Questions tagged [masechet-taanis]
Tractate of the Mishna dealing with the laws of fast days and prayers for rain
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How are the two tales of dancing in vineyards on the 15th of Av related?
The Mishna tells us (Taanis 26b) that on the 15th of Av, unmarried girls would borrow clothes, dance in the vineyard, and invite the unmarried men to choose them for marriage.
The Talmud (Taanis 30b) ...
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How can Eliyahu say that almost no one in the market has a share in Olam Haba?
Ta'anit 22a recounts (in the g'mara) a story of R. Beroka b. Haza'ah and Eliyahu ha-Navi in a marketplace in Be Lapat, which a note in my Soncino translation says is in Khuzistan. R. Beroka asks ...
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Is there a malach taking care of rain or not?
The Gemara in Taanis 2a mentions rain as one of the items that Hashem never gives the key of which over to a messenger.
אמר ר' יוחנן ג' מפתחות בידו של הקב''ה שלא נמסרו ביד שליח ואלו הן מפתח של ...
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Can/may a kohen gadol become a nazir?
A nazir may not take haircuts (usually for a 30 day period) and a kohen gadol must take haircuts weekly (Taanis 17a, 3/4 down the page). Can/may a kohen gadol become a nazir? If so, how does that ...
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Dancing on Yom Kippur
Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, in the final mishna of Ta'anit (4:8), speaks of women going into the vineyards on Yom Kippur and dancing for the unmarried men who would then choose wives for themselves. ...
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Did Yiftach's daughter have to comply with his vow?
In Judges chapter 11 Yiftach vows to dedicate whatever first comes out of the doors of his home to God (perhaps to be sacrificed as an offering) should he be victorious in battle.
After his victory he ...
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Mentioning the name of the sick in teffila
We see in this weeks Parsha (Baha'aloscha) that Moshe Rabbeinu prayed for his sister Miriam's Refuah by saying "אל נא רפא נא לה".
The Gemara in Brachos (34a) says that from this passuk we see that ...
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Should one avoid deriving benefit from miracles?
In Taanit 24b it states
אֲמַר רַב מָרִי בְּרַהּ דְּבַת שְׁמוּאֵל: אֲנָא הֲוָה קָאֵימְנָא אַגּוּדָּא דִּנְהַר פָּפָּא, חֲזַאי לְמַלְאֲכֵי דְּאִידְּמוֹ לְמַלָּחֵי דְּקָא מַיְיתִי חָלָא וּמְלוֹנְהוּ ...
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Davening for multiple things
In Taanis 8b,
בִּימֵי רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָנִי הֲוָה כַּפְנָא וּמוֹתָנָא,
אָמְרִי: הֵיכִי נַעֲבֵיד? נִיבְעֵי רַחֲמֵי אַתַּרְתֵּי — לָא אֶפְשָׁר
In the days of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani there ...
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Has anyone proposed to recreate the system of 24 ma'amadot, since the Dispersal?
The Mishna, in Ta'anit 4:1-4, describes an institution called ma'amadot: Just as the Kohens and Levites were divided into 24 clans, which each handled the Temple service for two non-holiday weeks of ...
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What is the symbolism of Choni Ha'Magel's circle?
In Taanis 3:8 we learn that Choni Ha'Magel drew a circle which he stood in while praying for rain. I would like to know if there is any symbolism to his use of this shape as opposed to any other.
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Why fast 3 days and not more or less?
Starting with the Mishna in Ta'anis 1.4 we learn that there are occasions (lack of rain in this case) when we fast BeHaB, i.e. Monday, Thursday, and Monday.
הִגִּיעַ שִׁבְעָה עָשָׂר בְּמַרְחֶשְׁוָן ...
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Why was Tisha B'Av established as a day of crying for those who didn't sin?
Ta'anis 29a teaches that since by the Meraglim the Jews cried for naught, that night, which was Tisha B'av, would be established as a night of crying for all generations.
Why should this be? What ...
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Why is Avodah Shebalev (service of the heart) known as prayer?
Ta'anit 2a (Chazal) teaches that the service of the heart is prayer.
But how does one knows its prayer? When I think of service of the heart for example I think of all my whole being acting, ...
