## Berakhot Daf 59a

###### Berakhot 59a:1
[Berakhot 59a:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Berakhot/r/59a:1)

כְּטִרְפָּא דִּטְרִיף. וְהַאי דְּאָזְלָא בָּתְרַהּ, דְּאָמְרָה לַהּ: הַב לִי בְּנַי. שֶׁבְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בִּקֵּשׁ לְהָבִיא מַבּוּל לְעוֹלָם נָטַל שְׁנֵי כּוֹכָבִים מִכִּימָה וְהֵבִיא מַבּוּל לָעוֹלָם. וּכְשֶׁבִּקֵּשׁ לְסׇתְמָהּ, נָטַל שְׁנֵי כּוֹכָבִים מֵעַיִשׁ וּסְתָמָהּ.

**Tractate Berakot by A. Cohen, Cambridge University Press, 1921:**
**as if it was appended** onto it. The Gemara explains: **And** the fact **that** Ursa Major **follows** Pleiades, it is as if Ursa Major **is saying** to Pleiades: **Give me** back **my children,** my two stars. As it is related: **When the Holy One, Blessed be He, sought to bring a flood into the world, He took two stars from Pleiades and brought the flood upon the world. And** afterward, **when He wished to fill** the void, **He took two stars from Ursa Major and filled** the void with them. Consequently, the constellation of Ursa Major attempts to persuade Pleiades, seeking to get its stars back.


###### Berakhot 59a:2
[Berakhot 59a:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Berakhot/r/59a:2)

וְלַיהְדַּר לַהּ? — אֵין הַבּוֹר מִתְמַלֵּא מֵחוּלְיָתוֹ. אִי נָמֵי — אֵין קָטֵיגוֹר נַעֲשָׂה סָנֵיגוֹר.

**Tractate Berakot by A. Cohen, Cambridge University Press, 1921:**
The Gemara asks: **And return it,** why did the Holy One, Blessed be He, not restore the original two stars to Pleiades? The Gemara answers: **A pit cannot be filled by its own earth;** when a pit is excavated, the earth that was excavated from it is insufficient to refill it. **Alternatively,** one could say that **a prosecutor cannot become an advocate;** since these stars caused the flood it is not appropriate that they facilitate the end of the flood.


###### Berakhot 59a:3
[Berakhot 59a:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Berakhot/r/59a:3)

וְלִיבְרֵי לַהּ תְּרֵי כֹּכְבֵי אַחֲרִינֵי! — ״אֵין כׇּל חָדָשׁ תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ״. אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן: עָתִיד הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְהַחֲזִירָן לָהּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְעַיִשׁ עַל בָּנֶיהָ תַנְחֵם״.

**Tractate Berakot by A. Cohen, Cambridge University Press, 1921:**
The Gemara argues: **Then** God should have **created two other** new **stars** for Pleiades. The Gemara responds: **“There is nothing new under the sun”** (Ecclesiastes 1:9). **Rav Naḥman said:** In the **future, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will restore** those same stars **to** Ursa Major, **as it is stated: “Or can you guide [*tanḥem*] Ursa** Major **with her sons?”** (Job 38:32), which is interpreted homiletically in the sense of consolation [*tanḥumim*] apparently due to the restoration of those stars.


###### Berakhot 59a:4
[Berakhot 59a:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Berakhot/r/59a:4)

וְעַל הַזְּוָעוֹת. מַאי זְוָעוֹת? אָמַר רַב קַטִּינָא: גּוּהָא. רַב קַטִּינָא הֲוָה קָאָזֵיל בְּאוֹרְחָא. כִּי מְטָא אַפִּתְחָא דְּבֵי אוֹבָא טַמְיָא גְּנַח גּוּהָא. אָמַר: מִי יָדַע אוֹבָא טַמְיָא הַאי גּוּהָא מַהוּ? רְמָא לֵיהּ קָלָא: קַטִּינָא קַטִּינָא, אַמַּאי לָא יָדַעְנָא? בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא זוֹכֵר אֶת בָּנָיו שֶׁשְּׁרוּיִים בְּצַעַר בֵּין אוּמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם מוֹרִיד שְׁתֵּי דְמָעוֹת לַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל, וְקוֹלוֹ נִשְׁמָע מִסּוֹף הָעוֹלָם וְעַד סוֹפוֹ, וְהַיְינוּ גּוּהָא.

