Monday, September 10, 2007
8b: More rain and women
The connection between the weather and women which I posted about earlier is made even more explicit at the bottom of 8a and the top of this amud. What's going on here? I assume part of it is the fertility issue, but is there more to it than that? The sense of no human control, as they may have felt about birth as well? What do folks think?
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Our teacher Majorie Lehman (shlita) wrote in a recent article in the "Journal of Jewish Education," that often in the Talmud women are used by rabbis to as symbols for things they don't understands. Perhaps that is what is going on here with women and the weather -- both are mysteries to chazal!
Anything Marjorie Lehman says is alright by me!
Further down on the page there seems to be an acknowledgment of the inconvenience of rain for city dwellers. First Rabbi Isaac says that even in the days of drought during Elijah's time, rain on Erev Shabbat is a siman ke'lala. This corroborated by Rabbi Rabba bar Shila who says that “a day of rain is like a day of judgment.” Rashi explains this statement by saying that a “day of rain is difficult b/c it prevents a person from going about his/her business.” This seems in line with our concerns about relating to rain expressed earlier. But I just noticed that there is a girsa issue here as well. The Talmud says, "Kashe YOMA d'mitra..." and Rashi quotes it as "Kashe YOMAI d'mitra..." Is it possible that Rashi is referring to many days of rain, not just one day like the gemarra seems to be speaking about, as being difficult to get things done? Either way, it seems like there is a sudden shift here in the text in the assumption that rain is always good.
And the next statement couldn't make it more explicit: "Ameimar said: Were it not hta train is needed by people, we would pray and have it elimated!"
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