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Taanis 24b

תענית כ״ד ע״ב

Taanit 24b

Learn Taanis 24b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Stories of prayer for rain: why רבה's generation is not answered as רב יהודה's was, and how רבא, רב פפא and רבי חנינא בן דוסא brought rain.

Overview

This amud is about how prayers for rain are answered and how much depends on the person praying and on the generation. רבה finishes his speech: his generation learns far more than רב יהודה's did, yet רב יהודה brought rain just by removing one shoe, while רבה's generation cries all day with no answer. רבה concludes that the leaders are not at fault; the generation as a whole is not worthy. The גמרא then tells the story behind the shoe, and רב מרי adds that at the same time angels turned sand into flour, which he told people not to buy. Next come more rain stories: רבא in הגרוניא is helped by a dream, רבא brings rain in תמוז to answer King שבור's test and is then warned by his father, and רב פפא's embarrassment brings rain when his fast had not. רבי חנינא בן דוסא stops and restarts the rain with a few words, and רב יוסף says his prayer was stronger than the כהן גדול's, whose prayer asked that travelers not be listened to. The amud ends by praising רבי חנינא, whose merit feeds the world while he lives on carobs, and begins a story about his wife and their empty oven, which continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

בִּנְזִיקִין הֲוָה,

was in Nezikin,

וַאֲנַן קָא מַתְנֵינַן בְּשִׁיתָּא סִדְרִין.

and we learn all six orders.

וְכִי הֲוָה מָטֵי רַב יְהוּדָה בְּעוּקְצִין

And when Rav Yehuda would reach Uktzin

״הָאִשָּׁה שֶׁכּוֹבֶשֶׁת יָרָק בִּקְדֵירָה״,

"a woman who pickles a vegetable in a pot,"

The steps (36)

  1. StatementThe earlier generation learned only one order; we learn all six
  2. Statementעוקצין was very hard for רב יהודה
  3. ChallengeWe know more, yet our prayers go unanswered
  4. Conclusionרבה: the leaders are not at fault, the generation is unworthy
  5. Statementרב יהודה sees bread being wasted and a famine follows
  6. StatementThe רבנן arrange for רב יהודה to see the market
  7. Questionרב יהודה asks what the crowd is
  8. ResponseA crowd for one basket of dates shows the famine
  9. StatementOne shoe removed and rain falls
  10. Conclusionאליהו stops him from removing the second shoe
  11. Statementרב מרי sees angels turn sand into flour
  12. Statementרב מרי tells people not to buy the miracle flour
  13. Statementרבא's fast in הגרוניא brings no rain
  14. Questionרבא asks if anyone had a dream
  15. Responseרבי אלעזר's dream of good greetings
  16. Conclusionרבא sees a favorable time, and rain comes
  17. StatementA man dies after lashes in רבא's court
  18. StatementThe king's mother warns him about the Jews
  19. QuestionThe king asks for an example
  20. ResponseThey pray and rain comes
  21. ChallengeThe king says rain in the rainy season proves nothing
  22. Statementרבא prays for summer rain, and none comes
  23. Statementרבא prays again and heavy rain falls
  24. Statementרבא's father warns him in a dream
  25. Statementרב פפא's fast fails to bring rain
  26. Statementרב פפא is embarrassed and the rain comes
  27. Statementרבי חנינא בן דוסא stops and starts the rain
  28. Statementרב יוסף compares the כהן גדול's prayer to רבי חנינא בן דוסא
  29. QuestionWhat did the כהן גדול pray?
  30. ResponseThe כהן גדול prayed for a rainy and hot year
  31. ChallengeWhy would heat be a good thing?
  32. ResolutionFixing the wording: if the year is hot, let it be rainy and moist
  33. StatementThe prayer asks that travelers' prayers not be accepted
  34. Statementרב אחא adds the closing lines of the prayer
  35. StatementThe world is fed in רבי חנינא's merit, yet he lives on carobs
  36. StatementStory begins: רבי חנינא's wife heats the oven every Friday