Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 8, scan section 9

your father keep his best wine?" And she answered: " In earthen vessels." And he rejoined : " Then what is the differ- ence between your father and a commoner?" And she asked: " In what, then, shall it be kept ? " And he said : " You, who are wealthy and mighty, ought to keep it in golden and silver ves- sels ! " She then told her father, and he commanded that his wine should be kept in vessels of gold and silver. And it became sour. When the Caesar was informed of this, he asked his daughter : " Who told you that we should keep our wine in golden vessels?" And she named the above rabbi. He was sent for, and questioned as to the reason of his advice. And he rejoined : " This was only an answer to the question of the prin- cess." " But are there not," the Caesar said, " men who are handsome and nevertheless are very scholarly?" " Believe me," said the rabbi, " that if they would be homely, their wisdom would be greater still." R. Hama bar Hanina said : The day of rain is of equal impor- tance with the day on which heaven and earth were created, as it is written [Isaiah, xlv. 8] : " Drop down, ye heavens, from above and let the skies distil blessing ; let the earth open, and let them all be fruitful of prosperity, and let righteousness spring up like- wise : I the Lord have created it." And as it is said " created it " and not " created thern" it proves that rain is referred to ; (and hence the day of rain is equally as important as the day of the creation of the heavens and earth). R. Oshiya said : The day of rain is so great that, even if a man be blessed with prosperity, the prosperity becomes more fruitful, as it is said in the verse quoted : " Let the earth open, and let them all be fruitful of prosperity." R. Tanhum bar Hanilai said : " Rain does not descend unless the sins of Israel are forgiven, as it is written [Psalm lxxxv. 2-3] : * Thou hast been favorable, O Lord, unto thy land ; thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people ; thou hast covered over all their sin. Selah.' " Said Zeiri of Dehabath to Rabina : " Ye learn this from the above passage. We, however, apply to this the following : [I Kings, viii. 34] : ' Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin,' " etc. R. Tanhum the son of R. Hyya of the village Acco said : " Rain is not withheld unless the enemies of Israel (mean- ing Israel itself) deserve to be destroyed, as it is written [Job, xxiv. 19] : ' Drought and heat speedily consume the snow-waters : 16 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. so doth the grave those who have sinned.' " Said Zeiri of De- habath to Rabina : " Ye learn this from the above passage. We, however, apply to this the following [Deut. xi. 17]: 'And he will shut up the heavens . . . and ye shall perish quickly.' " R. Simeon ben Pazi said : " Rain is not withholden except from such as slander each other, as it is written [Proverbs, xxv. 23] : ' The north wind bringeth forth rain ; so doth secret talking, angry countenances.' " R. Sala said in the name of R. Hamnuna : " Rain is withholden only on account of the impudent, as it is written [Jerem. iii. 3] : ' And though the early showers were withholden, and the latter rain came not : yet hadst thou a forehead of an adulterous wife, thou refusedst to feel shame.' " R. Sala said again in the name of R. Hamnuna : " The man who is impudent will finally stumble into idolatry." And he derives it from the passage just quoted, " Yet hadst thou a fore- head of an adulterous wife." And R. Na'hman said : " An impu- dent man must be considered as having already stumbled into idolatry ; for the passage does not say, ' thou wilt have a fore- head,' etc., but ' thou hadst! " Rabba bar Huna said : " An impudent man may be classed with the wicked, as it is written [Proverbs, xxi. 29] : ' A wicked man showeth impudence in his face.' " And R. Na'hman bar Itz'hak said : " He may even be hated, as it is written [Eccles. viii. 1] : 'And the boldness of his face Yesuna (will be lessened) ' Do not read ' Yesuna ' (will be lessened) but ' Yisonei ' (may be hated)." R. Joseph said : Rain is witholden only for abolishing the the Law, as it is written [Job, xxxvii. 21] : " Yet men see not the light which is bright in the skies, when the wind hath passed along and purified them." By light is meant the Law, as it is written [Prov. vi. 23] : " For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light " ; and bright, the disciples of R. Ishmael interpret thus : " Even when the sky was spotted with clouds, the wind of the law clears them away." R. Ami said : Rain is withholden solely on account of the sin of robbery, as it is written [Job, xxxvi, 32] : " His hands he cov- ereth with light." By " his hands " is meant the hands of rob- bery, as it is written [Jonah, iii. 8]: " And from the violence which is in their hands " ; and by " light " is meant rain, as it is written [Job, xxxvii. 11] : " He scattereth the cloud of his light- ning." TRACT TAANITH (FASTING). 17 R. Ami said again : It is written [Eccles. x. 10] : " If the iron be blunt and man do not whet the edge, then must he exert more strength ; but the advantage of making it properly sharp is wisdom," which signifies, that if the heavens became closed as the " iron is blunt," it was because of the persistent wickedness of the men who " did not whet the edge " (of righteousness). What is the remedy for the evil ? Praying for mercy, as it is said : " Then must he exert more strength " ; and so much the more will they be granted mercy if at the beginning their deeds were those of wisdom. Resh Lakish said : If thou shouldst see a scholar whose mind is blunt as iron, because of unsystematic study, the remedy for him is, that he should devote more time to systematic study in the colleges, as it is said : " Then must he exert more strength." And a better remedy yet is, if he arrange all he had hitherto learned in order, as Resh Lakish would arrange his studies forty times before entering into the presence of R. Johanan [deriving it from the forty days which Moses occupied in receiving the Law on Mount Sinai]. R. Ada bar A'hbah would arrange his studies twenty-four times before entering into the presence of Rabha [deriving it from the twenty-four books of the Scriptures.] Rabha said : " If thou shouldst see a disciple whose mind is as blunt as iron because his teacher does not thoughtfully explain the teachings to him, the remedy for him is, to request his friends to intercede for him with the teacher in order that the explana- tions may be more lucid and especially if the disciple's behavior is proper towards the teacher and others." * R. Ami said again : It is written [Eccles. x. 11): " If the ser-