Daf 18

1) We only said these sets of fasts that progressively get more stringent if it doesn't rain by the first rains. However, for plants that were growing and changed (i.e., that thorns grew instead of grain), you begin (with a very strict) fast that you even blow the Shofar right away. The same applies if it rained on the time of the first rain, and you planted, but it's not growing, or there was a break of forty days between rains, you blow the Shofar right away since this will smite them that they'll have a shortage of fruits.

2) R' Nachman qualifies: it's only if it changes, but not if they dried up. [Rashi has two explanations. Either that it will never revive, so the fasting won't help; or, it will naturally grow regularly and rebound, so there’s nothing to be concerned about.] This is even in a case where it grew originally enough that it got a strong stalk.

3) R' Nachman says: from one river to another, it's a shortage. From one jurisdiction to another it's a hunger. [Tosfos explains: if there is no grain in one city, but there is plenty in another city, and you're able to bring grain from one city to the other, then it's considered only a shortage, but not a hunger. After all, since it can be transported over a river, where it's only a small bother. Thus, from a small issue like that, you don't blow the Shofar. “From jurisdiction to jurisdiction” i.e., that you need to transport them from jurisdiction to jurisdiction through donkeys and horses. Then you blow the Shofar since you can't bring them in great volumes like you can with ships.

Another explanation: “river to river,” i.e., if the regular river dried up and you need to switch to an alternative river to bring the grain here, or, you need to wait until the other river grows enough (through rain) to transport the grain; this is only a shortage and you don't need to blow the Shofar. “From jurisdiction to jurisdiction” if all the rivers by this city dries up, and you need to transport water from a different city, this is a hunger.

Although our Mishna implies that you blow the Shofar because of a shortage, that's really a hunger. Like we explained: that thorns grew instead of wheat. So, we blow the Shofar since, despite that it's only a shortage now, it will lead to hunger. However, we never blow the Shofar when it's a shortage. Thus, we say here; for a problem of “river to river,” since it will only remain a shortage that will not lead to a hunger, we won't blow.]

4) R' Yochanan says: this is only when the money is cheap, (i.e., a lot of inflation) and fruits are expensive. However, if the money is expensive (i.e., very scarce), although the fruit is cheap, you blow Shofar right away. As once, when the price was four Sa'ah per Sela, and there were many bloated people from hunger since they didn't possess even (the small coin of) an Issur..

5) If it rains in a way that's beneficial to the plants but not for the trees, or vice versa. Or, if it's beneficial for both, but not for filling up pits, ditches and caves (i.e., the water reservoirs), or it fills the pits, but it's not good for growing trees or plants, you blow the Shofar right away.

6) We blow Shofar for the lack of rain for trees in the middle of Pesach. We blow Shofar for the lack of rain for the pits etc. even in middle of Sukkos (despite that it's still the summer). They blew Shofar right away on the next Monday, Thursday and Monday. They only blow in their district (but not in the surrounding ones).

7) On the disease 'Askara,' you only blow when it's deadly, but not when it's not deadly.

8) The Tannna Kama says that you blow on even the smallest showing of grasshoppers of the genus 'Gavai' (since you know there must be more coming). R' Shimon b. Elazar says that you blow even for the genus 'Chaguv' (although they're not as devastating and they're common to have a little amount around [and it doesn't always lead to a mass plague]).

9) The Tanna Kama says you blow on (the lack of rain for) trees on all other years (besides Shmita), but you blow on lack of rain for pits etc. on Shmita too. R' Shimon b. Gamliel says that you blow for the trees on Shmita too since that's what the poor rely on for their sustenance. [Tosfos explains: he holds that vegetation growth of Shmita is forbidden like R' Akiva says, since he doesn't list vegetation growths.] Another Braisa's version of R' Shimon b. Gamliel: you blow for the trees and vegetation growths on Shmita too since that's what the poor rely on for their sustenance [Tosfos: since he permits growths like R' Akiva's Rabanan.]

10) If the rain doesn't fall on a particular city, that city fasts and blow, but the surrounding cities only fast, but don't blow. (They need to fast since that the city without rain will buy out the grain of the cities that had rain, which will lead to a shortage.) R' Akiva says that you only blow without the fast.

11) A city that has a plague of buildings falling in, that city fasts and blows, but the surrounding cities only fast, but don't blow. R' Akiva says that you only blow without the fast. However, it's only if those houses caved in despite that they were built strong and not built weak, or where it was built solidly on a high place [Rashi: that may fall down anyhow from heavy winds. Tosfos: it was built sturdy, and it's only fit to fall down because of its height], or, where it was built next to a river (since the water eats away at the land and will destroy the house's foundation).

12) If a city contains fifteen hundred people and they remove nine dead people in three days, it's a plague. However, if it's in one day (since it might be a fluke), or if it's spread over four days, it's not a plague. A city that contains five hundred people and it removes three dead people in three days, it's a plague.

13) R' Nachman b. R' Chisda decreed a fast on a city that contained five hundred people and they removed three dead people in one day. He held like R' Meir who says, regarding a goring ox who gores three victims in one day, that the ox becomes a Mu'ed. After all, if it's a Mu'ed if it takes him longer to gore thrice by goring once a day for three days, of course he becomes a Mu'ed by goring in closer intervals i.e., all three in one day. Here too, if three people die over a course of three days is considered a plague, of course it's a plague if they died all together on the same day.

