## Taanit Daf 19a

###### Taanit 19a:1
[Taanit 19a:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Taanit/r/19a:1)

אוֹתָהּ הָעִיר מִתְעַנָּה וּמַתְרַעַת, וְכׇל סְבִיבוֹתֶיהָ מִתְעַנּוֹת וְלֹא מַתְרִיעוֹת. רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר: מַתְרִיעוֹת וְלֹא מִתְעַנּוֹת. וְכֵן עִיר שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהּ דֶּבֶר אוֹ מַפּוֹלֶת — אוֹתָהּ הָעִיר מִתְעַנָּה וּמַתְרַעַת, וְכׇל סְבִיבוֹתֶיהָ מִתְעַנּוֹת וְלֹא מַתְרִיעוֹת. רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר: מַתְרִיעוֹת וְלֹא מִתְעַנּוֹת.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
In a case of this kind, **that city fasts and cries out** by blowing the *shofar*, **and all of its surrounding areas** join them in their **fast, but they do not cry out. Rabbi Akiva** disagrees and **says: They cry out but they do not fast.** The mishna continues: **And likewise,** if a **city is** afflicted **by pestilence or collapsing buildings, that city fasts and cries out, and all of its surrounding areas fast but they do not cry out. Rabbi Akiva says: They cry out but they do not fast.**


###### Taanit 19a:2
[Taanit 19a:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Taanit/r/19a:2)

אֵיזֶהוּ דֶּבֶר? עִיר הַמּוֹצִיאָה חֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת רַגְלִי, וְיָצְאוּ מִמֶּנָּה שְׁלֹשָׁה מֵתִים בִּשְׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים זֶה אַחַר זֶה — הֲרֵי זֶה דֶּבֶר, פָּחוֹת מִכָּאן — אֵין זֶה דֶּבֶר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The mishna inquires: **What is** considered a plague of **pestilence?** When is a series of deaths treated as a plague? The mishna answers: If **a city that sends out five hundred infantrymen,** i.e., it has a population of five hundred able-bodied men, **and three dead are taken out of it on three consecutive days, this** is a plague of **pestilence,** which requires fasting and crying out. If the death rate is **lower than that, this is not pestilence.**


###### Taanit 19a:3
[Taanit 19a:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Taanit/r/19a:3)

עַל אֵלּוּ מַתְרִיעִין בְּכׇל מָקוֹם: עַל הַשִּׁדָּפוֹן, וְעַל הַיֵּרָקוֹן, וְעַל הָאַרְבֶּה, וְעַל הֶחָסִיל, וְעַל הַחַיָּה רָעָה, וְעַל הַחֶרֶב — מַתְרִיעִין עָלֶיהָ, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהִיא מַכָּה מְהַלֶּכֶת.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**For the following** calamities **they cry out in every place: For blight; for mildew; for locusts; for caterpillars,** a type of locust that comes in large swarms and descends upon a certain place; **for dangerous beasts** that have entered a town; **and for the sword,** i.e., legions of an invading army. The reason that **they cry out about these** misfortunes in every place is **because** these are **calamities that spread.**


###### Taanit 19a:4
[Taanit 19a:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Taanit/r/19a:4)

מַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁיָּרְדוּ זְקֵנִים מִירוּשָׁלַיִם לְעָרֵיהֶם, וְגָזְרוּ תַּעֲנִית עַל שֶׁנִּרְאָה כִּמְלֹא פִי תַנּוּר שִׁדָּפוֹן בְּאַשְׁקְלוֹן. וְעוֹד גָּזְרוּ תַּעֲנִית עַל שֶׁאָכְלוּ זְאֵבִים שְׁנֵי תִינוֹקוֹת בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר: לֹא עַל שֶׁאָכְלוּ, אֶלָּא עַל שֶׁנִּרְאוּ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**An incident** occurred in **which Elders descended from Jerusalem to their cities** throughout Eretz Yisrael **and decreed a fast** throughout the land **because there was seen in** the city of **Ashkelon** a small amount of **blight,** enough **to fill the mouth of an oven.** This fast was observed throughout Eretz Yisrael, as blight spreads quickly. **And furthermore, they decreed a fast because wolves had eaten two children in Transjordan. Rabbi Yosei says:** This fast was decreed **not because they ate** the children, **but because** these wolves **were** merely **seen** in an inhabited area.


