In the manner that Habakkuk did, etc.: As everyone who prays stands in one place! But since it is written about him with a double expression - "I will stand and set myself, etc." - it implies that he made a circle in the place that he prayed, so that he not move from there until he was answered. And an ugah is a circular line, like Rashi explained. And he was called Choni HaMe’aggel based on this; meaning that he encircled himself with a circular line.

Like a member of the household: This is according to what is written in the chapter [entitled] Ain Omdin (Berakhot 34b:28) - that the wife of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai said to him, "And is Chanina greater than you, that you need to request from him that he pray for your son?" And he said to her, "No, but he is like a servant who is accustomed to the house of the king, whereas I am like a minister in front of the king" - as it is explained there. And so too here, this is what he means: It is not because of my greatness that they directed their faces towards me (for help), but rather since I am like a member of the household, accustomed to being before You.

Only to dissolve your oath, etc.: And even though he said in his oath, "until you have mercy upon Your children, etc." - it is possible that the students only heard the expression of the oath from him, "that I will not move from here"; but they did not hear the end of his words, such that he said, "until you have mercy, etc." So they thought that he only prayed that the rain fall; and that was fulfilled!

Rain of [good]will, blessing, and generosity, etc.: Meaning to say, of Your will - as it is said, "May it be Your will, etc."; and that it should also be the will of Israel, such that it not fall furiously. And blessing is that it be a blessing for You and a blessing for us. And [generosity] is that which they said in the blessing for rain, "and generosity for You" - that it not be by way of an obligation. And that it be generosity (nedevah) for us - as it stated (Psalms 54:8), "Then I will sacrifice to You with a freewill sacrifice (nedevah); I will praise Your name, Lord, for it is good, etc." That is why he brought a bull of hodaah (thanksgiving).

Over an excess of good, etc. Bring me a bull, etc.: It appears that it can be explained that the reason of the thing, that we do not pray over an excess of good - even though this good of excess rain is bad, as I wrote above, since it weakens the land, so it doesn't produce fruit - because it is nevertheless like ingratitude. For at the beginning, he prayed and requested rain, which is good for the world. Yet he said, "Bring me a bull of hodaah," upon which to confess [sins], as Rashi explained. That is to confess that he did not act properly, by requesting the stopping of excess good. But "Israel, whom You brought out of Egypt" - he made the thing depend upon His taking them out of Egypt. As You grew angry with them [and] they could not withstand [it] - for example, the trials of water and Mei Merivah. [And] they were not able to withstand the flow of excess good to them - for example, with the manna and the quail. They were not able to withstand [it], as it is stated about it (Numbers 11:33), "The meat was still between their teeth, etc. when the anger of the Lord flared up, etc."

Wouldn’t the name of Heaven have been desecrated by you, etc.: See the commentary of Rashi. However the expression, "desecrated by you," would appear to be better explained [as], that you would come to a false oath, since the key to stop the rain is in the hands of Eliyahu.

As you mitchateh (nag) before the Omnipresent, etc.: Rashi explained [it as being] from an expression of sin. But Arukh explained it as something else, see there.

About you, the verse states, "Your father and mother will be glad, etc.": Your father is your Father in Heaven and your mother is the Community of Israel. "And the one who bore you will rejoice" - that is his actual father and mother who bore him.

A generation that was in darkness, you have illuminated [...], "When they cast down, etc.": It would appear that they mentioned four things which are one matter, [simply in order to synch it] according to the verses. But it can be said (answered) that it mentioned the order of all of his deeds with this, like the order mentioned earlier. So it said first that they had not seen rain at all - it was "a generation that was in darkness, [that] you have illuminated with your prayer," since they saw the beginning of the rain. But it was still a cast down generation, as it says that a small amount of rain came only "to enable you to dissolve your oath." That was until "you lifted it up with your prayer," that the rain should come with great abundance. But it was still "humble eyed" - as it said, "it appears that rain is falling only to destroy the world." This was until "you saved it through your prayer," such that [the rain] fell as it should. But it still did not cease, until they ascended to the Temple Mount on account of the rain, since the generation was not innocent. This was until "you delivered it through your prayer," such that the rain ceased. And it concluded, "'And he will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands'; through the work of your clean hands." This hints to the bull of confession that he brought and placed his hands upon, like the explanation of Rashi.

