Taanis 19a

תענית י״ט ע״א

Taanit 19a

Learn Taanis 19a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Crying out and fasting over public disasters, the story of חוני המעגל, rain on a fast day, and the start of the גמרא on when fasts for rain begin.

Overview

The amud opens by finishing the משנה's rules for local disasters. The struck city fasts and cries out. Its neighbors fast but do not cry out, though רבי עקיבא says they cry out but do not fast. The same applies to plague (דבר), which the משנה defines as three deaths on three days in a city of 500 men. Disasters that spread, like blight, locusts, wild animals and war, call for crying out everywhere. A few dangers, like a city under siege or a ship in trouble, call for crying out even on שבת. We cry out for every public trouble except too much rain, which leads into the story of חוני המעגל and שמעון בן שטח's sharp but loving reaction. The משנה then rules on rain that falls during a fast day and tells of רבי טרפון in לוד. The גמרא begins by resolving a contradiction about when fasts start, through רב יהודה and רב נחמן. It then explains 'מכת בצורת', and רב נחמן's statement about bringing food from river to river continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (30)

1. StatementThe struck city fasts and cries out, and its neighbors only fast
2. Statementרבי עקיבא says the neighbors cry out but do not fast
3. StatementThe same rule applies to plague and collapsing buildings
4. QuestionWhat counts as a plague?
5. ResponseThree deaths on three days in a city of 500 men
6. StatementDisasters that spread call for crying out everywhere
7. ProofThe זקנים decree fasts for a little blight and for wolves
8. Statementרבי יוסי says the wolves were only seen
9. StatementDangers we cry out for even on שבת
10. Statementרבי יוסי: only to call for help
11. Statementשמעון התימני adds plague, but the חכמים disagree
12. StatementWe cry out for every public trouble except too much rain
13. Proofחוני is asked to pray, but no rain falls
14. Statementחוני draws a circle and makes an oath
15. StatementToo little rain, then too much, then חוני asks for blessed rain
16. ProofThe people ask חוני to stop the rain, and he holds back
17. Statementשמעון בן שטח's message to חוני
18. StatementRain during a fast: sunrise is the cut-off
19. Statementרבי אליעזר: midday is the cut-off
20. ProofThe story in לוד with רבי טרפון
21. Statementגמרא quotes: fasts are for the first rainfall
22. ChallengeA ברייתא says fasting starts only at the third rainfall
23. Resolutionרב יהודה rereads the משנה to solve the contradiction
24. Statementרב נחמן: only crops that changed, not crops that dried out
25. ChallengeIsn't that obvious from the משנה's wording?
26. ResolutionThe new point is about dried crops that grew stalks
27. StatementQuoting the משנה: rain stopped between rainfalls
28. QuestionWhat does 'plague of drought' mean?
29. ResponseA plague that leads to drought
30. Statementרב נחמן begins: river to river