The Grasses That Learned Order from the Trees

Rabbi Chanina bar Pappa expounded: What is the meaning of what is written (Psalms 104:31), "May the glory of the LORD endure forever"? This verse the Prince of the World said. When the Holy One, blessed be He, said "after its kind" regarding the trees, the grasses drew an a-fortiori inference for themselves. They said: If it is the will of the Holy One, blessed be He, for things to come forth jumbled together, why was it said "after its kind" regarding the trees? And further, an a-fortiori argument: if trees, whose way is not to come forth jumbled, the Holy One said of them "after its kind," how much more so for us. Immediately each and every one came forth after its kind. At that moment the Prince of the World opened and said, "May the glory of the LORD endure forever." Ravina asked: If one grafted two grasses one upon the other, according to Rabbi Chanina bar Pappa what is the law? Since "after its kind" is not written concerning them, is one not liable; or perhaps, since the Holy One, blessed be He, agreed to their action, it is as though it were written concerning them? Let it stand [unresolved]. Rav Asi raised a contradiction: it is written "and the earth brought forth grass" on the third day, and it is written "and no shrub of the field was yet" on the eve of Sabbath - this teaches that the grasses came forth and stood at the opening of the ground and did not sprout until Adam came and sought mercy for them, and rains came down and they sprouted, as it is said "and a mist went up from the earth," and so on - to teach you that the Holy One, blessed be He, longs for the prayer of the righteous. Rabbi Chanina bar Pappa had a garden; he cast seeds into it and they did not sprout; he prayed for mercy and they sprouted.