Israel and water go back a long, long way. The Bible is full of stories centered around water, from the river in Eden, the flood, relationships and conflicts formed or centered around wells, the parting of the sea, and the water supply in the desert. Israel's right to live in the land of Canaan, with rain and its accompanying bounty is contingent on our commitment to God and the statutes of the Torah. Failure to follow these tenets will lead to drought, hardship and ultimately expulsion.
Prior to the redemption from slavery, most of the communication between man and God in the Bible seems to have been direct. It was at the peak of the revelation at Mount Sinai, that Israel as a people, asked Moshe to please relay God's words, rather than hear them directly, thus relinquishing the ability to approach God individually.
Though this does not necessarily mean that we can no longer approach God ourselves, there is a tacit assumption that leaders are necessary to extricate us from various situations rather than assuming individual responsibility for direct unmediated Divine communication. Such a culture develops people who become dependent on a leader to rescue them, and leaders who assume this as their task.
Honi the circle-maker is one such leader (Mishna Ta'anit 3, 8). He is an enchanting member of the faithful ones, one who knows himself and is known to be in possession of a direct line to God. This status is what leads his community to come to him in times of drought so that he can request rain. Honi is a leading figure in his community, and a unilateral leader, whose job is to do, not to teach, show or help others understand their roles in the process.
When the people of his town ask him to pray for rain, his response does not contain any indication that they have any tasks in this. He does not tell them to put on sackcloth and fast for three days or cleanse themselves of their sins. We see him praying to God, at first with no success, after which he draws a circle or builds a mound on which he roots himself, vowing to remain there until God responds to his plea.
Honi is riveted to the ground between the demands of his constituency, and his personal belief that this is his life's task. He could no more leave the circle till he has accomplished his goal of getting rain, than he could say "no" to those who have asked him to pray for them. He tells God he will not move until his prayer is answered, indeed he has no choice - he cannot - he is himself a person who has one role to play and play it he must.
This painting reflects my inner discussion regarding this story and the issues of direct and mediated prayer.
| Mishna, Tractate Taanit, Chapter 3 Mishna 8 It is incumbent on the community to pray for any crisis that befalls them except for too much rain The story is told that they asked Honi the circle-maker to pray for rain He told them to go outside and bring in their Pesach ovens so they would not dissolve. He prayed and rain did not come. What did he do? He made a circle (mound?) and stood within it and said before [God]: Ruler of the world, Your children have turned to me as a member of your household I swear to you in Your great name that I will not move from here until you have pity on your children. Rain began to fall lightly He said this is not what I asked for, rather rain that fills wells and caves It began raining angrily He said, this is not what I asked for, rather desirable, beneficial, blessed rains The rain fell properly until Israel had to leave Jerusalem for Har Habayit due to the rain They came to him and said, "just as you prayed that they would fall, so pray that they will cease He sent them out to to see if the stone of wanderers had been effaced. Shimon ben Shetach sent to him sayin, "were you not Honi, I would cause you to be מנודה But what can I do, that you do as you like before Gd just as a son does before his father And of you it is written in Proverbs: Your father rejoices and you mother sings at your being. |
משנה מסכת תענית פרק ג משנה ח ד. על כל צרה שלא תבא על הצבור מתריעין עליהן חוץ מרוב גשמים מעשה שאמרו לו לחוני המעגל התפלל שירדו גשמים אמר להם צאו והכניסו תנורי פסחים בשביל שלא ימוקו התפלל ולא ירדו גשמים מה עשה עג עוגה ועמד בתוכה ואמר לפניו רבונו של עולם בניך שמו פניהם עלי שאני כבן בית לפניך נשבע אני בשמך הגדול שאיני זז מכאן עד שתרחם על בניך התחילו גשמים מנטפין אמר לא כך שאלתי אלא גשמי בורות שיחין ומערות התחילו לירד בזעף אמר לא כך שאלתי אלא גשמי רצון ברכה ונדבה ירדו כתיקנן עד שיצאו ישראל מירושלם להר הבית מפני הגשמים באו ואמרו לו כשם שהתפללת עליהם שירדו כך התפלל שילכו להן אמר להן צאו וראו אם נמחת אבן הטועים שלח לו שמעון בן שטח אלמלא חוני אתה גוזרני עליך נידוי אבל מה אעשה לך שאתה מתחטא לפני המקום ועושה לך רצונך כבן שהוא מתחטא על אביו ועושה לו רצונו ועליך הכתוב אומר (משלי כ"ג) ישמח אביך ואמך ותגל יולדתך: |