Quick Thoughts - The Story of Choni: Going in Circles

~ Quick Thoughts ~
The Story of Choni: Going in Circles
By: Daniel Listhaus

The Gemara in Taanis (23a) relates the full famous story of Choni Ha’magel (Choni the Circle Drawer). At that time, it happened that the greater part of the month of Adar had gone and yet no rain had fallen. The people sent a message to Choni to daven for rain. Choni davened, but alas no rain fell. He then drew a circle and stood within (which the Gemara comments was inspired by the navi (prophet) Chabakuk) and davened as follows, “Master of the Universe, Thy children have turned to me because I am member of Your house. I swear that I will not move from here until You have mercy upon Your children.” The Gemara tells us that at that moment rain began to drip. However his talmidim (students) turned to him and said, “We look to you to save us from death. This rain came down merely to release you from your oath.” Choni then further davened, “This is not the type of rain I davened for, rather for a rain that can fill cisterns, ditches and caves.” At that moment, the rain began to come down with great force. In fact, each drop was as big as the opening of a barrel and the chochomim estimated that no one drop was less than a log (a fairly significant amount as raindrops go). Choni’s talmidim said further, “Rebbe, we look to you to save us from death; we believe that the rain came down to destroy the world.”  Choni then turned a third time to Hashem and davened, “It is not for this that l have prayed, but for rain of benevolence, blessing and bounty.” Then rain fell normally until the Jews in Yerushalayim were compelled to go up for shelter to Har Ha’Bayis because of the rain. Choni’s talmidim then said to him, “Master, in the same way as you have prayed for the rain to fall pray for the rain to cease.” He replied: “I have it as a tradition that we may not pray on account of an excess of good. Despite this bring unto me a bull for a karbon todah”. They brought unto him a bull for the karbon and Choni put his hands on it and said “Ribono shel olam, Your people who You took out of Mitzrayim are unable to endure an excess of good or an excess of punishment…” The story then ends with Shimon ben Shetach sending a message to Choni stating that if it were anyone but Choni who did all this he would have put him in cherem from acting with such chutzpah, however Choni was someone who clearly had a very close relationship with Hashem like a son to a father and there was nothing Shimon ben Shetach could do.

There are a few quite intriguing parts to this event. First, what was wrong about how Choni originally asked for rain? Choni davened clearly for Hashem to have mercy on the Bnei Yisroel. Certainly Hashem did not misunderstand what Choni was davening for that it would take three times to get it right! So why didn’t Hashem simply answer Choni right away if Hashem was anyway going to send rain in the end?

Second, what indeed was different about the way Choni asked in his first request versus what he ended up asking for?

Third, Choni made it very clear to his talmidim that he was not going to daven for the (good) rain to stop once it started despite it raining for a long time and ultimately essentially flooding the area. So what made him change his mind to end up bringing the karbon and davening for the rain to stop?

Some questions to think about for now.

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