**Tractate Berakot by A. Cohen, Cambridge University Press, 1921:**
**And** we learned in the mishna that **over *zeva’ot*** one recites the blessing: Whose strength and power fill the world. The Gemara asks: **What** are ***zeva’ot*? Rav Ketina said: An earthquake.** The Gemara relates: **Rav Ketina was once walking along the road when he came to the entrance of the house of a necromancer and an earthquake rumbled. He said: Does this necromancer know what is this earthquake?** The necromancer **raised his voice** and said: **Ketina, Ketina, why would I not know?** Certainly this earthquake occurred because **when the Holy One, Blessed be He, remembers His children who are suffering among the nations of the world, He sheds two tears into the great sea. The sound** of their reverberation **is heard from one end of the earth to the other. And that is an earthquake.**


###### Berakhot 59a:5
[Berakhot 59a:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Berakhot/r/59a:5)

אָמַר רַב קַטִּינָא: אוֹבָא טַמְיָא כַּדִּיב הוּא, וּמִילֵּיהּ כְּדִיבִין. אִי הָכִי — גּוּהָא גּוּהָא מִיבְּעֵי לֵיהּ? וְלָא הִיא, גּוּהָא גּוּהָא עָבֵיד, וְהַאי דְּלָא אוֹדִי לֵיהּ, כִּי הֵיכִי דְּלָא לִיטְעֵי כּוּלֵּי עָלְמָא אַבָּתְרֵיהּ.

**Tractate Berakot by A. Cohen, Cambridge University Press, 1921:**
**Rav Ketina said: The necromancer is a liar and his statements are lies. If so, it would necessitate an earthquake** followed by another **earthquake,** one for each tear. The Gemara remarks: **That is not so,** as it indeed **causes an earthquake** followed by another **earthquake; and the fact** that Rav Ketina **did not admit that** the necromancer was correct was **so that everyone would not mistakenly follow him.**


###### Berakhot 59a:6
[Berakhot 59a:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Berakhot/r/59a:6)

וְרַב קַטִּינָא דִּידֵיהּ אָמַר: סוֹפֵק כַּפָּיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְגַם אֲנִי אַכֶּה כַפִּי אֶל כַּפִּי וַהֲנִיחֹתִי חֲמָתִי״. רַבִּי נָתָן אוֹמֵר: אֲנָחָה מִתְאַנֵּחַ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַהֲנִיחוֹתִי חֲמָתִי בָּם וְהִנֶּחָמְתִּי״. וְרַבָּנַן אָמְרִי: בּוֹעֵט בָּרָקִיעַ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״הֵידָד כְּדֹרְכִים יַעֲנֶה אֶל כׇּל יֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ״. רַב אַחָא בַּר יַעֲקֹב אָמַר: דּוֹחֵק אֶת רַגְלָיו תַּחַת כִּסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״כֹּה אָמַר ה׳ הַשָּׁמַיִם כִּסְאִי וְהָאָרֶץ הֲדֹם רַגְלָי״.

