Pt2 From Desperation to Downpour: Talmudic Stories of Rainmaking (Taanit 24a-b)
Stories of Rav Naḥman; Rabba; Rav Yehuda; and Rava
This is the second part of a three-part series, on a sugya of eleven talmudic stories of rainmaking. The first part is here.
Rav Naḥman's Desperate Plea for Rain: A Leader's Anguish and Miraculous Outcome
The Talmud recounts that Rav Naḥman decreed a fast and prayed for rain, but it did not come. In his distress, he expressed frustration, suggesting that he should be thrown from the wall due to the failure of his fast to bring rain.
His deep distress ultimately brought about the rain.
רב נחמן גזר תעניתא,
בעא רחמי
ולא אתא מיטרא,
אמר:
שקלוה לנחמן,
חבוטו מן גודא לארעא.
חלש דעתיה, ואתא מיטרא.
The Gemara further relates: Rav Naḥman decreed a fast,
prayed for mercy,
but rain did not come.
In his misery, he said:
Take Naḥman
and throw him from the wall to the ground, as the fast he decreed has evidently had no effect.
He grew upset, and rain came.
Rabba's Reflection on Generational Spiritual Efficacy: Torah Knowledge vs. Divine Favor
The Talmud recounts that Rabba decreed a fast and prayed for rain, but it did not come. People contrasted him with Rav Yehuda, who had been able to bring rain through his prayers.
Rabba responded by noting that while his generation was more knowledgeable in Torah study, learning all six orders of the Mishna (שיתא סדרין), unlike Rav Yehuda's generation, they were still not successful in bringing rain.
Rabba continued, pointing out that despite their advanced learning, their prayers were ineffective, whereas Rav Yehuda's simple act of removing a shoe in distress would immediately bring rain.
Rabba suggested that the difference might be due to the people's unworthiness, not the leaders' shortcomings, implying that the spiritual state of the generation affects the efficacy of prayers.1
רבה גזר תעניתא,
בעא רחמי
ולא אתא מיטרא.
אמרו ליה: והא רב יהודה כי הוה גזר תעניתא, אתא מיטרא!
אמר להו:
מאי אעביד?!
אי משום תנויי —
אנן עדיפינן מינייהו,
דבשני דרב יהודה כל תנויי בנזיקין הוה,
ואנן קא מתנינן בשיתא סדרין.
וכי הוה מטי רב יהודה בעוקצין
[...]
אמר: הוייות דרב ושמואל קא חזינא הכא,
ואנן קא מתנינן בעוקצין תליסר מתיבתא.
ואילו רב יהודה, כי הוה שליף חד מסאנא — אתי מיטרא,
ואנן קא צווחינן כולי יומא, וליכא דאשגח בן.
אי משום עובדא,
אי איכא דחזא מידי — לימא,
אבל מה יעשו גדולי הדור, שאין דורן דומה יפה.
The Gemara relates: Rabba decreed a fast.
He prayed for mercy,
but rain did not come.
They said to him: But when this Rav Yehuda decreed a fast, rain would come!
He said to them:
What can I do?!
If the difference between us is due to Torah study,
we are superior to the previous generation,
as in the years of Rav Yehuda all of their learning was connected to the order of Nezikin, while they were largely unfamiliar with the rest of the Mishna,
and we learn all six orders of the Mishna.
And when Rav Yehuda reached tractate Uktzin,
[...]
he would say: Those are the disputes between Rav and Shmuel that we see here..
And we, in contrast, learn tractate Uktzin in thirteen yeshivot,
while, with regard to miracles, after declaring a fast to pray for a drought to end, when Rav Yehuda would remove one of his shoes as a sign of distress, the rain would immediately come, before he could remove his second shoe.
And yet we cry out all day and no one notices us.
Rabba continued: If the difference between the generations is due to inappropriate deeds,
if there is anyone who has seen me do anything improper, let him say so. I am not at fault,
but what can the great leaders of the generation do when their generation is not worthy, and rain is withheld on account of the people’s transgressions?
Rav Yehuda's Anger, the Famine, and Elijah's Intervention
The Talmud recounts a story about Rav Yehuda (mentioned in the previous section), who, upon seeing people waste bread, inferred that there was an abundance in the world and “cast a glance”,2 causing a famine.
The Sages urged Rav Kahana, son of Rav Neḥunya (רב כהנא בריה דרב נחוניא), the attendant of Rav Yehuda, to show Rav Yehuda the dire effects of the famine, which he did by leading him to a crowded market. Realizing the severity of the famine, Rav Yehuda decided to fast and began to remove his shoes as a sign of distress. When he removed one shoe, rain fell, but as he attempted to remove the other, Elijah appeared and warned him that doing so would lead to the world's destruction.
