Commentary for Taanit 14:16

Mekoreh actually denotes God, as it is said, Who layest [ha-mekoreh] the beams of Thine upper chambers in the waters.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ps. CIV, 3.');">²⁰</span> R'Joseph derived it from the following verse, And how men see not the light which is bright in the skies; but the wind passeth and cleanseth them.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Job XXXVII, 21.');">²¹</span> And 'light' surely means Torah, as it is said, For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching [Torah] is light.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Prov. VI, 23.');">²²</span> 'Which is bright in the skies': [With reference to this] it was taught In the school of R'Ishmael: Even when the heavens are full of white spotted clouds ready to cause dew and rain to fall a wind passes and cleanses them.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Because of their disregard of the Torah which is compared to light, the wind disperses the clouds that were bringing the rain.');">²³</span> R'Ammi said: Rain is withheld only because of the sin of violent robbery, as it is said, He covereth His hands with the lightning;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Job. XXXVI, 32.');">²⁴</span> that is to say, for the sin [of violent robbery committed by] their hands He covereth the light. And 'hands' surely signifies, violent robbery, as it is said, And from the violence that is their hands,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Jonah III, 8.');">²⁵</span> and 'light' Surely [stands for] rain, as it is said, He spreadeth abroad the cloud of His lightning.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Job XXXVII, 11. [The meaning then of the verse is: On account of hands (violence) . He covers the lightning (withholds rain) .]');">²⁶</span> What is then his remedy? - Let a man make many prayers, as it is said, And giveth it a charge that it strike the mark [be-mafgi'ah],<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Job XXXVI, 32. gdp');">²⁷</span> and pegi'ah is prayer, as it is said, Therefore pray not thou for this people. neither make intercession [tifga'] to me.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Jer. VII, 16. All interplay upon the word meaning both to strike and to intercede. [Var. lec. omit: 'What is then his remedy? . . to me' which passage is apparently an intrusion from infra p. 31. V. D.S. It is a well established Talmudic teaching that no amends can be made for robbery by prayer alone; this must be accompanied by restitution, v. infra ');">²⁸</span> R'Ammi further said: What is the meaning of the verse, If the iron be blunt, and one do not whet the edge?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Eccl. X, 10. R. Ammi recalling the words in Lev. XXVI, 19 endeavours to find an allusion in in the verse tk uk keke quoted. to the hardness of the heavens. He takes the negative as 'to it', 'of it' and interprets the word 'to whet', in the later Hebrew sense of, 'to be corrupt', thus rendering the face of it (of the generation) is corrupt.');">²⁹</span> If you see the sky hard as iron so that neither dew nor rain fall, this is to be attributed to the deed of the generation which are corrupt, as it is said, And one do not whet the edge. What then shall be their remedy? Let them make many prayers [for mercy], as it is said, Then must he put to more strength; but wisdom is profitable to direct.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Eccl. X, 10. rhafv raf');">³⁰</span> [The latter words indicate,] how much more [efficacious their prayer would prove] if their deeds had originally been righteous.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' from the root to be proper. Cf. Esth. VIII, 5.');">³¹</span> Resh Lakish said: If you see a student

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