Talmud for Taanit 38:16

כיון שהגיע הזמן ולא ירדו גשמים בשחרית שלח לו שגר לי או מים או מעות שיש לי בידך שלח לו עדיין יש לי זמן כל היום כולו שלי הוא בצהרים שלח לו שגר לי או מים או מעות שיש לי בידך שלח לו עדיין יש לי שהות ביום במנחה שלח לו שגר לי או מים או מעות שיש לי בידך שלח לו עדיין יש לי שהות ביום לגלג עליו אותו אדון אמר כל השנה כולה לא ירדו גשמים

is no more than [the waste] in grinding a kab<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' One sixth of a se'ah.');"><sup>9</sup></span> and likewise the waste in kneading a kor is no more than in kneading a kab. To what may be compared the years when the rains are scanty? To a servant to whom his master gave his [year's] food allowance little by little, so that the waste in grinding a kab is no les than in grinding a kor, and likewise the waste in kneading a kab is no less than in kneading a kor. Another explanation: When the rains are plentiful they may be compared to a man kneading clay; if he has a plentiful supply of water then the clay is well kneaded without all the water being used up, but if the supply is scanty the water will give out and the clay is not well kneaded. Our Rabbis have taught: Once it happened when all Israel came up on pilgrimage to Jerusalem that there was no water available for drinking. Thereupon Nakdimon B'Gurion approached a certain [heathen] lord and said to him: Loan me twelve wells of water for the Pilgrims and I will repay you twelve wells of water; and if I do not, I will give you instead twelve talents of silver, and he fixed a time limit [for repayment]. When the time came [for repayment] and no rain had yet fallen the lord sent a message to him in the morning: Return to me either the water or the money that you owe me. Nakdimon replied: I have still time, the whole day is mine. At midday he [again] sent to him a message, Return to me either the water or the money that you owe me. Nakdimon replied: I still have time to-day. In the afternoon he [again] sent to him a message, Return to me either the water or the money that you owe me. Nakdimon replied, I still have time to-day. Thereupon the lord sneeringly said to him, Seeing that no rain has fallen throughout the whole year

Jerusalem Talmud Taanit

It was stated⁷Tosephta 2:8; Babli 19b.: “Just as one sounds the alarm during the other years of a Sabbatical period, so one sounds the alarm during the Sabbatical because of the livelihood of others.” What means “because of the livelihood of others”? The colleagues said, because of the livelihood of Gentiles. Rebbi Ze`ira said, because of the livelihood of the suspect ones⁸People suspected of dealing in Sabbatical produce. While the poor and everybody else are permitted to collect spontaneously growing produce on any field in the Holy Land, nobody is permitted to use any of these as an object of trade.. That of Rebbi Ze`ira follows Rebbi, that of the colleagues follows Rebbi Phineas ben Yair. That of Rebbi Ze`ira follows Rebbi: A teacher⁹Possibly one may read סַפָּר “barber”. But it is difficult to see why a barber should be disciplined by Rebbi. was suspected in matters of Sabbatical produce. They brought him before Rebbi who said to them, what should this wretch do, he does it for his livelihood. But that of the colleagues follows Rebbi Phineas ben Yair. ¹⁰From here on the text also is in Demay 1:3 (Notes 145–149,ד). Rebbi wanted to permit the Sabbatical year¹¹Since in the absence of a Temple and the distribution of land as ordered in the Torah the Sabbatical year is observed as a rabbinic ordinance, Rebbi wanted to permit cultivation of the land to help pay real estate taxes which were imposed irrespective of yield. A generation later R, Yannay did just this.. Rebbi Phineas ben Yair went to him. He said to him: how is the grain doing? He answered him: endives¹²They are irrelevant for taxes or a payment in kind (annona) to the Roman army. are doing fine. He said to him: how is the grain doing? He answered him: endives are doing fine. From this, Rebbi understood that he did not agree with him. He said to him: Would the Rabbi care to eat a bite with me today? He said to him, yes. When he came, he saw the she-mules¹³Latin mulus. In Yoma 8:5 it is stated that the kick of a white mule is life threatening; white mules should not be kept by Jews. of Rebbi standing. He said, are all these fed by Jews? He will not see me again! They went and told this to Rebbi. Rebbi sent and wanted to pacify him. They found him in his city. He said, the people of my city should come close to me. The people of his city came and surrounded him. They said to them, Rebbi wants to make peace with him. They left him and went away. He said, my sons should come close to me. Fire descended from Heaven and surrounded him. They returned and told Rebbi. He said, since we did not have merit to eat our fill from him in this world, may we be worthy to eat our fill from him in the World to Come.

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