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Why does Rashi claim "מלקוש" is locust terminology like "לקש" if "לקש" isn't "locusts"? (תענית ו ע״א)
Someone in my synagogue posed the following question to me; stumped, I pose it to you:
The Bavli, Taanis 6 amud 1, notes that מלקוש is good rain. It then proposes that, perhaps, that's mistaken; ...
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Why were the Ma'amad afraid of the Notzrim?
There is an interesting brief discussion at Taanis 27b which says that the Ma'amad would fast four days a week -- but never on Sunday. According to Rabbi Yochanan it is because they were afraid of ...
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Why the need to recreate the whole world from scratch?
Famous story in gemara Taanit about R Elazar ben Pedat who complained to Hashem about being poor in a vision/dream, and Hashem said:
אלעזר בני, ניחא לך דאפכיה לעלמא מרישא, אפשר דמתילדת בשעתא דמזוני
...
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Why is it allowed to become a Nazir
The Gemara says in Taanis 11a:
דתניא ר' אלעזר הקפר ברבי אומר מה תלמוד לומר {במדבר ו-יא} וכפר עליו
מאשר חטא על הנפש וכי באיזה נפש חטא זה אלא שציער עצמו מן היין והלא
דברים קל וחומר ומה זה שלא ...
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Bnot Yisrael instead of Bnot Yerushalayim
On the last amud of Taanis, when quoting the Mishnah to start a new sugya, the Gemara says בנות ישראל (talking about the women going to the fields on Tu B’av), but the Mishnah’s wording was בנות ...
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What’s the mitzvah or deed you can do that could absolve you of a sin you did 70 years ago?
If I’m not mistaken, I read about such a mitzvah in Mesechet Taanit, but then I couldn’t find it and now it’s annoying me. Though, I could have also simply seen it somewhere else. So does anyone know ...
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Rain in Iyar - Miracle Cure?
I remember that a few years ago, it was raining in Iyar and someone (who I believe to be a talmid chacham) told me that drinking the rain in Iyar is a powerful segulah for refuahs. Today, Rosh Chodesh ...
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Why were there so many Karbanos Eitzim in Av, and so few during the rest of the year?
Taanis 4:4 introduces the concept of Karbanos Eitzim. The Gemara (28a) explains what was so special about these days:
ת"ר למה הוצרכו לומר זמן עצי כהנים והעם אמרו כשעלו בני הגולה לא מצאו עצים בלשכה ...
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Why doesn't our decrease of joy extend beyond Tish'a B'Av?
Citing from here
There is a famous Mishnah that is cited towards the end of Masechet
Ta’anit (4:6) that states:
“Mishenichnas Av, Mema’atin Besimcha”
“When the month of Av arrives, we ...
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Could the anshei beit av wash their clothes and cut their hair on Thursday?
Taanis (2:7):
אַנְשֵׁי מִשְׁמָר מֻתָּרִים לִשְׁתּוֹת יַיִן בַּלֵּילוֹת, אֲבָל לֹא בַיָּמִים. וְאַנְשֵׁי בֵית אָב, לֹא בַיּוֹם וְלֹא בַלָּיְלָה. אַנְשֵׁי מִשְׁמָר וְאַנְשֵׁי מַעֲמָד אֲסוּרִין ...
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How could Abba Ḥilkiyya do that?
In the Gemara in Berochos daf 61 it says that one may not walk behind ones wife.
So how is it that Abba Ḥilkiyya in Tananis daf 23 went after his wife into the house, even if he didn't want to check ...
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How much time passes before we understand that the drought hasn’t ended?
In ta’anis (1:5-7) the Mishnayos discuss how and when to fast for rain in a drought, for example:
הִגִּיעַ רֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ כִּסְלֵו וְלֹא יָרְדוּ גְשָׁמִים, בֵּית דִּין גּוֹזְרִין שָׁלשׁ תַּעֲנִיוֹת ...
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Understanding the proportions of Ta’anis 4:5
Ta’anis (4:5):
זְמַן עֲצֵי כֹהֲנִים וְהָעָם, תִּשְׁעָה. בְּאֶחָד בְּנִיסָן, בְּנֵי אָרַח בֶּן יְהוּדָה. בְּעֶשְׂרִים בְּתַמּוּז, בְּנֵי דָוִד בֶּן יְהוּדָה. בַּחֲמִשָּׁה בְאָב, בְּנֵי פַרְעֹשׁ בֶּן ...
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Why was Levi's davening wrong?
