Taanit 7A

נימרינהו לתרוייהו: ״אל ההודאות״ ו״רוב ההודאות״.

we will recite them both: God of thanksgivings, and: Abundant thanksgivings.

אמר רבי אבהו: גדול יום הגשמים מתחיית המתים, דאילו תחיית המתים ⁠— לצדיקים, ואילו גשמים ⁠— בין לצדיקים בין לרשעים. ופליגא דרב יוסף, דאמר רב יוסף: מתוך שהיא שקולה כתחיית המתים ⁠— קבעוה בתחיית המתים.

§ The Talmud cites statements in praise of rainfall. R' Abbahu said: The day of rain is greater than the resurrection of the dead. The reason is that while the resurrection of the dead benefits only the righteous, rain benefits both the righteous and the wicked. The Talmud comments: And this statement disagrees with the opinion of Rav Yosef, as Rav Yosef said: Since rainfall is equivalent to the resurrection of the dead, the rabbis established its recitation in the second blessing of the Amida, the blessing of the resurrection of the dead. According to Rav Yosef, rainfall is the equivalent to, but not superior to, the resurrection of the dead.

אמר רב יהודה: גדול יום הגשמים כיום שניתנה בו תורה, שנאמר: ״יערף כמטר לקחי״, ואין ״לקח״ אלא תורה, שנאמר: ״כי לקח טוב נתתי לכם תורתי אל תעזבו״. רבא אמר: יותר מיום שניתנה בו תורה, שנאמר: ״יערף כמטר לקחי״, מי נתלה במי? הוי אומר: קטן נתלה בגדול.

Similarly, Rav Yehuda said: The day of the rains is as great as the day on which the Torah was given, as it is stated: “My doctrine [likḥi] should drop as the rain” (Deuteronomy 32:2), and lekaḥ means nothing other than Torah, as it is stated: “For I give you good doctrine [lekaḥ]; do not forsake My Torah” (Proverbs 4:2). Rava said: Rainfall is even greater than the day on which the Torah was given, as it is stated: “My doctrine should drop as the rain,” and when one makes a comparison, which object is made dependent upon which? You must say that the lesser object is dependent upon the greater one. If Torah is compared to rain, it follows that rain is greater than Torah.

רבא רמי, כתיב: ״יערף כמטר לקחי״, וכתיב: ״תזל כטל אמרתי״! אם תלמיד חכם הגון הוא ⁠— כטל, ואם לאו ⁠— עורפהו כמטר.

The Talmud cites another interpretation of the verse from Deuteronomy. Rava raised a contradiction: At the beginning of the verse it is written: “My doctrine should drop [ya’arof] as the rain,” in a harsh manner, and yet later in the verse, it is written: “My speech should distill as the dew,” in a gentle tone. He resolves this apparent contradiction as follows: If he is a worthy Torah scholar, the Torah flows through him like the dew, but if he is not worthy, it snaps his neck [orfehu] like the powerful rain.