Avodah Zarah 25 – Miracles

The cows that pulled the Ark of the Covenant forsook their young and traveled from Philistia to Beit Shemesh without anybody leading them, all the while singing praises to God. Later they were sacrificed on the altar. How was it allowed, if idolaters may have committed sodomy with them? - It was a special decision by the prophet, and a prophet has authority to temporarily set aside a law of the Torah.

The sun has stood for three people, for Joshua, for Moses, and for Nakdimon ben Gurion. How do we know it about Moses? Because of the use of the same words, “I shall begin to place dread”  about Moses and “I shall begin to exalt”  about Joshua.

Nakdimon wanted to give water to the pilgrims who came to Jerusalem and borrowed twelve wells of water from a Roman nobleman, promising an extraordinary sum of money if he did not return the water. The holidays came and went, but there was no rain, and the payment day was approaching. At the last moment Nakdimon prayed for rain and it did come, but the nobleman claimed that the rain had come after the day had ended. Nakdimon then prayed again, and the sun stood, to show that the payment day still continued.

Art: Childe Hassam - Rainy Midnight, Late 1890s