תְּנָא: בַּטַּל וּבָרוּחוֹת, לֹא חִיְּיבוּ חֲכָמִים לְהַזְכִּיר. וְאִם בָּא לְהַזְכִּיר — מַזְכִּיר. מַאי טַעְמָא? אָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא: לְפִי שֶׁאֵין נֶעֱצָרִין.
§ It is taught in another baraita: With regard to dew and with regard to wind, the Sages did not obligate one to mention them by reciting: He makes the wind blow and the dew fall, in the second blessing of the Amida, but if one seeks to mention them, he may mention them. The Gemara asks: What is the reason that this recitation is optional? Rabbi Ḥanina said: Because winds and dew are consistent and not withheld, since the world could not exist without them, their mention is optional.
וְטַל מְנָלַן דְּלָא מִיעֲצַר — דִּכְתִיב: ״וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלִיָּהוּ הַתִּשְׁבִּי מִתֹּשָׁבֵי גִלְעָד אֶל אַחְאָב חַי ה׳ אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר עָמַדְתִּי לְפָנָיו אִם יִהְיֶה הַשָּׁנִים הָאֵלֶּה טַל וּמָטָר כִּי אִם לְפִי דְבָרִי״, וּכְתִיב: ״לֵךְ הֵרָאֵה אֶל אַחְאָב וְאֶתְּנָה מָטָר עַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה״, וְאִילּוּ טַל לָא קָאָמַר לֵיהּ, מַאי טַעְמָא — מִשּׁוּם
The Gemara explains: And dew, from where do we derive that it is not withheld? As it is written: “And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab: As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be no dew or rain in these years but according to my word” (I Kings 17:1), and it is written: “Go, show yourself before Ahab, and I will send rain upon the land” (I Kings 18:1). God stated that He will resume rainfall, whereas He did not say to Elijah that He will restore dew. What is the reason? Because dew
דְּלָא מִיעֲצַר. וְכִי מֵאַחַר דְּלָא מִיעֲצַר, אֵלִיָּהוּ אִשְׁתְּבוֹעֵי לְמָה לֵיהּ? הָכִי קָאָמַר לֵיהּ: אֲפִילּוּ טַל בְּרָכָה נָמֵי לָא אָתֵי. וְלַיהְדְּרֵיהּ לְטַל דִּבְרָכָה? מִשּׁוּם דְּלָא מִינַּכְרָא מִילְּתָא.
is not withheld, and therefore it continued even during this time of drought. The Gemara asks: And since dew is not withheld, why did Elijah swear that there would be no dew as well as no rain? The Gemara explains that this is what Elijah said to Ahab: Not only will there be no rainfall, but even the dew of blessing, which helps crops grow, will not come. This prediction was indeed fulfilled. The Gemara asks: But if so, let God restore the dew of blessing when He ended the drought of rain, in the aforementioned verse. The Gemara answers: This was not necessary, because the matter is not recognizable, i.e., people cannot distinguish between dew of blessing and the regular dew which is always present.
אֶלָּא רוּחוֹת מְנָא לַן דְּלָא מִיעַצְרִי? אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי, דְּאָמַר קְרָא: ״כִּי כְּאַרְבַּע רוּחוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם פֵּרַשְׂתִּי אֶתְכֶם נְאֻם ה׳״. מַאי קָאָמַר לְהוּ? אִילֵּימָא הָכִי קָאָמַר לְהוּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל: דְּבַדַּרְתִּינְכוּ בְּאַרְבַּע רוּחֵי דְעָלְמָא, אִי הָכִי — ״כְּאַרְבַּע״? ״בְּאַרְבַּע״ מִיבְּעֵי לֵיהּ! אֶלָּא הָכִי קָאָמַר: כְּשֵׁם שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לָעוֹלָם בְּלֹא רוּחוֹת — כָּךְ אִי אֶפְשָׁר לָעוֹלָם בְּלֹא יִשְׂרָאֵל.
The Gemara asks: However, with regard to winds, from where do we derive that it is not withheld but perpetually blows? Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said that the verse states: “For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, says the Lord” (Zechariah 2:10). He clarifies: What is God saying to them? If we say that this is what the Holy One, Blessed be He, is saying to the Jewish people: I have scattered you to the four winds of the world; if so, why did He say “as the four winds”? He should have said: To the four winds. Rather, this is what God is saying: Just as the world cannot exist without winds, so too, the world cannot exist without the Jewish people. This interpretation of the verse is based on the claim that the winds never cease.
אָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא: הִלְכָּךְ, בִּימוֹת הַחַמָּה: אָמַר ״מַשִּׁיב הָרוּחַ״ — אֵין מַחֲזִירִין אוֹתוֹ. אָמַר ״מוֹרִיד הַגֶּשֶׁם״ — מַחֲזִירִין אוֹתוֹ.
