The well-digger's daughter

Hi,

"It was taught: The daughter of Nechunyah, the public well-digger, once fell into a big pit. They came and told Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa. At first he said, 'It's fine.' Later he said, 'It's fine.' Still later he said, 'She has ascended.'

"They asked her, 'How did you get out?!' She responded, 'An elderly man leading a ram came to me.'

"They said to Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa: You are a prophet! He replied: Iam not a prophet and I am not the son of a prophet. I simply said, 'This righteous man took great pains over the mitzvah [of digging wells], can it be that his children will be hurt by them?!'"

(Talmud, Bava Kama 50a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Popularity: Cause or Effect?

Hi,

"Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa was wont to say: If people are pleased with a certain person, that is a sign that Gd is pleased with that person, too."

(Pirkei Avot 3:10)

Is Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa saying that Gd is happy with a person who is pleasant to others? Or is he saying that popularity with others is a sign of Divine favor? (We can find classic sources to support each idea.)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Caring for the property of others

Hello,

"Rav Pinchas reported: Once a traveler misplaced chickens near R' Chanina ben Dosa's home. R' Chanina's wife found them.

"R' Chanina said, 'Don't eat from their eggs.' And so the eggs and chickens increased, to the point that they became a nuisance. They sold them, and purchased goats.

"Later, that man who had lost the chickens passed again, and he said to his traveling companion, 'This is where I left my chickens.' R' Chanina heard this, and asked, 'Do you have a sign [by which to verify that they were yours]?'

"The man said 'Yes' and presented the sign, and took the goats."

(Talmud, Taanit 25a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Signs of successful prayer

Hi,

"If a person prays and errs, it is a bad sign for him. If he is the Chazan, it is a bad sign for those who sent him, for one’s agent is like himself.

"They say of Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa that he would pray for the ill and say, ‘This one will live, this one will die.’ They asked, ‘How do you know?’ To which he replied, ‘If my prayer is smooth in my mouth, I know it is received. If not, I know it has been torn up.’"

(Talmud, Berachot 34b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai