the words of the Law cannot remain with one who is alone. R. Na'hman bar Itz'hak said : Why are the words of the Law compared to a tree, as it is written [Proverbs, iii. 18] : " A tree of life is she to those that lay hold on her." As a small piece of wood kindles a larger, so a lesser scholar brightens the wits of the greater by his queries, and this is as R. Hanina has said : " I have learned much from my teachers, more from my colleagues, and most of all from my disciples." R. Hanina bar Papa cited a contradiction : " It is written [Isaiah, xxi. 14] : * Toward him that is thirsty they bring water' ; and further, it is written [ibid. lv. 1] : ' Every one of ye that thirsteth, come ye to the water'?" (This presents no difficulty.) If a man is a diligent disciple and cannot come to the master, the master should go to him ; but if he is not a diligent disciple, the master need not go to him, but if he comes to the master he should be taught. R. Hanina bar Hama cited another contradiction : It is written [Proverbs, v. 16] : " So will thy springs overflow abroad " ; and further, it is said [ibid. 17] : " They will be thy own only " ? This means to say, that if a man is a thorough scholar his teach- ings should be allowed to spread abroad ; but if not, they should be for him alone. R. Hanina bar Idi said : Why are the words of the Law com- pared to water, as it is written [Isaiah, xxi. 14] : " Toward him that is thirsty they bring water"? Because as water leaves a higher place for a lower, so the words of the Law cannot be retained by one who does not deport himself in a lowly (humble) manner. R. Oshiya said : Why are the words of the Law compared to the following three beverages — water, wine, and milk? *' To water," as it's written in the verse just quoted ; to " wine and milk," as it is written [Isaiah, lv. 1] : " Yea, come, buy without money and without price wine and milk." In order to teach us, that as those three beverages can best be kept in common utensils such as wooden or earthen vessels, so the Law can only be retained by those who are humble in their manner. As the daughter of the Caesar once said to R. Jehoshua b. Hananiah : " Alas for such handsome wisdom, which is in an ugly vessel " (it means that the TRACT TAANITH (FASTING). 15 rabbi was very homely). And he said to her : " In what does