In Taanis 25a there is a story with Levi where rain didn't come so he fasted. He then 'shot' words towards heaven, and Rabbi Elazar then says A person should never shoot words onto the God up high, ...
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firstborn status after the arrival of the moshiach
The Ohr Hachaim (Bamidbar 3,45) says a chiddush that seems to not have any obvious source, that לעתיד לבא (after the arrival of mashiach) the Avoda in the Beis Hamikdash will return to the firstborn! (...
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Why wait to get water in the Z'chut of Miriam?
After they left Egypt the Children of Israel crossed the Reed Sea and needed water. They got to Marah after 3 days (at which there were bitter waters) and complained as mentioned in Sh'mot 15:23. ...
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Aser titasher Talmud bavli Taanith 9a-b
As for the advice to give maaser kesafim, מעשׁר כספים to become rich:
Talmud Bavli Taánith 9a-b
עַשֵּׂ֣ר תְּעַשֵּׂ֔ר becomes תִּתְעַשֵּׁר עַשֵּׂ֣ר.
Why does the Talmud uses ithpael ThiTh’ASheeR in ...
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סם חיים vs. סם המות
Possibly a technical question but I’m thinking there might be something deeper to this- in Taanis 7a it says that those who study Torah for its own sake, the Torah is like a סם חיים (elixir of life) ...
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Why doesn’t the Gemara say that the Mishnah is like Rabbi Eliezer?
In Taanis 3a, the Gemara brings a Mishnah that says that Nisuch HaMayim is 7 days and then they try to reconcile whose opinion this follows. They say it definitely can’t be Rabbi Akiva or Rabbi Yehuda ...
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Why does Rashi translate בירה differently in different places?
In some places, Rashi translates בירה as a "מגדל [גדול]", a "[large] tower" (Bava Kamma 61b, Taanis 16a). In other places he translates it as a "בית גדול", a "large house" (Bava Kamma 22a, Gittin ...
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Is there a requirement to fast if Ebola is reported in the city?
I remember learning in mesechet Taanis that if there is a plague in the city with a certain number of people and there are people dying daily that the city should declare a fast. Is there any ...
user6641
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Mishenichnas Adar marbin b'simcha [duplicate]
The Gemorah says in Taanis 29a
משנכנס אדר מרבין בשמחה
When Adar comes in one should increase in Simcha (Joy).
What does this mean exactly? What should one do to "increase" ("marbin") in ...
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Yaakov Avinu didn't die and connection to not eating?
In Taanis 5b there is a story with two amoraim
רב נחמן ור' יצחק הוו יתבי בסעודתא א"ל רב נחמן לר' יצחק לימא מר מילתא א"ל הכי א"ר יוחנן אין מסיחין בסעודה שמא יקדים קנה לושט ויבא לידי ...
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Nakdimon Ben Gurion real name
The first Rash"i in Masechet Taanis (20a) says that Nakdimon Ben Gurion's real name was Boni. How did Rash"i know that, is there any earlier source for that?
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Is asking for a blessing in his granary asking for a miracle?
The Gemara in Taanis 8b says:
"Ein Berachah Metzuyah Ela b'Davar ha'Samuy Min ha'Ayin" (blessing is
found only in an item which is hidden from the eye)
One who enters his granary to measure ...
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Deuteronomy 11:13
If serving with the heart (Devarim 11:13) is called prayer (according to Ta'anit 2a), then what is the serving with the soul or serving with all one has in his ability mean?
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Losing 1/500th of your eyesight
The Gemara in Taanit says that when you take large strides, you lose 1/500th of your eyesight, and commentaries bring down that the remedy for this each week is to look at the Shabbos Candles when ...
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Why is Adar 1 30 days long?
The Talmud Ta'anit 6b says אין בין אדר הראשון לאדר השני אלא קריאת המגילה ומתנות לאביונים
"There is no difference between the 1st Adar and 2nd Adar except for reading the Megillah and giving presents ...
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How can we use cedar wood for the Beis Hamikdosh?
We know that some of the Beis Hamikdosh was built with ארז aka cedar wood. But how does this fit with the statement in Taanis that we should strive to be as pliant as a reed and not as firm as a cedar?...
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Dancing in the vineyards on yom kippur
The gemoro end Taanis says that twice a year the girls went dancing in the vineyards. Maybe that explains a previous post of mine why they were not attending the services in the temple regardin bowing ...
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