בס"ד A Intro A מס' תענית of דף ה learn בע''ה Today we will Some of the topics we will learn about include the following: Until when do we ask for rain in the Davening? Until when do ask for rain in the Davening? יואל The miracles during the times of the prophet ירושלים The existence of a Heavenly The miracles during the times of the prophet יואל The existence of a ירושלימ Heavenly B The severity of idol worship B Why the prophet שמואל aged prematurely and died so young יעקב אבינו לא מת The idea that our forefather יעקב is still alive How to bless someone who has everything שמואל Why the prophet aged prematurely and died so young יעקב אבינו לא מת C Some of the key terms and concepts we will learn about include: - Rain that falls at the beginning of the season יורה C How to bless someone who has everything יורה Taanis 5-1
D מלקוש - Rain that falls at the end of the season - A measure of barley flour from the new crop that is עומר פסח brought on the sixteenth of Nisan, the second day of D מלקוש עומר Taanis 5-2
1 So let's review משנה the זאגט עד מתי שואלין את הגשמים Until when do we ask for rain? ר' יהודה אומר עד שיעבור הפסח Rebbe Yehuda says until after Pesach. ר' מאיר אומר עד שיצא ניסן Rebbe Meir says until the end of Nissan, שנאמר ויורד לכם גשם מורה ומלקוש בראשון As the פסוק says, He made rain fall for you, Yoreh and Malkosh, in the first month. The גמרא questions this verse because Yoreh, the first rain falls during Cheshvan, not Nissan. where,יואל is from the book of פסוק explains that this ר' יוחנן after a seven year famine that included a four year plague of locusts, Hashem provided Yoreh rain in Nissan even though it normally only falls in Cheshvan. 1 משנה עד מתי שואלין את הגשמים ר' יהודה עד שיעבור הפסח ר' מאיר עד שיצא ניסן שנאמר ויורד לכמ גשמ מורה ומלקוש בראשונ He made rain fall for you Yoreh and Malkosh in the first month ניסן ר' יוחנן Yoreh - the first rain falls during Cheshvan not Nissan ספר יואל From After seven years of famine that included a four year plague of locusts Hashem provided Yoreh rain in Nissan 2 The גמרא now details the miracles from the times of.יואל That year no rain had fallen even after Adar had ended. On the first צאו told them יואל of Nissan, the first rainfall came down and said; go out and plant the fields, but the people,וזרעו should we eat what we have and live, or,יאכלנו ויחיה או יזרענו וימות plant it and die? anyway. said, plant it יואל 2 יואל Miracles from the times of That year no rain had fallen until the first of Nissan יואל tells them צאו וזרעו The people answered יאכלנו ויחיה או יזרענו וימות נעשה להם נס ונתגלה להם מה שבכתלין ומה שבחורי נמלים Plant it anyway! They then planted for the next three days and the rain fell again on the fifth of Nisan Taanis 5-3
קרבן עומר they were able to bring the,הקריבו עומר בששה עשר בניסן 3 from the new grain on the 16th of Nissan. Grain that normally took 6 months to grow now grew in eleven days. It is this miracle that the Posuk in תהלים is referring to; הזורעים בדמעה ברנה יקצרו Those who planted with tears will reap with joy. The next פסוק there also refers to these miracles; הלך ילך ובכה נושא משך הזרע explains that as the ox pulled the plow, and the seed was רב יהודה being sowed, the ox was crying. But the grain grew so quickly that on its way back, אוכל חזיז מן התלם - it ate the newly sprouted green from the furrow. This is what the next פסוק means; joy. - he will return with בא יבא ברנה the stalk was one hand,קנה זרת שיבולת זרתים means נושא אלומותיו span, and the ear measured two hand spans!! - which רש"י says is a great miracle since normally the stalk is 3 or 4 times the length of the ear. 3 הקריבו עומר בששה עשר בניסן Grain that normally took 6 months to grow grew in eleven days As the ox pulled the plow, it was crying But on its way back אוכל חזיז מן התלם it was already able to eat from the newly sprouted green! הזורעימ בדמעה ברנה יקצרו הלכ ילכ ובכה נושא משכ הזרע בא יבא ברנה נושא אלומותיו קנה זרת שיבולת זרתים miraculously - the stalk was only one hand span, but the ear measured two hand spans!! 