Rabbi Ḥanina said: Therefore, since wind and dew are always present, if during the summer one recited: He makes the wind blow, we do not require him to return and repeat the blessing since the wind blows during the summer as well. However, if one recited during the summer: He makes the rain fall, we require him to return and repeat the blessing, because rain in the summer is a curse.
בִּימוֹת הַגְּשָׁמִים: לֹא אָמַר ״מַשִּׁיב הָרוּחַ״ — אֵין מַחֲזִירִין אוֹתוֹ. לֹא אָמַר ״מוֹרִיד הַגֶּשֶׁם״ — מַחֲזִירִין אוֹתוֹ. וְלֹא עוֹד, אֶלָּא אֲפִילּוּ אָמַר ״מַעֲבִיר הָרוּחַ וּמַפְרִיחַ הַטַּל״ — אֵין מַחֲזִירִין אוֹתוֹ.
Conversely, in the rainy season, if one did not recite: He makes the wind blow, we do not require him to return to the beginning, because the wind blows regardless. If one did not recite: He makes the rain fall, we require him to return and repeat the blessing. And not only that, but even if one mistakenly recited: He removes the wind and lifts the dew, i.e., that there should be no wind or dew, we do not require him to return and repeat the blessing, because wind and dew are always present.
תָּנָא: בֶּעָבִים וּבָרוּחוֹת לֹא חִיְּיבוּ חֲכָמִים לְהַזְכִּיר, וְאִם בָּא לְהַזְכִּיר — מַזְכִּיר, מַאי טַעְמָא — מִשּׁוּם דְּלָא מִיעַצְרִי.
It was taught in a similar baraita: With regard to clouds and with regard to wind, the Sages did not obligate one to mention them, but if one wishes to mention them, he may mention them. The Gemara asks: What is the reason? The Gemara answers, as above: Because clouds and winds are constant and are not withheld.
וְלָא מִיעַצְרִי? וְהָתָנֵי רַב יוֹסֵף: ״וְעָצַר אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם״ — מִן הֶעָבִים וּמִן הָרוּחוֹת. אַתָּה אוֹמֵר מִן הֶעָבִים וּמִן הָרוּחוֹת, אוֹ אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא מִן הַמָּטָר? כְּשֶׁהוּא אוֹמֵר ״וְלֹא יִהְיֶה מָטָר״ — הֲרֵי מָטָר אָמוּר, הָא מָה אֲנִי מְקַיֵּים ״וְעָצַר אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם״ — מִן הֶעָבִים וּמִן הָרוּחוֹת.
The Gemara asks: And are they not withheld? But didn’t Rav Yosef teach in a baraita that the verse: “And He will close up the heavens” (Deuteronomy 11:17), means that God will stop up the heavens from the clouds and from the winds? Do you say that “close up the heavens” means from the clouds and from the winds, or perhaps it is only referring to the absence of rainfall? When the same verse says: “So that there will be no rain,” rain is already mentioned explicitly. How then do I uphold the meaning of the verse: “And He will close up the heavens”? This must mean from the clouds and from the winds.
קַשְׁיָא רוּחוֹת אַרוּחוֹת, קַשְׁיָא עָבִים אַעָבִים! עָבִים אַעָבִים לָא קַשְׁיָא: הָא — בְּחָרְפֵי, הָא — בְּאַפְלֵי.
The Gemara summarizes its question: This is difficult due to the contradiction between the statement about wind in the first baraita and the statement about wind in the second baraita, and is similarly difficult due to the contradiction between the statement about clouds in the first baraita and the statement about clouds in the second baraita. The Gemara answers: The contradiction between one statement about clouds and the other statement about clouds is not difficult, as this first baraita is referring to early clouds that precede the rain, which come whether or not rain actually falls, whereas this second baraita is referring to late clouds, which materialize after rainfall. These late clouds are sometimes withheld by God as a punishment.
רוּחוֹת אַרוּחוֹת לָא קַשְׁיָא: הָא — בְּרוּחַ מְצוּיָה, הָא — בְּרוּחַ שֶׁאֵינָהּ מְצוּיָה. רוּחַ שֶׁאֵינָהּ מְצוּיָה חַזְיָא לְבֵי דָרֵי! אֶפְשָׁר בְּנָפְווֹתָא.
Likewise, the contradiction between the first statement about wind and the second statement about wind is not difficult, as this first baraita is referring to a typical wind, which is never withheld, while this second baraita is referring to an atypical wind, which may be withheld. The Gemara asks: An atypical wind is fit for winnowing grain on the threshing floor. Since this wind is also a necessity, one should pray for it as well. The Gemara answers: Since it is possible to winnow grain with sieves when there is no wind, there is no great need for these winds.