**Tractate Berakot by A. Cohen, Cambridge University Press, 1921:**
**Rav Ketina also stated his own** explanation for the earthquake: Because God **claps His hands** together in anger, **as it is stated: “I will also smite My hands together and I will satisfy My fury;** I, the Lord, have spoken it” (Ezekiel 21:22). **Rabbi Natan says:** The earthquake is caused because God **sighs** over the dire straits in which Israel finds itself, **as it is stated:** “Thus shall My anger spend itself, **and I will satisfy My fury upon them, and I will be eased”** (Ezekiel 5:13). **And the Rabbis say:** An earthquake is caused when God **kicks the firmament,** causing a rumbling, **as it is stated:** “The Lord roars from on high, from His holy dwelling He makes His voice heard. He roars mightily over His dwelling place, **He cries out like those who tread grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth”** (Jeremiah 25:30). **Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov said:** An earthquake is caused when God **forces His feet beneath the throne of glory** and the world quakes, **as it is stated: “The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool”** (Isaiah 66:1).


###### Berakhot 59a:7
[Berakhot 59a:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Berakhot/r/59a:7)

וְעַל הָרְעָמִים. מַאי רְעָמִים? אָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל: עֲנָנֵי בְּגַלְגַּלָּא. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״קוֹל רַעַמְךָ בַּגַּלְגַּל הֵאִירוּ בְרָקִים תֵּבֵל רָגְזָה וַתִּרְעַשׁ הָאָרֶץ״. וְרַבָּנַן אָמְרִי: עֲנָנֵי דְּשָׁפְכִי מַיָּא לַהֲדָדֵי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״לְקוֹל תִּתּוֹ הֲמוֹן מַיִם בַּשָּׁמַיִם״. רַב אַחָא בַּר יַעֲקֹב אָמַר: בַּרְקָא תַּקִּיפָא דְּבָרֵיק בַּעֲנָנָא, וּמְתַבַּר גְּזִיזֵי דְבַרְזָא. רַב אָשֵׁי אָמַר: עֲנָנֵי חַלְחוֹלֵי מְחַלְחֲלִי, וְאָתֵי זִיקָא וּמְנַשֵּׁב אַפּוּמַּיְיהוּ, וְדָמֵי כְּזִיקָּא עַל פּוּם דַּנֵּי. וּמִסְתַּבְּרָא כְּרַב אַחָא בַּר יַעֲקֹב, דְּבָרֵיק בַּרְקָא, וּמְנַהֲמֵי עֲנָנֵי, וְאָתֵי מִטְרָא.

**Tractate Berakot by A. Cohen, Cambridge University Press, 1921:**
We **also** learned in the mishna that **over thunder** one recites: Whose strength and power fill the world. The Gemara asks: **What** causes **thunder? Shmuel said:** When the **clouds** located **in the curvature** of the firmament collide with the firmament itself, they produce this sound, **as it is stated: “The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; the lightning lighted up the world; the earth trembled and shook”** (Psalms 77:19). **And the Rabbis say:** Thunder is the sound of **clouds pouring water into one another, as it is stated: “At the sound of His giving a multitude of waters in the heavens”** (Jeremiah 10:13). **Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov said:** Thunder is caused by **a powerful lightning bolt that flashes in the cloud and shatters the hailstones. Rav Ashi said:** Because the **clouds are hollow, and** when **the wind comes and blows across their mouths,** it sounds like **wind blowing in the mouth of a jug.** The Gemara concludes: **And it stands to reason in accordance with** the opinion of **Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov; as lightning flashes, the clouds rumble, and the rain comes.**


###### Berakhot 59a:8
[Berakhot 59a:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Berakhot/r/59a:8)

וְעַל הָרוּחוֹת. מַאי רוּחוֹת? אָמַר אַבָּיֵי: זַעְפָּא. וְאָמַר אַבָּיֵי: גְּמִירִי, דְּזַעְפָּא בְּלֵילְיָא לָא הָוֵי. וְהָא קָא חֲזֵינַן דְּהָוֵי! — הָהוּא, דְּאַתְחֵיל בִּימָמָא. וְאָמַר אַבָּיֵי: גְּמִירִי, דְּזַעְפָּא תַּרְתֵּי שָׁעֵי לָא קָאֵי, לְקַיֵּים מַה שֶּׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״לֹא תָקוּם פַּעֲמַיִם צָרָה״. וְהָא קָא חָזֵינַן דְּקָאֵי! — דְּמַפְסֵיק בֵּינֵי בֵּינֵי.