Meanwhile, Rav Mari, son of Shmuel’s daughter witnessed a miraculous event where angels incarnated as sailors3 turned sand into flour, though he advised people not to buy it, as natural wheat would arrive the next day from Parzina (פרזינא).
רב יהודה חזא הנהו בי תרי דהוו קא פרצי בריפתא,
אמר: שמע מינה איכא שבעא בעלמא,
יהיב עיניה — הוה כפנא.
אמרו ליה רבנן לרב כהנא בריה דרב נחוניא, שמעיה:
מר, דשכיח קמיה, ניעשייה דליפוק בפתחא דסמוך לשוקא.
עשייה, ונפק לשוקא,
חזא כנופיא,
אמר להו: מאי האי?
אמרו ליה: אכוספא דתמרי קיימי דקא מזדבן.
אמר: שמע מינה כפנא בעלמא,
אמר ליה לשמעיה: שלוף לי מסאניי.
שלף ליה חד מסאנא, ואתא מיטרא.
כי מטא למישלף אחרינא, אתא אליהו ואמר ליה: אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא: אי שלפת אחרינא — מחריבנא לעלמא.
אמר רב מרי ברה דבת שמואל:
אנא הוה קאימנא אגודא דנהר פפא,
חזאי למלאכי דאידמו למלחי,
דקא מייתי חלא
ומלונהו לארבי,
והוה קמחא דסמידא.
אתו כולי עלמא למיזבן,
אמינא להו:
מהא לא תיזבנון,
דמעשה נסים הוא,
למחר, אתיין ארבי דחיטי דפרזינא.
The Gemara explains the reference to Rav Yehuda’s shoe. Rav Yehuda saw two people wasting bread, throwing it back and forth.
He said: I can learn from the fact that people are acting like this that there is plenty in the world.
He cast his eyes angrily upon the world, and there was a famine.
The Sages said to Rav Kahana, son of Rav Neḥunya, the attendant of Rav Yehuda:
The Master, who is frequently present before Rav Yehuda, should persuade him to leave by way of the door nearest the market, so that he will see the terrible effects of the famine.
Rav Kahana persuaded Rav Yehuda, and he went out to the market,
where he saw a crowd.
He said to them: What is this gathering?
They said to him: We are standing by a container [kuspa] of dates that is for sale.
He said: If so many people are crowding around to purchase a single container of dates, I can learn from this that there is a famine in the world.
He said to his attendant: I want to fast over this; remove my shoes as a sign of distress.
He removed one of his shoes and rain came.
When he began to take off the other shoe, Elijah came and said to him: The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: If you remove your other shoe, I will destroy the entire world so that you will not be further distressed.
Rav Mari, son of Shmuel’s daughter, said:
At that moment, I was standing on the bank of the Pappa River.
I saw angels who appeared as sailors
bringing sand
and filling ships with it,
and it became fine flour.
Everyone came to buy this flour,
but I said to them:
Do not purchase this flour,
as it is the product of miracles.
Tomorrow, boats filled with wheat will come from Parzina, and you may purchase that produce.
Rava's Fasting and the Prophetic Dream that Brought Rain in Hagrunya
Rava visited the city of Hagrunya and declared a fast due to a lack of rain. Despite the fast, no rain came.
Rava instructed the people to continue fasting and refrain from eating that night.
The next morning, he asked if anyone had a dream. R' Elazar of Hagronya (רבי אלעזר מהגרוניא) shared his dream, where a poetic message of goodness and blessings from a benevolent Lord was conveyed.4
Rava interpreted this as a sign that it was a favorable time to pray for mercy. He prayed, and rain followed.
רבא איקלע להגרוניא,
גזר תעניתא
ולא אתא מיטרא.
אמר להו: ביתו כולי עלמא בתעניתייכו.
למחר אמר להו: מי איכא דחזא חילמא — לימא.
אמר להו רבי אלעזר מהגרוניא, לדידי אקריון בחלמי:
שלם טב,
לרב טב,
מריבון טב,
דמטוביה,
מטיב לעמיה.
אמר: שמע מינה, עת רצון היא (מבעי רחמי).
בעו רחמי, ואתי מיטרא.
The Gemara relates another story. Rava happened to come to the city of Hagrunya.
He decreed a fast,
but rain did not come.
He said to the local residents: Everyone, continue your fast and do not eat tonight.
The next morning he said to them: Whoever had a dream last night, let him say it.
R' Elazar of Hagronya said to them: The following was recited to me in my dream:
Good greetings
to a good master
from a good Lord,
Who in His goodness
does good for His people.
Rava said: I can learn from this that it is a favorable time to pray for mercy.
They prayed for mercy and rain came.
The final line in the story is in Hebrew, unlike the rest of the story which is in Aramaic:
אבל מה יעשו גדולי הדור, שאין דורן דומה יפה.