The Story of Choni – The Maker Of Circles.
Tannit 23a
One year the rain had not fallen at the end of the Jewish month of Adar. This is devastating for the community and would cause a famine.
They asked Choni to pray for rain.
He prayed but no rains came.
Choni then drew a circle in the ground and stood in it.
He said “Master of the universe, your children have turned their faces to me, because I am like a member of your household. I swear in your great name, I will not budge from here until you take pity on your children.”
[ZT - Can you imagine making a demand of the President of the company, that unless s/he does something you are not moving from the office?]
The rain began to sprinkle. His students said to him “Teacher we wish to see you not die. Its seems to us the rain is not falling except to release you from your oath.”
[ZT - Everybody was warning Choni - don't mess with Gd.]
Choni said to Gd, “Not such have I asked for, rather rains to fill water holes, ditches, and caves.”
The rains began to fall with a fury! The raindrops became the size of a jug.
The students said “Teacher we do not wish to see you die, these rains are to destroy the universe.”
[ZT - What do you think Choni did? Did he give up?]
Choni said to Gd, “these are not the rains I requested, but rains of goodwill, blessings, and pleasure.” The rains fell normally.
The rains kept coming until the people had to move to higher ground.
The students said to him, “Teacher, just as you prayed for the rain, please pray that they should go.”
Choni responded, “I have a tradition that we may not pray regarding an abundance of good, nether the less, bring me a bull for confession.”
[ZT - Never complain that you are too busy, have too many customers, or anything that is good.]
He leaned on it and said, “Master of the universe, your people Israel, that you took from Egypt, they cannot handle an abundance of good or an abundance of bad. You have been angry with them and they cannot stand. You have bestowed good on them, they cannot stand. May it be your will that rains should cease and peace should come to the world.”
Immediately the wind blew, the clouds went away, and the sun came out. The people returned to the fields and returned with mushrooms and truffles.
Now some of the leaders were pretty upset with his behaviour. One sent him a message telling he should have had a ban placed on him for his behaviour. He said,
“But, what should I do, you misbehave to Gd and he listens to you. You are like a son who misbehaves to a father and his father fullfills his wishes.”
The Senhedrin sent to Choni praises. Saying in part “A generation that fell, you brightened from your prayers.”
The gemmara relates how ???? ????? was troubled by the verses
“A song of exhaltation, when Gd will return the captivity of Zion, we will be like dreamers.” (Psalms 126:1)
Choni asked the question “Is it possible to sleep for seventy years with one dream?”
Choni found a man planting a Carob tree and asked him “How many years will this carob tree take to bear fruit?” The man answered “Seventy years”.
Choni asks the man “Is it clear you will live another 70 years?” The man answered him “I found a world of carob trees. Just as my ancestors planted for me, so too, I plant for my children.”
[ZT - We know that Carob trees bear fruit in 6-15 years, and I am pretty convinced that Carob trees have not changed in the 1,500 years. The common understanding is the imagery is about teaching children your own traditions and about your roles in passing it along.]
Choni sat down and ate some bread. He fell asleep for 70 years.
Choni arose from his sleep, he saw a man picking some fruit and said to him. “Are you the man who planted this tree?” the man responded, “I am the grandson.” ???? realized he had slept for 70 years.
Choni went to his home. He asked “is the son of ???? ????? was alive?”. They answered him no, but the son of his son is alive.
He told the people of the house “I am Choni”, they did not believe him. He went to the place of learning and heard the rabbis “Our teachings are as clear to as in the time of Choni whatever questions the rabbis had, he would answer.” Choni said “I am he!”. They did not believe him and therefore did not accord him the honour due to him.
Choni became distressed and prayed for mercy and died. Choni comments that
this what is meant when people say “Either a honour or death”.
[ZT - Why did Choni pray for mercy and die?
The simple answer is that a person is meant for a time and place. We are each here to be in this time and this place. We each need to find our individual purpose. Once we have found it, we need to do it and contribute to the world in the individual way we each can.]
What The Heck Was This?
Every day I work a little on a reference book of each person in the Talmud. It will include their experiences documented in the Talmud, who their teachers were, who their students were, where they lived and where they visited.
I expect the book will be of interest to about 37 people and another few hundred around the world.
But, as I am writing my book, I am also gathering stories of these people and some of these stories make interesting reading on leadership.
This is one such story and a lesson I think we can apply in our everyday lives.
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