Tosefta for Joel 2:23
וּבְנֵ֣י צִיּ֗וֹן גִּ֤ילוּ וְשִׂמְחוּ֙ בַּיהוָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם כִּֽי־נָתַ֥ן לָכֶ֛ם אֶת־הַמּוֹרֶ֖ה לִצְדָקָ֑ה וַיּ֣וֹרֶד לָכֶ֗ם גֶּ֛שֶׁם מוֹרֶ֥ה וּמַלְק֖וֹשׁ בָּרִאשֽׁוֹן׃
Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God; For He giveth you the former rain in just measure, And He causeth to come down for you the rain, the former rain and the latter rain, at the first.
Tosefta Ta'anit
We ask for the rains until Nissan is over, as it says, "And rain will fall for you, the earlier and latter rains during the first [month] (Yoel 2);" [these are] the words of Rabbi Meir. And the Sages say,"Earlier rains [fall in] Marcheshvan, and latter rains [fall on] the first of Nissan (and so these dates are the timetable for prayers for rain). Rabbi Meir said to them, "Knowing that a tree makes fruit for twelve [months], and produce [grows] for six months; what have we found with trees, as it says [about it], "By its month (meaning halfway through the month), it will bear (Yechezkel 47)," so too produce, at its fifteenth day [its season ends]. Haven't you learnt, that earlier and latter rains [fall throughout] Nissan.
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