Sifra Bechukotai Chapter 1

¹1) (Vayikra 26:4) ("Then I shall give your rains in their proper times, and the earth shall yield its produce, and the tree of the field shall yield its fruit.") "Then I shall give your rains in their proper times": in the nights. But perhaps (the meaning is) on the eves of Sabbath (This cannot be, for) they said: Even if the years were like those of Eliyahu and the rains descended on the eves of Sabbath, it is nothing but a sign of cursing. How, then, am I to understand "Then I shall give your rains in their proper times"? In the nights. It happened in the days of Herod that the rains descended in the nights. In the morning the sun shone and the wind blew and the earth dried, and the workers went out to their work, knowing that their deeds were for the sake of Heaven. "Then I shall give your rains in their proper times": on Wednesday nights and on Sabbath nights. It happened in the days of Shimon b. Shetach and in the days of Queen Shlamtzah that the rains descended from the nights of Sabbath to the nights of Sabbath until the wheat became like kidneys, and the barley like olive-stones, and the lentils like golden dinars. And the sages tied up some of them and left them for future generations to apprise them (by contrast) what were the fruits of sin. As it is written (Jeremiah 59:2) "Your transgressions have diverted these (blessings)", (Isaiah 5:25) "And your sins have hidden (His) face from you against hearing", (Jeremiah, Ibid.) "They (your sins) have withheld the good from you." ²2) "Then I shall give your rains in their proper times": (but) not the rains of all the lands. How, then, am I to understand (Bereshith 28:14) "And all the families of the earth will bless themselves in you and in your seed"? That there will be plenty in Eretz Yisrael and famine in all the lands. And they will come and buy from you and enrich you with money, as it is written (Bereshith 47:14) "And Yosef gathered in all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan for the food that they bought." And (Devarim 33:25) "As your days, your flow" — All of the lands will "flow" money and bring it to Eretz Yisrael. ³3) "and the earth shall yield its produce": Not as it does now, but as it did in the days of Adam. And whence is it derived that the earth is destined to be sown and to give fruit on the same day? From (Tehillim 111:4) "A portent (in the days of Adam) He made for His (future) wonders," and (Bereshith 1:11) "Let the earth sprout vegetation, grass, etc." — whereby we are taught that on the same day that it was sown, it gave forth fruit. ⁴4) "and the tree of the field shall yield its fruit": Not as it does now, but as it did in the days of Adam. And whence is it derived that a tree is destined to be planted and to bear fruit on the same day? From "A portent (in the days of Adam) He made for His (future) wonders," and (Bereshith, Ibid.) "a fruit-tree, making fruit of its kind" — whereby we are taught that on the same day that it was planted, it bore fruit. ⁵5) Whence is it derived that the tree (itself) is destined to be eaten? From "fruit-tree." If to teach that it produces fruit, is it not written (Ibid.) "producing fruit after its kind"? If so, what is the intent of "fruit-tree"? Just as the fruit was eaten, so, the tree was eaten. ⁶6) And whence is it derived that non fruit-producing trees are also destined to bear fruit? From "and the tree of the field shall yield its fruit." ⁷7) (Vayikra 26:5) ("And your threshing will reach the vintage, and the vintage will reach the sowing, and you will eat your bread in satiety, and you will dwell securely in your land.") "And your threshing will reach the vintage": (The crops will be so abundant) that you will be engaged in threshing when the vintage (season) arrives. "and the vintage will reach the sowing": You will be engaged in harvesting the vintage when the sowing (season) arrives. "and you will eat your bread in satiety": It need not be said that a man will eat much and be sated, but (the meaning is that) he will eat little and be blessed in his innards, as it is written (Shemoth 22:25) "And you will serve the L–rd your G d, and He will bless your bread and your water." "and you will dwell securely in your land": In your land you will dwell securely, but not outside of it. ⁸8) Lest you say "There is food and there is drink, but without peace there is nothing!" It is, therefore written (Shemoth 22:26) "And I will put peace in the land" — whence we are apprised that peace is over and against all. And thus is it written (Isaiah 45:7) ("I) form light and create darkness. (I) make pace and create 'all.'" — whence we are apprised that peace is over and against all.