###### Taanit 19a:5
[Taanit 19a:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Taanit/r/19a:5)

עַל אֵלּוּ מַתְרִיעִין בְּשַׁבָּת: עַל עִיר שֶׁהִקִּיפוּהָ נׇכְרִים אוֹ נָהָר, וְעַל הַסְּפִינָה הַמִּיטָּרֶפֶת בַּיָּם. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר: לְעֶזְרָה וְלֹא לִצְעָקָה. שִׁמְעוֹן הַתִּימְנִי אוֹמֵר: אַף עַל הַדֶּבֶר, וְלֹא הוֹדוּ לוֹ חֲכָמִים.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**For the following** calamities **they cry out** even **on Shabbat: For a city that is surrounded by gentile** troops, **or** for a place in danger of being flooded by **a river** that has swelled its banks, **or for a ship tossed about at sea. Rabbi Yosei said:** One may cry out on Shabbat **to** summon **help, but** it may **not** be sounded **for crying out** to God. **Shimon the Timnite says:** One may cry out on Shabbat **even for pestilence, but the Rabbis did not agree with him.**


###### Taanit 19a:6
[Taanit 19a:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Taanit/r/19a:6)

עַל כׇּל צָרָה שֶׁלֹּא תָּבוֹא עַל הַצִּבּוּר מַתְרִיעִין עֲלֵיהֶן, חוּץ מֵרוֹב גְּשָׁמִים. מַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁאָמְרוּ לוֹ לְחוֹנִי הַמְעַגֵּל, הִתְפַּלֵּל שֶׁיֵּרְדוּ גְּשָׁמִים. אָמַר לָהֶם: צְאוּ וְהַכְנִיסוּ תַּנּוּרֵי פְסָחִים בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁלֹּא יִמּוֹקוּ. הִתְפַּלֵּל וְלֹא יָרְדוּ גְּשָׁמִים.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ The mishna adds: In general, they cry out **on** account of any **trouble that should not befall the community,** a euphemism for trouble that may befall the community, **except for an overabundance of rain.** Although too much rain may be disastrous, one does not cry out over it, because rain is a sign of a blessing. The mishna relates: **An incident** occurred in **which** the people said **to Ḥoni HaMe’aggel: Pray that rain should fall. He said to them: Go out and bring in** the clay **ovens** used to roast the Paschal lambs, **so that they will not dissolve** in the water, as torrential rains are certain to fall. **He prayed, and no rain fell** at all.


###### Taanit 19a:7
[Taanit 19a:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Taanit/r/19a:7)

מָה עָשָׂה? עָג עוּגָה וְעָמַד בְּתוֹכָהּ, וְאָמַר לְפָנָיו: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם! בָּנֶיךָ שָׂמוּ פְּנֵיהֶם עָלַי, שֶׁאֲנִי כְּבֶן בַּיִת לְפָנֶיךָ. נִשְׁבָּע אֲנִי בְּשִׁמְךָ הַגָּדוֹל שֶׁאֵינִי זָז מִכָּאן עַד שֶׁתְּרַחֵם עַל בָּנֶיךָ. הִתְחִילוּ גְּשָׁמִים מְנַטְּפִין. אָמַר: לֹא כָּךְ שָׁאַלְתִּי, אֶלָּא גִּשְׁמֵי בּוֹרוֹת שִׁיחִין וּמְעָרוֹת. הִתְחִילוּ לֵירֵד בְּזַעַף. אָמַר: לֹא כָּךְ שָׁאַלְתִּי, אֶלָּא גִּשְׁמֵי רָצוֹן בְּרָכָה וּנְדָבָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**What did he do? He drew a circle** on the ground **and stood inside it and said before** God: **Master of the Universe, Your children have turned their faces toward me, as I am like a member of Your household.** Therefore, **I take an oath by Your great name that I will not move from here until You have mercy upon Your children** and answer their prayers for rain. **Rain began to trickle** down, but only in small droplets. **He said: I did not ask for this, but** for **rain to** fill the **cisterns, ditches, and caves** with enough water to last the entire year. Rain **began to fall furiously. He said: I did not ask for this** damaging rain either, **but** for **rain of benevolence, blessing, and generosity.**


