Musar for Taanit 5:14

וטל מנלן דלא מיעצר דכתיב (מלכים א יז, יג) ויאמר אליהו התשבי מתושבי גלעד אל אחאב חי ה' אלהי ישראל אשר עמדתי לפניו אם יהיה השנים האלה טל ומטר כי אם לפי דברי וכתיב (מלכים א יח, א) לך הראה אל אחאב ואתנה מטר על פני האדמה ואילו טל לא קאמר ליה מאי טעמא משום

Is it R'Joshua of our Mishnah? Surely he said, ON THE LAST DAY OF THE FEAST ONE MAKES MENTION? Or, is it R'Joshua of the Baraitha? Surely he said: From the day that the Lulab is discarded? And further, when it is taught: R'Judah says in the name of Ben Bathyra: The last to step before the Ark on the last day of the Feast makes mention. Which Ben Bathyra [is meant]? Is it R'Judah B'Bathyra? Surely he said: On the second day of the Feast one makes mention? - R'Nathan bar Isaac replied: [In both passages cited] it is R'Joshua B'Bathyra. Sometimes he is called by his own name and some times he is referred to by his father's name; by the one before his ordination, and by the other after his ordination. It has been taught: The Sages did not make it obligatory on one to make mention of dew and winds, but if one desires to make mention he may do so. What is the reason? - R'Hanina said: Because they are never withheld. And how do we know that dew is never withheld? - For it is written, And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab: As the Lord the God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years but according to my word.16 And it is written further, Go, show thyself unto Ahab, and I will send rain upon the land.17 Of dew, however, Scripture does not speak. Why?

Shenei Luchot HaBerit

Following this injunction, the Torah warns that one should not place obstacles in the path of the blind, an allusion to attempts to bribe judges whose sense of fairness would be blinded by acceptance of a bribe, such as Moses has repeated in Deut. 16,19. There are other dimensions to such bribes, i.e. attempts to trip up the blind, such as the advice given in Jerusalem Talmud Taanit 3,6 "to honour, i.e. send gifts to your physician before you are in need of him." People who do this know that sooner or later they will be in need of the services of a physician, and they want to ensure that they will then get immediate attention. The same is true of someone who is in the habit of sending gifts to a judge. He knows that if ever he will need to have to appear before a judge in litigation, he can choose this judge knowing he will be favourably disposed towards him. The Torah therefore ends the verse with the injunction to fear the Lord your G–d, i.e. that G–d is quite aware of our machinations. This fear of the Lord is something within the province of one's heart.

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