**Tractate Berakot by A. Cohen, Cambridge University Press, 1921:**
We **also** learned in the mishna **that over wind** one recites the blessing: Whose strength and power fill the world. The Gemara asks: **What are** these **winds? Abaye said:** These are **gale force winds. Abaye said: We learned** through tradition **that there are no gale force winds at night.** The Gemara asks: **Don’t we see that there are** gale force winds at night? The Gemara answers: **This** gale force wind that blows at night does not begin blowing at night; rather, it **begins** blowing **during the day. And Abaye said: We learned** through tradition **that a gale force wind does not last two hours, to fulfill that which is stated: “Trouble shall not rise up a second time”** (Nahum 1:9). The Gemara asks: **Don’t we see that it does last** longer than two hours? The Gemara answers: Actually, it does not last longer than two hours. The fact that we sense that it does last longer is due to cases where it does not blow uninterruptedly, but **it** briefly **stops in between.**


###### Berakhot 59a:9
[Berakhot 59a:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Berakhot/r/59a:9)

וְעַל הַבְּרָקִים אוֹמֵר ״בָּרוּךְ … שֶׁכֹּחוֹ וּגְבוּרָתוֹ מָלֵא עוֹלָם״. מַאי בְּרָקִים? אָמַר רָבָא: בַּרְקָא. וְאָמַר רָבָא: בַּרְקָא יְחִידָאָה, וּבַרְקָא חִיוָּרָא, וּבַרְקָא יְרוּקְתָּא, וַעֲנָנֵי דְּסָלְקָן בְּקֶרֶן מַעֲרָבִית וְאָתְיָין מִקֶּרֶן דְּרוֹמִית, וְתַרְתֵּי עֲנָנֵי דְּסָלְקָן חֲדָא לְאַפֵּי חֲבֶרְתָּהּ — כּוּלְּהוּ קַשְׁיָין.

**Tractate Berakot by A. Cohen, Cambridge University Press, 1921:**
We **also** learned in the mishna that **over lightning one recites: Blessed…Whose strength and power fill the world.** The Gemara asks: **What is** this **lightning? Rava said:** A **bright light. And Rava said: A single** bolt of **lightning, white lightning, green lightning, clouds that rise in the western corner and come from the southern corner, and two clouds that rise with one facing the other are all** signs of **trouble.**


###### Berakhot 59a:10
[Berakhot 59a:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Berakhot/r/59a:10)

לְמַאי נָפְקָא מִינַּהּ? לְמִבְעֵי רַחֲמֵי. וְהָנֵי מִילֵּי בְּלֵילְיָא, אֲבָל בְּצַפְרָא — לֵית בְּהוּ מְשָׁשָׁא.

**Tractate Berakot by A. Cohen, Cambridge University Press, 1921:**
The Gemara asks: **What practical difference** is there in the knowledge that they are signs of trouble? The Gemara answers: So that we may **pray for God’s mercy,** that they cause us no harm. The Gemara remarks that **this only applies** when these phenomena appear **at night. In the morning, however, they are insignificant.**


###### Berakhot 59a:11
[Berakhot 59a:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Berakhot/r/59a:11)

אָמַר רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר יִצְחָק: הָנֵי עֲנָנֵי דְצַפְרָא לֵית בְּהוּ מְשָׁשָׁא, דִּכְתִיב: ״וְחַסְדְּכֶם כַּעֲנַן בֹּקֶר וְגוֹ׳״. אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַב פָּפָּא לְאַבָּיֵי, הָא אָמְרִי אִינָשֵׁי: כַּד מִפְתָּח בָּבֵי מִיטְרָא, בַּר חַמָּרָא, מוּךְ שַׂקָּיךְ וּגְנִי! לָא קַשְׁיָא: הָא דִּקְטִר בְּעֵיבָא, הָא דִּקְטִר בַּעֲנָנֵי.

