Taanis Chapter 3, Mishnah 2. The Mishnah continues its list of disasters and hardships that indicate the need for an immediate severe fast and for sounding the trumpets.
The Wording of the Mishnah and Its Meaning:
The Mishnah deals with rain that did fall, but not in a way that meets every need. Three situations are listed:
"Yardu litzmachin velo la'ilan" - rain fell, but only in an amount sufficient for the sprouting of the crops, and not in a measure from which the trees benefit.
"La'ilan velo litzmachin" - rain fell in a measure from which the trees benefit, but in a way that the growing crops do not benefit from it.
"Lazeh velazeh, velo laboros lashichin velame'aros" - rain fell that was suitable both for the trees and for the growing crops, but not enough to fill the cisterns, the ditches and the caves and the like.
In summary: in each of these situations the Mishnah states "mosrin alav miyad" - we move immediately to the most severe fasts and to the sounding of the shofros.