###### Taanit 19a:8
[Taanit 19a:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Taanit/r/19a:8)

יָרְדוּ כְּתִקְנָן, עַד שֶׁיָּצְאוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִירוּשָׁלַיִם לְהַר הַבַּיִת מִפְּנֵי הַגְּשָׁמִים. בָּאוּ וְאָמְרוּ לוֹ: כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהִתְפַּלַּלְתָּ עֲלֵיהֶם שֶׁיֵּרְדוּ — כָּךְ הִתְפַּלֵּל שֶׁיֵּלְכוּ לָהֶן. אָמַר לָהֶם: צְאוּ וּרְאוּ אִם נִמְחֵית אֶבֶן הַטּוֹעִין.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
Subsequently, the rains **fell in their standard manner** but continued unabated, filling the city with water **until all of the Jews exited** the residential areas of **Jerusalem** and went **to the Temple Mount due to the rain. They came and said to him: Just as you prayed over** the rains **that they should fall, so too, pray that they should stop. He said to them: Go out and see if the Claimants’ Stone,** a large stone located in the city, upon which proclamations would be posted with regard to lost and found articles, **has been washed away.** In other words, if the water has not obliterated the Claimants’ Stone, it is not yet appropriate to pray for the rain to cease.


###### Taanit 19a:9
[Taanit 19a:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Taanit/r/19a:9)

שָׁלַח לוֹ שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן שָׁטַח: אִלְמָלֵא חוֹנִי אַתָּה — גּוֹזְרַנִי עָלֶיךָ נִידּוּי. אֲבָל מָה אֶעֱשֶׂה לְּךָ, שֶׁאַתָּה מִתְחַטֵּא לִפְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם וְעוֹשֶׂה לְךָ רְצוֹנְךָ כְּבֵן שֶׁהוּא מִתְחַטֵּא עַל אָבִיו וְעוֹשֶׂה לוֹ רְצוֹנוֹ, וְעָלֶיךָ הַכָּתוּב אוֹמֵר: ״יִשְׂמַח אָבִיךָ וְאִמֶּךָ וְתָגֵל יוֹלַדְתֶּךָ״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Shimon ben Shetaḥ,** the *Nasi* of the Sanhedrin at the time, **relayed to** Ḥoni HaMe’aggel: **Were you not Ḥoni, I would have decreed that you be ostracized, but what can I do to you? You nag [*mitḥatei*] God and He does your bidding, like a son who nags his father and** his father **does his bidding** without reprimand. After all, rain fell as you requested. **About you, the verse states: “Let your father and your mother be glad, and let her who bore you rejoice”** (Proverbs 23:25).


###### Taanit 19a:10
[Taanit 19a:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Taanit/r/19a:10)

הָיוּ מִתְעַנִּין וְיָרְדוּ לָהֶם גְּשָׁמִים, קוֹדֶם הָנֵץ הַחַמָּה — לֹא יַשְׁלִימוּ, לְאַחַר הָנֵץ הַחַמָּה — יַשְׁלִימוּ. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר: קוֹדֶם חֲצוֹת — לֹא יַשְׁלִימוּ, לְאַחַר חֲצוֹת — יַשְׁלִימוּ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The mishna teaches another *halakha* with regard to fast days: If **they were fasting** for rain, **and rain fell for them before sunrise,** they need **not complete** their fast until the evening. However, if it fell **after sunrise, they** must **complete** their fast. **Rabbi Eliezer says:** If rain fell **before midday,** they need **not complete** their fast; but if it rains **after midday, they** must **complete** their fast.


###### Taanit 19a:11
[Taanit 19a:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Taanit/r/19a:11)

מַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁגָּזְרוּ תַּעֲנִית בְּלוֹד, וְיָרְדוּ לָהֶם גְּשָׁמִים קוֹדֶם חֲצוֹת. אֲמַר לָהֶם רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן: צְאוּ וְאִכְלוּ וּשְׁתוּ וַעֲשׂוּ יוֹם טוֹב, וְיָצְאוּ וְאָכְלוּ וְשָׁתוּ וְעָשׂוּ יוֹם טוֹב, וּבָאוּ בֵּין הָעַרְבַּיִם וְקָרְאוּ הַלֵּל הַגָּדוֹל.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The mishna relates: **An incident** occurred in **which** the court **decreed a fast in Lod** due to a lack of rain, **and rain fell for them before midday. Rabbi Tarfon said to** the people: **Go out, and eat, and drink, and treat** this day as **a Festival. And they went out, and ate, and drank, and treated** the day as **a Festival, and** in the **afternoon they came** to the synagogue **and recited the great *hallel*,** to thank God for answering their prayers.