**Tractate Berakot by A. Cohen, Cambridge University Press, 1921:**
**Rabbi Shmuel bar Yitzḥak said: Morning clouds** dissipate immediately so they **have no substance, as it is written: “For your goodness is as a morning cloud,** and as the dew that early passes away” (Hosea 6:4). With regard to this, **Rav Pappa said to Abaye: But** don’t **people say** the maxim: **If there is rain when people open their doors** in the morning, **donkey-driver, fold your sack and go to sleep,** as rain will continue to fall all day. Apparently morning clouds indicate that there will be rain all day. The Gemara responds: This is **not difficult,** as **this,** that suggests that there will be considerable rain, refers to a case where the sky is **covered with thick clouds,** while **this** opinion, where Rabbi Shmuel bar Yitzḥak said that morning clouds have no substance and will not produce much rain, refers to a case where the sky is **covered with flimsy clouds** which will certainly pass.


###### Berakhot 59a:12
[Berakhot 59a:12](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Berakhot/r/59a:12)

אָמַר רַבִּי אֲלֶכְּסַנְדְּרִי אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי: לֹא נִבְרְאוּ רְעָמִים אֶלָּא לִפְשׁוֹט עַקְמוּמִית שֶׁבַּלֵּב, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְהָאֱלֹהִים עָשָׂה שֶׁיִּרְאוּ מִלְּפָנָיו״. וְאָמַר רַבִּי אֲלֶכְּסַנְדְּרִי אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי: הָרוֹאֶה אֶת הַקֶּשֶׁת בֶּעָנָן צָרִיךְ שֶׁיִּפּוֹל עַל פָּנָיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״כְּמַרְאֵה הַקֶּשֶׁת אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה בֶעָנָן וְגוֹ׳ וָאֶרְאֶה וָאֶפֹּל עַל פָּנַי״. לָיְיטִי עֲלַהּ בְּמַעְרְבָא, מִשּׁוּם דְּמִחֲזֵי כְּמַאן דְּסָגֵיד לְקַשְׁתָּא. אֲבָל בָּרוֹכֵי וַדַּאי מְבָרֵךְ. מַאי מְבָרֵךְ? — ״בָּרוּךְ … זוֹכֵר הַבְּרִית״. בְּמַתְנִיתָא תָּנָא, רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל בְּנוֹ שֶׁל רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן בֶּן בְּרוֹקָא אוֹמֵר: ״נֶאֱמָן בִּבְרִיתוֹ וְקַיָּים בְּמַאֲמָרוֹ״. אָמַר רַב פָּפָּא: הִלְכָּךְ נֵימְרִינְהוּ לְתַרְוַיְיהוּ: ״בָּרוּךְ … זוֹכֵר הַבְּרִית, וְנֶאֱמָן בִּבְרִיתוֹ וְקַיָּים בְּמַאֲמָרוֹ״.

**Tractate Berakot by A. Cohen, Cambridge University Press, 1921:**
**Rabbi Alexandri said** that **Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Thunder was created only** to impose fear and **straighten the crookedness of the heart, as it is stated: “And God has so made it, that men should fear before Him”** (Ecclesiastes 3:14). **And Rabbi Alexandri said** that **Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: One who sees a rainbow in a cloud must fall upon his face, as it is stated: “As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud** in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. **And when I saw it, I fell upon my face”** (Ezekiel 1:28). The colors of the rainbow symbolize the glory of God and one may not stare at them. Yet, **in the West,** Eretz Yisrael, **they would curse** one who fell upon his face when seeing a rainbow **because it appears as one who is bowing to the rainbow.** As far as **blessing** is concerned, **however,** all agree that **one certainly recites a blessing. What** blessing **does one recite? Blessed…Who remembers the covenant** with Noah. **It was taught in a *baraita*** that **Rabbi Yishmael, son of Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Beroka, says** that the blessing is: Blessed…**Who is faithful to His covenant and fulfills His word. Rav Pappa said: Therefore we will say them both** combined: **Blessed…Who remembers the covenant and is faithful to His covenant and fulfills His word.**


