Honi

Honi HaMe'agel, usually translated as Honi the Circle-Drawer, is a legendary Jewish sage cited in late Second Temple and early Rabbinic literature. He is best known for stories about rain miracles during droughts and for the ritual of drawing a circle to pray. In the rabbinic tales, Honi's prayers are presented as acts of humility and dependence on divine mercy rather than as straightforward historical biography.

The epithet HaMe'agel means “the circle-drawer,” referring to the central tale in which Honi stands inside a circle he has drawn and pleads with God to grant rain before he will move. The stories appear in the Babylonian Talmud and various midrashic collections and are used to illustrate themes of prayer, perseverance, mercy, and communal responsibility during drought.

Scholars generally treat the Honi stories as legends or ethical exempla rather than verifiable biography. They have entered Jewish liturgy and moral reflection, and the figure remains a symbol of steadfast supplication and trust in divine aid during difficult times.

Apart from rabbinic legend, Honi is also used as a given name in Jewish communities, and the figure has influenced later literature and cultural references. The name's most prominent association remains with Honi HaMe'agel, though it can be encountered in modern naming and storytelling.