###### Taanit 19a:12
[Taanit 19a:12](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Taanit/r/19a:12)

**גְּמָ׳** סֵדֶר תַּעֲנִיּוֹת הָאֵלּוּ הָאָמוּר בִּרְבִיעָה רִאשׁוֹנָה. וּרְמִינְהִי: רְבִיעָה רִאשׁוֹנָה וּשְׁנִיָּה לִשְׁאוֹל, שְׁלִישִׁית לְהִתְעַנּוֹת!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**GEMARA:** The mishna taught: **The order of these fasts is stated** only when the fast concerns **the first rainfall. And** the Gemara **raises a contradiction** between this statement and the following *baraita*: If the periods of **the first and second rainfall** pass without rain, this is the time **to ask** and pray for rain; if **the third** passes without rain, this is the time **to fast.**


###### Taanit 19a:13
[Taanit 19a:13](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Taanit/r/19a:13)

אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה, הָכִי קָאָמַר: סֵדֶר תַּעֲנִיּוֹת הָאָמוּר אֵימָתַי — בִּזְמַן שֶׁיָּצְאָה רְבִיעָה רִאשׁוֹנָה וּשְׁנִיָּה וּשְׁלִישִׁית וְלֹא יָרְדוּ גְּשָׁמִים. אֲבָל יָרְדוּ גְּשָׁמִים בִּרְבִיעָה רִאשׁוֹנָה וְזָרְעוּ וְלֹא צָמְחוּ, אִי נָמֵי צָמְחוּ וְחָזְרוּ וְנִשְׁתַּנּוּ — מַתְרִיעִין עֲלֵיהֶן מִיָּד.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rav Yehuda said** that **this is what** the mishna **is saying: When** does **the order of** these **fasts** that **is stated** apply? **When** the periods of the **first, second, and third rainfall have passed and rain has not fallen. However, if rain fell in** the time of **the first rainfall, and** the people **sowed but** the plants **did not sprout, or, alternatively, if they sprouted** a little, **but** their appearance **changed back** for the worse, as no rain fell after the first rainfall, **they cry out about it immediately.**


###### Taanit 19a:14
[Taanit 19a:14](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Taanit/r/19a:14)

אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן: דַּוְקָא נִשְׁתַּנּוּ, אֲבָל יָבְשׁוּ — לָא. פְּשִׁיטָא, נִשְׁתַּנּוּ תְּנַן! לָא צְרִיכָא, דַּאֲקוּן. מַהוּ דְּתֵימָא: אֲקַנְתָּא מִילְּתָא הִיא, קָמַשְׁמַע לַן.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rav Naḥman said:** This applies **specifically** if their appearance **changed. However,** if they **dried** out entirely, they do **not** cry out, as this condition cannot be improved. The Gemara asks: It **is obvious** that this is the case, because in the mishna **we learned** the word **changed.** The Gemara answers: **No,** it is **necessary** for Rav Naḥman to issue his statement with regard to a case **where they produced stalks** after they dried out. **Lest you say** that **producing stalks is a matter** of significance, as it is a sign of strengthening, and the crops might be saved through prayer, Rav Naḥman therefore **teaches us** that this is not the case.


###### Taanit 19a:15
[Taanit 19a:15](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Taanit/r/19a:15)

וְכֵן שֶׁפָּסְקוּ גְּשָׁמִים בֵּין גֶּשֶׁם לְגֶשֶׁם כּוּ׳. מַאי מַכַּת בַּצּוֹרֶת? אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר רַב: מַכָּה הַמְּבִיאָה לִידֵי בַּצּוֹרֶת. אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן: נַהֲרָא אַנַּהֲרָא —

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The mishna further taught: **And likewise,** if **rain ceased** for a period of **forty days** between **one rainfall and another,** they cry out about this, because it is a plague of drought. The Gemara asks: **What is** the meaning of the phrase: **A plague of drought?** Isn’t this simply a drought? **Rav Yehuda said** that **Rav said:** The mishna means that a period of forty days between one rainfall and the next **is a plague that** may **cause a drought.** In this regard, **Rav Naḥman said:** When crops do not grow in one place due to lack of rain and must be imported by means of one **river to** another **river,**