###### Berakhot 59a:13
[Berakhot 59a:13](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Berakhot/r/59a:13)

עַל הֶהָרִים וְעַל הַגְּבָעוֹת. אַטּוּ כׇּל הָנֵי דַּאֲמַרַן עַד הַשְׁתָּא, לָאו מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית נִינְהוּ? וְהָכְתִיב ״בְּרָקִים לַמָּטָר עָשָׂה״! אָמַר אַבָּיֵי: כְּרוֹךְ וּתְנִי. רָבָא אָמַר: הָתָם מְבָרֵךְ תַּרְתֵּי — ״בָּרוּךְ … שֶׁכֹּחוֹ מָלֵא עוֹלָם״, וְ״עוֹשֶׂה מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית״. הָכָא ״עוֹשֶׂה מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית״ — אִיכָּא, ״שֶׁכֹּחוֹ מָלֵא עוֹלָם״ לֵיכָּא.

**Tractate Berakot by A. Cohen, Cambridge University Press, 1921:**
We learned in the mishna that **over mountains and hills** one recites: Blessed…Author of creation. The Gemara asks: **Is that to say that all those that we mentioned until now,** such as lightning, **are not acts of creation?** Among God’s praise for creation of the world and forming the mountains, **is it not** also **written: “He makes lightning for the rain”** (Psalms 135:7)? **Abaye said: Combine** the two statements and **teach that** in all the cases in our mishna, one recites these two blessings. **Rava said: There,** over lightning and thunder, **one recites two** blessings: **Blessed…Whose power fills the world, and: Author of creation. Here,** however, over mountains and hills, **one** recites the blessing: **Author of creation,** but **need not** recite: **Whose power fills the world.**


###### Berakhot 59a:14
[Berakhot 59a:14](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Berakhot/r/59a:14)

אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי: הָרוֹאֶה רָקִיעַ בְּטׇהֳרָתָהּ, אוֹמֵר: ״בָּרוּךְ … עוֹשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית״. אִימַּתִּי? אָמַר אַבָּיֵי: כִּי אָתֵי מִטְרָא כּוּלֵּי לֵילְיָא, וּבְצַפְרָא אָתֵי אִסְתָּנָא וּמְגַלְּיָא לְהוּ לִשְׁמַיָּא.

**Tractate Berakot by A. Cohen, Cambridge University Press, 1921:**
**Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: One who sees the firmament in its purity recites: Blessed…Author of creation.** The Gemara asks: **When** does the firmament appear in its purity? **Abaye said: When rain** falls **all night and in the morning a northern wind blows, exposing the heavens.**


###### Berakhot 59a:15
[Berakhot 59a:15](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Berakhot/r/59a:15)

וּפְלִיגָא דְּרַפְרָם בַּר פָּפָּא אָמַר רַב חִסְדָּא. דְּאָמַר רַפְרָם בַּר פָּפָּא אָמַר רַב חִסְדָּא: מִיּוֹם שֶׁחָרַב בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ לֹא נִרְאֵית רָקִיעַ בְּטׇהֳרָתָהּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״אַלְבִּישׁ שָׁמַיִם קַדְרוּת וְשַׂק אָשִׂים כְּסוּתָם״.

**Tractate Berakot by A. Cohen, Cambridge University Press, 1921:**
The Gemara notes: **And** in this they **disagree with Rafram bar Pappa** who said that **Rav Ḥisda said, as Rafram bar Pappa said** that **Rav Ḥisda said: Since the day the Temple was destroyed the firmament has not been seen in its purity, as it is said: “I clothe the heavens with blackness and I make sackcloth their covering”** (Isaiah 50:3).