Taanis 25a

תענית כ״ה ע״א

Taanit 25a

Learn Taanis 25a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Miracle stories of poor צדיקים like רבי חנינא בן דוסא and רבי אלעזר בן פדת, and stories of Sages whose prayers brought rain.

Overview

This amud is full of stories about very poor צדיקים and the power of prayer. The wife of רבי חנינא בן דוסא lights an empty oven out of shame, and a miracle fills it with bread. A golden table leg is given from Heaven and then taken back, so their reward in עולם הבא stays whole. More miracles of רבי חנינא בן דוסא follow: vinegar burns all of שבת, his goats bring home bears, and a neighbor's short beams grow longer. The גמרא asks how a poor man had goats, and רב פנחס explains that they came from someone else's lost chickens. Next, the poor רבי אלעזר בן פדת dreams that he speaks with הקדוש ברוך הוא and turns down an offer to restart the world. The amud then returns to fasting for rain, with stories of רבי חמא בר חנינא, לוי (who was punished for speaking harshly to Heaven), and רבי חייא בר לוליני. It ends as רבי חייא בר לוליני begins explaining why a צדיק is compared to both a palm tree and a cedar, and his explanation continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (44)

1. StatementThe empty oven and the suspicious neighbor
2. StatementThe miracle of the oven full of bread
3. StatementShe went in expecting the miracle
4. StatementA prayer, and a golden table leg from Heaven
5. StatementThe dream of the two-legged table
6. StatementPraying to give the gift back
7. ConclusionThe second miracle was greater than the first
8. StatementThe vinegar lamp on Friday night
9. StatementThe vinegar burned all of שבת
10. StatementThe goats that brought home bears
11. StatementThe neighbor whose beams were too short
12. StatementHow far the beams grew
13. Proofפלימו saw the house himself
14. ChallengeHow could a poor man own goats?
15. ResolutionThe chickens left at his door
16. ConclusionThe owner returns and takes the goats
17. Statementרבי אלעזר בן פדת's poverty and strange sleep
18. QuestionWhy were you crying and laughing?
19. ResponseThe dream: sitting with הקדוש ברוך הוא
20. Questionרבי אלעזר asks whether restarting the world is worth it
21. ResponseMost of his life has already passed
22. Statementרבי אלעזר turns down the offer
23. StatementThe reward of thirteen rivers of balsam oil
24. QuestionOnly this much?
25. ResponseWhat would be left for your friends?
26. ChallengeAm I asking from someone who is short?
27. ConclusionA loving flick on the forehead
28. Statementרבי חמא בר חנינא's fast brings no rain
29. ChallengeBut רבי יהושע בן לוי's fast worked!
30. ResolutionWe are not the same person
31. StatementPraying with more focus still brings no rain
32. QuestionDo you want rain to come through us?
33. ResponseThe people agree
34. StatementSky, cover your face!
35. ConclusionThe sky is rebuked and the rain comes
36. StatementLevi speaks harshly to Heaven, and rain comes
37. Statementרבי אלעזר's lesson: never speak harshly toward Heaven
38. ChallengeBut Levi became lame from bowing
39. ResolutionBoth things caused it
40. Statementרבי חייא בר לוליני hears the clouds
41. Statementרבי חייא בר לוליני argues the rain belongs here
42. ConclusionThe clouds pour the rain in their place
43. QuestionWhy compare the righteous to both a palm and a cedar?
44. ResponseIf only the palm were written