14) R' Yehuda decreed a fast when there was a plague among the pigs. The Gemara says it's not necessary to say that if there is some plague in one specie it's apt to be caught by other species, but pigs are different since their intestines are similar to human's intestines. [Tosfos says: if there was a plague by non-Jews, we should be concerned about it to decree a fast. After all, the non-Jewish bodies are similar to Jewish ones more than pigs are similar to people.]

15) R' Nachman decreed a fast in Bavel when there was a plague in Eretz Yisrael. He reasoned: if the mistress gets hit, of course the maids will get hit. However, you don't decree a fast from one place in Bavel to another unless there are caravans going from your city to their city.

16) On the following, you always blow the Shofar for: on blasted wheat, on jaundice, on locust (even if you only see one of them), and on wild beasts when they're sent by Heaven. You blow right away on marauding armed troops since it's a moving 'plague.' This is even with a friendly army (that only wants to pass through your territory to go to the next country to wage war).

17) If the wild animal is seen in the city by day, it's a heavenly-sent plague. If it's seen in the city at night, or if it's seen in the field even by day, it's not a heavenly-sent plague.

18) If it sees two humans and chases them, it's a heavenly-sent plague if it's a field that's close to the swamp (where they live), but if it stood its ground, it's not a heavenly-sent plague. However, if it's in a field not next to the swamp it's a heavenly-sent plague if it stood still, but not if it hides.

19) If it kills two people in the swamp itself, and only eats one of them, it's a heavenly-sent plague. [Tosfos explains: and of course, if it didn't eat either one, it's a heavenly-sent plague.] If it eats both, it's not a heavenly-sent plague. (However, we already said in the field, it's a heavenly-sent plague even if it only chases them.) If it climbs up to a roof and takes a baby from its crib, it's a heavenly-sent plague, even if the baby was taken from a hunter's blind (which is not much of a structure and may be considered more out in the open).

20) There was a story where the elders came down from Yerushalayim to their cities and enacted a fast since blasted wheat was seen in Ashkolon as small as the amount of bread that will fit into the mouth of an oven. The Gemara has an unresolved inquiry if it was the amount of bread you can line on the oven's cover (that covers the mouth), or was it the amount that they can stick around the mouth (on the oven's wall).

21) (Even though we said earlier that we blow for the smallest amount of blasted wheat; we only blow for that small amount, but here, with a bigger amount, we even fast. Alternatively, our Gemara is not exact that the reason that it was this amount, and they would have done the same if it was smaller, but that was the amount in this story.)

22) They also enacted fasting because wolves ate two kids in Transjordan. R' Yossi says that they didn't eat, but they just showed themselves (in the city).

23) Wolves that swallowed children and they came out (eventually whole) when the wolves relieved themselves; their meat are not Tamai (since they no longer has the status of meat since they got digested) but their bones are Tamai (since it never gets digested).

24) On the following we blow, (or scream), even on Shabbos: on a city that's besieged by non-Jews, on an overflowing river and a ship being thrown at sea. R' Yossi says that we only call for help, but not for crying to Hashem.

25) On the above, and on an individual that's pursued by a non-Jew or robber, or being possessed by a bad spirit, an individual may pain himself through fasting (as a merit to save him). R' Yossi says that he can't, since (he might be too weak to work and) must come on to charity, and others might not have mercy on him. [Tosfos explains that these Tanaim don't argue the same argument as those Amaraim in an earlier Perek if one is holy, or a sinner, if he fasts. After all, those Amaraim refer to a case were he can handle the pain, and these Tannaim argue when he can't handle the pain.]

26) Shimon Hataimani adds plagues to the list of blowing Shofar on Shabbos, but the Chachumim don't agree. They hold you don't blow for a plague anytime (since it's a decree). {See Ritva that we do blow for plagues, as it says in the beginning of the Perek, but other cities don't need to blow for the people suffering.}

27) They blow for all problems so they shouldn't come, except for on too much rain. After all, we don't Daven to remove too much good. The Tanna Kama says that you pray to stop the excess rains for the people in Bavel for their houses not to collapse (since they're in a deep valley, so they'll sink in the ground). However, R' Eliezer says that you never Daven for it.

28) The amount of rain that must fall to stop the community from fasting; R' Meir says that the water must seep into the ground as deep as a furrow. The Chachumim say a Tefach for real dried out land, two Tefachim for average land, and three Tefachim for a plowed field.

29) If they were fasting, and it started raining; R' Meir says if it fell before sunrise, they don't finish the fast. However, if it fell after sunrise, then they must finish the fast. R' Elazar says: if it fell before midday, then you don't finish. If it falls after midday, you need to finish it. R' Yossi says you don't need to finish if it fell before nine hours, but after that, you need to finish it. After all, Achav's fast started at the ninth hour (since kings don't eat before that).

30) It once happened that rain fell in Lud, they ate and drank (to break the fast) and then went to say Hallel Hagadol. However, they didn't say Hallel Hagadol on an empty stomach, but only when satisfied. However, this is only in a place where it's not common for people to become drunk, but if they do, they say Hallel Hagadol first. [Tosfos says: that's why we say Hallel Hagadol during Pisukei Dizimra, but not during Tefila since you only say it on a full stomach.]