4 The גמרא then discusses the terrible famine that preceded this miraculous harvest: what did they eat during the seven years of ר' יצחק asked רב נחמן famine? אכלו מה who said that in the first year ר' יוחנן quoted ר' יצחק year, they ate the food in their houses. In the second,שבבתים year, they ate what was in the fields. In the third,אכלו מה שבשדות they ate the meat from kosher animals. In the,בשר בהמה טהורה fourth year, בהמה טמאה,בשר they ate the meat of non-kosher animals. In the fifth year, שקצים ורמשים,בשר they ate bugs and creeping creatures. In the sixth year, בניהם ובנותיהם,בשר they ate their own children. In the seventh year, זרועותיהם,בשר they ate איש בשר זרועו the flesh of their own arms. This fulfilled the verse arm. - each man will eat the flesh of his יאכלו 4 The גמרא then discusses THE TERRIBLE FAMINE that preceded this miraculous harvest What did they eat during the seven years of famine? שנה ראשונה - אכלו מה שבבתים שניה - אכלו מה שבשדות שלישית - בשר בהמה טהורה רביעית - בשר בהמה טמאה חמישית - בשר שקצים ורמשים ששית - בשר בניהם ובנותיהם שביעית - בשר זרועותיהם Taanis 5-4
5 ר' יוחנן quotes ר' יצחק relates five other teachings where גמרא The to answer a question of נחמן.רב Regarding this verse; there is something holy amongst you,בקרבך קדוש ולא אבוא בעיר and I will not come in to the city, רב נחמן asked because of something holy, Hashem won t enter the city? means Until the Holy One is פסוק that the ר' יוחנן quoted ר' יצחק amongst you in the earthly Jerusalem, I will not come in to the city of Jerusalem in heaven. We know there is a Jerusalem in heaven, because the פסוק says; ירושלם הבנויה כעיר שחוברה לה יחדיו The built up Jerusalem will be like the city which is joined together with it. There is another city joined with the earthly Jerusalem and as רש"י explains, Heaven? - where else would it be if not in והיכן אם לא למעלה 5 Because of something holy Hashem will not enter the city? בקרבכ קדוש ולא אבוא בעיר The פסוק means that until the Holy One is amongst you in the earthly Jerusalem I will not come in to the city of Jerusalem in Heaven ירושלמ הבנויה כעיר שחוברה לה יחדיו 6 Next ר' יוחנן is quoted explaining the follow verse: ובאחת יבערו ויכסלו מוסר הבלים עץ הוא He said: היא שמבערת רשעים בגיהנם,אחת there is one transgression.עבודה זרה which burns the wicked in Gehinnom. This is is being translated literally ובאחת explains that the word רש"י And with one, and the root of יבערו is to burn. The stupid person in the פסוק is considered wicked. The word הבל refers to that פסוק because the same word is used in another עבודה זרה.עבודה זרה refers to 6 Burn ובאחת יבערו ויכ לו מו ר הבלימ עצ הוא אחת היא שמבערת רשעים בגיהנם there is one transgression which burns the wicked in Gehinnom עבודה זרה This is עבודה זרה With one Wicked 7 Next רב נחמן asked about this verse שתים רעות עשה עמי,כי for My 7 nation has committed two acts of evil. But as רש"י says there are 24 transgressions listed in the book of Yechezkel, or it refers to the 24 books of שבכתב,תורה the Written Torah, and they violated all of them. עבירה it refers to one,אחת שהיא שקולה כשתים is quoted that ר' יוחנן which is considered like two, namely זרה.עבודה This is based on,פסוק the they have,אותי עזבו מקור מים חיים לחצוב להם בארות בארות נשברים abandoned Me, the source of living water to dig for themselves broken cisterns. Worshipping idols is like committing two idols. abandoning Hashem, and following the :עבירות Following the idols כי שתימ רעות עשה עמי The nation committed only two acts of evil? אחת שהיא שקולה כשתים עבירה it refers to one which is considered like two עבודה זרה namely אותי עזבו מקור מימ חיימ לחצוב להמ בארות בארות נשברימ Abandoning Hashem Taanis 5-5
