Honi haMe\' aguel

Honi HaMe' aguel (Honi, the tracer of circles) was Wise a of Israel first century before the common era, former to the Tannaim, the doctors of the Mishna.

During this century, a great number of mobilities and religious dissidences developed among the population judéenne. Among those, some had the reputation of miracle-workers, with the manner of Elie and Elisee, the Former Prophets.

The Talmud comprises accounts such miracle-workers. Among those, the Mishna Ta' anit 3:8 very whole is devoted to the exploits of Honi HaM' agel' , considered for its capacity to see its exaucées prayers for the Pluie.

Once, (when God did not send the rain on Israel in winter (in the area where is located Israel, the season of precipitations is in winter), and which Passover, which falls in spring) one says to Honi HaMe' aguel: requests that the rains fall .

It says to them: leave and return the furnaces of Pessa' H so that they are not damaged.

It requested and it did not rain.

What did it make?

It traced a circle and was held with the medium, and known as:

Main of the world! Your children turned to me because I like one am accustomed of your house.

I swear on Your Great name which I will not move from here until You board pity of Your children.

It started with pleuviner.

It says: it is not what I asked, but rains which fill the wells, the tanks and the cisterns.

the rains started to fall with violence.

It says: it is not what I asked, but rains of benevolence, blessing and generosity.

the rains fell as it is necessary, until the inhabitants of Jerusalem took refuge on the mountain of the Temple to escape the floods.

They said to him: in the same way that you requested that these rains come, requests so that they leave!

It answered: see whether the stone of the found objects melted.

Shimon Ben Sheta' H sent to say to him: if you were not Honi, I would have excommunicated you. But what can I make, you make whims in front of the Lord and it makes your will, like a made child of the whims and whose father yields

The circumstances of died of Honi are also described in the treaty Ta' anit (23a): crossing a man who planted his Caroubier S, it was astonished by the futility of the thing, since, the caroubier spending 70 years to be pushed, the grower would never have usufruct of it. Whereas it arrived close to a cave, God made fall on him a sleep 70 years.
A its alarm clock, Honi was abandoned, nobody not wanting to believe that it was about him.
Il still felt sorry for its fate, worse than that of the grower, because this one was reminded with gratitude by its descent, whereas the proper grandson of Honi had taken it for a beggar and an inveterate liar. It turned over to the cave, fell asleep and died.

Flavius Josèphe gives another version of the history in its Antiquités of the Jews : towards - 70 EC., to the time of the war which opposed two dynasties Hasmonéen born, one carried out by Aristobule II, the other by Jean Hyrcan II (and its adviser, Antipater Iduméen), Honi were carried out of force in front of Jean Hyrcan, who asked him to request for the defeat of the other party. When he refused, he was carried out.
Le Maharsha (on this passage of Ta' anit AD loc.) reconciles these two versions, by explaining why Honi was " déclaré" killed by people of Jean Hyrcan II, but that actually, it sommeilla in the cave 70 years.

Its tomb is close to the town of Hatzor ha Gelilit, in the north of Israel.

References

the original account, in Hebrew, of the miracles carried out by Honi (Mishna Ta' anit 3:8)
a study by Rav Elie Kahn of this account on cheela.org

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