Miracles with Rain as Told by the Prophet Yoel
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The Gemara (Taanis 5a) provides the details of the miracles that transpired as told by the prophet Yoel.
That year, the month of Adar passed and there was still no rainfall after seven years. The first rain fell on
the first day of Nissan. The prophet Yoel told Klal Yisrael to go and plant their fields. The people
protested that since they have a small amount of wheat and barley, they should eat it and not plant it so
they would not die from starvation waiting for the new crop to grow. Yoel persisted and told them to
plant the grain which they had. A miracle occurred and they found grain in the walls and in the ant
holes. They planted on the second, third and fourth day of Nissan from the grain with which they had
and the second rainfall came down on the fifth day of Nissan.
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Korban Omer
Further, they miraculously were able to bring the korban Omer on the sixteenth of Nissan from the new
crop which normally grows in six months that had grown in eleven days. Regarding this generation, it is
said “Those who plant with tears will harvest with joy.” ‫ הַ זֹּ ְרעִ ים בְ ִד ְמעָה בְ ִרנָה יִ קְ צֹּ רּו‬They cried when they
planted since they now had no more food, but they rejoiced when they reaped the miraculous harvest.
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Grain from the Ant Holes
Rashi learns that they planted from the grain with which they had and ate the grain from which they
found. Rabbeinu Chananel learns exactly the opposite. They ate from the grain from which they had and
they planted from the grain with which they found. The Rif in the Ein Yaakov asks how was the verse
“Those who plant with tears will harvest with bliss” fulfilled? They were crying since they didn’t have
what to eat. Why should they be planting with tears if they had grain which they found in the walls?
The Rif answers that HaShem did not perform the miracle of providing them with the grain in the walls
until the Jews showed their faith in HaShem by planting from the last of the grain with which they had.
The Yad Yosef answers that the grain from the ant holes would not be suitable for planting. The saliva
from the ants and mice destroys all the moisture in the grain and therefore they ate from that grain and
planted the old grain.
Sefer Tehilla LeYonah found an answer that since they would be bringing the grain with which they
planted for the korban omer; grain from a miracle is not fitting to be used for a korban.
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Seven Years of Famine
The Gemara (Taanis 5a) discusses what Klal Yisrael ate during the seven years of famine prior to the
miraculous harvest. Rabbi Yitzchak stated in the name of Rabbi Yochanan that in the first year they ate
the food that they had stored in their houses. The second year, they ate from the food which was in the
fields. The third year, they ate from kosher animals. During the fourth year, they ate from non-kosher
animals. The fifth year, they ate from non-kosher creeping creatures. During the sixth year, they ate
from the flesh of their children. In the seventh year, they ate from the flesh of their own arms.
Sefer Yoel
3250 words
73 pesukim 4 perakim
Some identify the prophet Yoel son of Pethu-el – as the firstborn son of Shmuel the Prophet (cf. I Shmuel 8:2),
who did not initially go in his father's ways but was said to have repented later and "persuaded G-d" (PETHUEL) with his prayers (Bamidbar Rabbah 10:5, Rashi on Yoel 1:1). According to another opinion, Yoel
prophesied in the time of Yehoram son of Ahab, during whose reign there were seven years of famine (II Kings
8:1) – four of them said to have been caused by the four species of locusts enumerated in Yoel 1:4, while the
last three were marked by drought (Rashi ad loc. RaDaK). A third opinion is that of Midrash Seder Olam ch. 20,
which states that Yoel prophesied together with Nachum, and Chabakuk towards the end of the First Temple
period in the reign of the wicked king Menasheh son of Chizkiyaha (Rashi, RaDaK).
Whenever he lived, Yoel was granted eternal prophecy teaching lessons for all time. (1) Chapters 1-2: Warnings
about a coming terrible plague of locusts and calls for the people to repent. (2) Chapters 3-4: Prophecies about
the end of days, the ingathering of the exiles to Israel, the attack of the nations of the world against Israel and
their defeat in Emek Yehoshaphat, the restoration of Zion and the time of Moshiach.