Unveiling the Miracles of Choni HaMe'agel

1. Choni HaMe'agel was a revered scholar and miracle worker, contemporary to Rabbi Shimon ben Shetach. He passed away on the 3rd of Iyar.

2. According to the Mishna (Taanit 3:8), Choni had the remarkable ability to make his prayers come true. The Babylonian Talmud highlights his great Torah wisdom, noting his clear explanations and ability to resolve any difficulty posed to him in the study hall. Once, amid a drought, he was asked to pray for rain. When his initial prayers went unanswered, he drew a circle, stood inside it, and vowed not to leave until rain fell. It began to pour, prompting requests for him to pray for the rain's cessation.

Rabbi Shimon ben Shetach likened Choni to the spoiled son of a king who incessantly bothers his father with requests for trivial things such as nuts, almonds, peaches, and pomegranates, quoting the verse "Let your father and mother rejoice, and let her who bore you be glad" (Proverbs 23:25).

3. Another account in the Mishna describes a prolonged drought when most of the month of Adar had passed without rain. They called upon Choni to pray. When his prayer wasn't immediately answered, he drew a circle, stood in it like the prophet Habakkuk, and declared, "Master of the Universe, Your children have turned to me, for I am like a member of Your household. I swear by Your great Name, I will not move from here until You have mercy on Your children." The rain began dripping lightly. His disciples said, "Teacher, we seem to be dying; the rain is only enough to release you from your vow." He prayed for rains fit for cisterns, ditches, and caves, which came down violently, each drop filling a barrel. The Sages estimated each drop was no less than a log. His disciples then asked him to pray for the rain to stop as it seemed to be endangering the world. He replied that he had learned never to pray against abundant blessings, yet agreed to bring an offering of gratitude (a bull of thanksgiving for the miracle of rain ending the drought). Choni laid hands on it and said, "Master of the Universe, Your people Israel cannot bear punishment or great bounty. If you are angry, they cannot withstand it, and with excess bounty, they cannot endure. May it please You to stop the rain so there will be relief in the world." The wind stirred, clouds dispersed, the sun shone, and the people went out to gather truffles and mushrooms.

4. Choni's story is a foundational source for belief in the power of prayer. In the Babylonian Talmud Tractate Taanit 23a, it is taught: "What did the members of the Chamber of Hewn Stone send to Choni HaMe'agel? 'You will decree a thing and it will be established for you, and light will shine on your ways' (Job 22:28). You decree below, and Hashem fulfills your command from above." This teaches that a righteous person decrees, and Hashem fulfills. However, Shimon ben Shetach warned Choni that if he had not been Choni, he would have declared him ostracized for speaking so boldly to Hashem ("I swear by Your great Name, I will not move from here").

5. According to Rashi, Choni HaMe'agel is named after the circle (or "cake" - a reference to the Hebrew word "ugah") he drew.

6. The Talmud also recounts that Choni's grandsons, Abba Hilkiah and Hanan HaNechba, were likewise righteous individuals whose prayers on behalf of their contemporaries ended droughts.

7. The tomb attributed to Choni HaMe'agel is located near Hatzor HaGlilit. According to tradition, Choni is buried there, and it is believed that his grandsons are also interred at this site.

For more about Choni HaMe'agel's burial place, click here.