בסיעתא דשמיא

ותן טל ומטר: On December 4th (or 5th) and the Birkat Hashanim

Rain is important in every society, but particularly so in places like Eretz Yisrael, where rain only falls during a defined portion of the year. It is critical, then, that the “rainy season” in fact be rainy, since no rain can be expected for the remainder of the year. Accordingly, prayers, liturgies, and fast days . . . → Read More: ותן טל ומטר: On December 4th (or 5th) and the Birkat Hashanim

On the Prayer for Dew (a d’var tefillah by Rachel Barenblat)

Early Morning Dew by Gideon Haran

Geshem and tal: rain and dew. We pray for each in its season, geshem all winter and tal as summer approaches…not everywhere, necessarily, but in the land of Israel where our prayers have their roots. In a desert climate, water is clearly a gift from God. It’s easy for us to forget that, here with all of this rain and snow. But our liturgy reminds us. Through the winter months, during our daily amidah we’ve prayed “mashiv ha-ruach u-morid ha-gashem” — You cause the winds to blow and the rains to fall! We only pray for rain during the rainy season, because it is frustrating both to us and to God when we pray for impossibilities. . . . → Read More: On the Prayer for Dew (a d’var tefillah by Rachel Barenblat)

בסיעתא דארעא