A song of Maalot, etc. Rashi explained, it is an expression of ascending (iluy). To here are his [words]. But in the chapter [entitled] HaChalil and in Tractate Makkot, it is explained that it is based on the fifteen ascending steps (maalot) in the Temple, in the courtyard.

"We were like those who dream" - he said, "Is there someone who sleeps seventy years, etc.": For there is no dream without sleep. And Rashi explained, seventy years at one time. To here are his [words]. And even though, dream (cholmim), is in the plural; dream, nevertheless indicates it is without a break. And if so, it perforce must be a different [type of] sleep. And the matter is that it makes a comparison of the years of the exile, as if they were only like this dream. And in the same way, the years of a man - which are seventy years - are compared to dreams, as it is written in Job (20:8), "He flies away like a dream, etc.," And according to this, it can be explained that it was from this difficulty - is there someone who sleeps seventy years, etc. - that [Choni] explained the verse, that they were like dreamers: Meaning, when we were in the Babylonian exile, we were like dreamers [for] seventy years - like the years of a man, which are only like that which "flies away." And he was distressed about this, that the world of a man only be considered like a dream that has no substance. And it said, that "he was walking along the road when he saw a certain man planting a carob tree, etc." That is that they showed him that just like this carob tree is not considered anything for seventy years, but we [still] plant it to give fruit after seventy years; so too was man created on the eve of Shabbat that he toil in his deeds for seventy years, but the eating of the fruit and his reward is after seventy years - in the world to come. And that which they said, "[I] found this world with carob trees, etc." - this world is compared to a carob tree. So even if he made efforts, sometimes he will not merit to eat from it, to be alive after seventy years; nevertheless, his son will merit to eat from it. So too is the action of a righteous person in this world: Even if it is a world that he [only] passes through, nevertheless his son will eat his fruits, like he [would] - as it is written (Exodus 20:6), "But I do kindness for thousands (of generations)." And it said, "Sleep overcame him, etc. and he slept for seventy years": As they also showed him with this that the simple meaning of the verse - "we were like those who dream" - was certainly something possible. And that is like it said, "I understand from this, that I slept seventy years." And he also saw that his grandson was eating fruit from the carob tree, to confirm for him the matter above - that the main fruits of a man's deeds in this world are to be eaten after seventy years.

And they did not pay him proper respect, etc.: Even when they saw that he was a master of Torah and "his discussion is enlightening us as if it was in the lifetime of Choni HaMe’aggel" - they nevertheless did not see about him that he was a master of [good] deeds like Choni. And that is why they did not pay him proper respect. And it said that he prayed for mercy and he died, etc. As his time to die had not yet arrived, since those seventy years that he was sleeping were not counted for him at all. And in the Yerushalmi, it brings a story about Choni HaMe’aggel, that he was [alive] during the destruction of the first Temple and he slept seventy years from the destruction of the first Temple until the Second Temple was built; whereas this story of the mishnah was a long time after this, at the time of Shimon ben Shetach. And the author of Yafeh Mareh wrote that there were two Choni HaMe’aggels, and the one of the mishnah was his grandson, see there. And in the Sefer Yuchasin, it is written in the name of Yosef ben Gurion that Choni HaMe’aggel was killed outside of Jerusalem in the wars of the descendants of the Chasmoneans. And this agrees with our Talmud: Since he was lost from the world for seventy years, sleeping, they said about him that he was killed in the civil war. And that is why when he came, even his grandson did not believe him.