Once upon a time it came to pass that the month of Adar had passed and no rain had fallen. So the sages went to Honi, the Drawer of the Circle, and asked him to pray to God for rain.

This Honi was a worthy man and he was as much at home before God as a house servant before a king. So much at home was he that he often prayed to God for rain. Or if there was anything else to be prayed for, he would bake a cake and stand in the middle of it – it was intended to symbolize a prison pit, in which he chastised himself, just as we find that the prophet Habakkuk, when he wanted to pray to God, made a similar cake and stood in the midst of it and prayed, chastising his body at the same time.

Honi, therefore, did the same and made a cake. Then he began to pray and said: "Lord of the universe, Thy people Israel are turning their eyes toward me. Whenever they wish to obtain something from Thee, they send to me and I must pray for them before Thy holy name, for they consider me as if I were Thy son and Thou never refusest my request. I adjure Thee by Thy holy and awe-inspiring name that Thou shouldst hear me and grant rain for Thy people Israel, and have mercy upon them lest they die of starvation." Thereupon the rain began to fall gently.

The scholars who had come to him said: "O Rabbi, we see indeed that it is beginning to drizzle, but we shall starve after all, for the rain is not of much help to us, and it seems to us that the rain has come only in order to satisfy the oath with which you adjured the Lord to send rain."

Honi replied: "No, I have asked of God that He should send such a rain as to fill all the wells and cisterns." Then the rain began to fall fast and in large drops, each drop as big as the bunghole of a barrel. The rabbis estimated that each drop held a measure. Then the disciples said again: "Dear Rabbi, we see the rain, but we are afraid it will be our undoing, for it seems to us the rain is coming down from heaven for the sole purpose of destroying the world, for .the rain is falling too heavily."

Then he said, "My dear scholars, I asked of God only the rain of blessing and goodwill."

Then the rain began to fall steadily like ordinary rain, and with such abundance that all the people of Jerusalem had to leave their houses and go up to the mountain of the temple because of the rain.

Then they said to ''him again: "Dear Rabbi, as you prayed for us that the rain should come, so pray now that the rain should stop."

Then he replied: "I have a tradition from my teachers that a man should pray for that which is for the good of the greatest number. And I tell you this because the rain is a blessing to the majority of the people. Nevertheless, bring me a heifer for a sacrifice of thanksgiving that I may offer it up to God whom I am troubling so much, and I will pray to Him again."

So they brought him a heifer. He took it and, placing it before God, put his hands upon it and said: "Lord of the universe, Thy people Israel whom Thou didst bring forth out of Egypt cannot bear either too many blessings or too many troubles. If Thou art angry with them, they cannot bear Thy anger, and if Thou bestowest blessings upon them, they cannot bear it either. Therefore may it be Thy will that the rain should made a similar cake and stood in the midst of it and prayed, chastising his body at the same time.

Honi, therefore, did the same and made a cake. Then he began to pray and said: "Lord of the universe, Thy people Israel are turning their eyes toward me. Whenever they wish to obtain something from Thee, they send to me and I must pray for them before Thy holy name for they consider me as if I were Thy son and Thou never refusest my request. I adjure Thee by Thy holy and awe-inspiring name that Thou

shouldst hear me and grant rain for Thy people Israel, and have mercy upon them lest they die of starvation."

Thereupon the rain began to fall gently. The scholars who had come to him said:

"O Rabbi, we see indeed that it is beginning to drizzle, but we shall starve after all, for the rain is pot of much help to us, and it seems to us that the rain has come only in order to satisfy the oath with which you adjured the Lord to send rain."

Honi replied: "No, I have asked of God that He should send such a rain as to fill all the wells and cisterns."

Then the rain began to fall fast and in large drops, each drop as big as the bunghole of a barrel. The rabbis estimated that each drop held a measure. Then the disciples said again: "Dear Rabbi, we see the rain, but we are afraid it will be our undoing, for it seems to us the rain is coming down from heaven for the sole purpose of destroying the world, for the rain is falling too heavily."

Then he said, "My dear scholars, I asked of God only the rain of blessing

and goodwill."

Then the rain began to fall steadily like ordinary rain, and with such abundance that all the people of Jerusalem had to leave their houses and go up to the mountain of the temple because of the rain. Then they said to him again: "Dear Rabbi, as you prayed for us that the rain should come, so pray now that the rain should stop."

Then he replied: "I have a tradition from my teachers that a man should pray for that which is for the good of the greatest number. And I tell you this because the rain is a blessing to the majority of the people. Nevertheless, bring me a heifer for a sacrifice of thanks-giving that I may offer it up to God whom I am troubling so much, and I will pray to Him again."

So they brought him a heifer. He took it and, placing it before God, put his hands upon it and said; "Lord of the universe, Thy people Israel whom Thou didst bring forth out of Egypt cannot bear either too many blessings or too many troubles. If Thou art angry with them, they cannot bear Thy anger, and if Thou bestowest blessings upon them, they cannot bear it either. Therefore may it be Thy will that the rain should cease, so that there should be quiet in the world."

Immediately the wind began to blow, dispersing the clouds, and the bright sun began to shine again. And the people went out to the fields again and brought home various kinds of mushrooms, which had shot up in consequence of the rain. Then the people recognized that the rain had been in truth a blessing, such as they had asked through Honi, the Drawer of the Circle.

Then Simeon son of Shetah sent to Honi and said to him: "If you were not such a worthy man, we would have excommunicated you, because you ventured to trouble the Lord so often and have weakened His holy name. But what shall we do since the Lord, blessed be He, has fulfilled your will? You are before the Lord like a son

whose father does his will even though the son has sinned. If the son says to the father, 'Father dear, take me to a warm bath,' he takes him; and then he says: 'Wash me with cold water,' and his father washes him. And then he says to the father, 'Give me nuts, give me almonds, give. me fruit, give me pomegranates.' And the father

gives him, though he has sinned against him. Thus are you also before the Lord. You have troubled Him very often and sinned before Him, and yet the Lord has fulfilled your wish. To you applies the verse, 'Thy father and thy mother shall be glad and she that bare thee shall rejoice' " (Prov. 23.25).