8 Next ויהי כאשר זקן שמואל The Posuk says the prophet שמואל was so old. But, asks Reb Nachman, he was only 52 when he died?! answers ר' יוחנן old age came upon him suddenly and his hair,זקנה קפצה עליו turned white. 8 When שאול did not properly follow the command of Hashem, Hashem decided that Shaul must die. However שמואל kept on.שאול praying to Hashm to save Hashem, so to speak, then listed His options. שאול cannot die immediately, because שמואל will not allow it, שמואל cannot die immediately, because, if שמואל will die young, people will say that שמואל had sinned to warrant an early death. On the other hand the time for s דוד reign is very soon to arrive, and אין מלכות נוגעת בחברתה אפילו כמלא נימא The reign of one king cannot impede on another s even by a hair s breadth. Therefore, Hashem decided אקפיץ עליו זקנה I will make שמואל age before his time, so that his death will be viewed as natural. ויהי כאשר זקנ שמואל He was only fity two years old?! זקנה קפצה עליו old age came upon him suddenly and his hair turned white Hashem decided אקפיצ עליו זקנה I will make שמואל age before his time so that his death will seem natural 9 However, the גמרא asks: ומי מידחי גברא מקמי גברא Does one person get pushed aside for another? Would Hashem גמרא could begin his reign? The דוד die earlier so that שמואל let says yes, and proves it from a פסוק that says Hashem killed the prophets פי,באמרי with the words of His mouth. it doesn t say they were killed for,במעשיהם לא נאמר אלא באמרי פי something they had done, they were killed by a decree from Hashem similar to this case in which שמואל died by Divine decree. 9 ומי מידחי גברא מקמי גברא Would Hashem let שמואל die earlier so that דוד could begin his reign Hashem killed the prophets באמרי פי with the words of His mouth במעשיהמ לא נאמר אלא באמרי פי by Divine decree Taanis 5-6
10 רב נחמן during a meal, when ר' יצחק was quoted by ר' יוחנן Next, asked him to say some words of Torah. He said in the name of ר' יוחנן אין מסיחין בסעודה שמא יקדים קנה לושט ויבא לידי סכנה One should not speak while eating lest the windpipe precedes ר' meal, the esophagus which would put him in danger. After the :ר' יוחנן said in the name of יצחק יעקב אבינו לא מת never died. Even though he was eulogized and יעקב אבינו.פסוק said he learned it from a ר' יצחק buried. embalmed and Hashem said He will save יעקב together with the Jewish people when the פסוק says מושיעך מרחוק ואת זרעך,הנני I will save you from afar and your children. just like his children will be alive, he,מה זרעו בחיים אף הוא בחיים will also be alive. 10 The גמרא continues with two conversations between רב נחמן and :ר' יצחק First, they discussed the incredible beauty of רחב and that whoever knew her, and mentioned her name, would have a seminal discharge. The second conversation was when they were about to say goodbye to each other and רב נחמן asked ר' יצחק to bless him. He related a famous משל - a parable. A man came upon an אילן שפירותיו מתוקין וצילו נאה ואמת המים עוברת תחתיו A tree with sweet fruits, pleasant shade, and a stream flowing beneath it He ate from the fruits, and enjoyed all the benefits of the tree. Before leaving, he said: אילן אילן במה אברכך Tree, O tree, with what can I bless you? You lack for nothing. All I can say is; יהי רצון שכל נטיעות שנוטעין ממך יהיו כמותך May it be the will of Hashem that all the shoots planted from you be like you. ר' יצחק said the same to נחמן.רב You already have children. - Torah, wealth, and תורה עושר ובנים may it be the will of Hashem that,יהי רצון שיהו צאצאי מעיך כמותך your offspring be like you. יעקב אבינו לא מת אין מסיחין בסעודה שמא יקדים קנה לושט ויבא לידי סכנה הנני מושיעכ מרחוק ואת זרעכ אף הוא בחיים מה זרעו בחיים asked רב נחמנ him. to bless ר' יצחק He related the famous משל of The incredible רחב beauty of אילן אילן במה אברכך and in the end said יהי רצון שכל נטיעות שנוטעין ממך יהיו כמותך Taanis 5-7