פיוט למעריב להתחלת בקשת גשם | Piyyuṭ for maariv on the day when one begins requesting rain by Eliran Sobel

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9 November 2025 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

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21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., acrostic, Acrostic signature, גשם geshem, מערבות maaravot, North America, phonetic acrostic translation, פיוטים piyyuṭim, Prayers for Precipitation, Rain, water, water cycle

While the time for beginning to mention God’s power to bring rain in our prayers has a dramatic introductory piyyut (see my work here for a version with Immahot), the time when we begin actually asking for said rain is unadorned by any poetry, and is simply a change in one phrase in our liturgy. Therefore, inspired by a Facebook post by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (who since wrote his own version here), I wrote the following piyyut over the course of 5785, to be added to the Maariv service on the evening when one begins praying for rain in their location. Each stanza of the piyyut is intended to be added before the ḥatimah of each of the four blessings surrounding the Maariv Shema. I have signed my name to the acrostic, and provided a translation that highlights said acrostic and structure. May we have a year of abundance and goodness.

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
בא״י אשר בדברו המעריב ערבים…	You are blessed, HaShem, Who brings on evenings…
אֶל קֹ֨ר וָחֹ֜ם וְקַ֧יִץ וָחֹ֛רֶף^[1] בראשית ח:כב נְטַר לְהַשְׁקוֹת כָּל־גֵּֽזַע וְחֹֽטֶר^[2] ע׳ ישעיהו יא:א יִתֵּן בְּעִתּוֹ הַטַּל וְהַמָּטָר^[3] ע׳ דברים יא:יד רַמְשָׁא בְּכֿוֹכְבַיָּא עֲטַר	Every chill and heat, summer and winter^[4] Genesis 8:22 ᴋᴇᴘᴛ Laving every branch and stem^[5] Cf. Isaiah 11:1 In their time You give the dew and ʀᴀɪɴ^[6] Cf. Deuteronomy 11:14 Raising the stars, evening’s ᴀᴅᴏʀɴᴇᴅ
בא״י הַמַּעֲרִיב עֲרָבִים׃	You are blessed, HaShem, Who entwines twilight.
אהבת עולם…	With an eternal love…
נַעֲשֶׂ֥ה וְנִשְׁמָֽע^[7] שמות כד:ז אָמַר הַנִּטָּר פְּקוּדֶֽיךָ קִבַּֽלְנוּ וְחֻקֵּי הַשְּׁטָר סְגוּלֶֽיךָ יִשְׁאֲלֽוּךָ לְמָטָר חַד וְחַד הִמְלִיכֽוּךָ בָּעֲטָר	ANswered “we will do and listen,”^[8] Exodus 24:7 the ones ᴋᴇᴘᴛ PEople who accepted Your charge and contract SAy, your treasured ones now ask for ʀᴀɪɴ CHoosing now, all of us, to crown you ᴀᴅᴏʀɴᴇᴅ
בא״י אוֹהֵב עַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל׃	You are blessed, HaShem, Who loves Their people Israel.
אמת ואמונה…	True and faithful…
בַּיָּם הִשְׁלַכְתֶּם^[9] ע׳ נחמיה ט:יא וְאָנוּ נְטַר נְחֵה בְֿחַסְדְּךָ֖ עַם־ז֣וּ^[10] שמות טו.יג לְךָ קָטַר רְבִיבִים תֵּן וְתַֿעֲרֹף הַמָּטָר^[11] ע׳ דברים לב:ב חַיֵּֽנוּ גְּאָל^[12] ע׳ תהלים קג.ד אֶל־בֵּית הַמְּעֻטָּר^[13] ע׳ רש״י על שיר השירים ג:יא	By the sea You cast them,^[14] Cf. Nehemiah 9:11 yet we were ᴋᴇᴘᴛ ENtreat with kindness, those^[15] Exodus 15:13 offering to You RAin in multitudes give, and pour the ʀᴀɪɴ^[16] Cf. Deuteronomy 32:2 CHErish us and redeem us^[17] Cf. Psalms 103:4 to the house ᴀᴅᴏʀɴᴇᴅ^[18] See Rash’i Song of Songs 3:11
בא״י גָּאַל יִשְׂרָאֵל׃	You are blessed, HaShem, Who redeemed Israel.
השכיבנו ה׳ א־לקינו לשלום…	Lay us down, HaShem our God, in peace…
לְשִׁשִּׁים אַחַר תִּשְׁרִי נְטַר^[19] ע׳ תענית דף י ע”א חֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר אָז הֶחָג נִפְטַר^[20] ע׳ משנה תענית א.ג זְכוֹר בְּשׁוֹמֵֽעַ אִם שָׁכַח מָטָר^[21] שו”ע קיז.ד-ה ומ”ב שם ס”ק טו-טז קַבֵּל הַתְּפִלָּה חוֹבְבֶֽיךָ יֲעַטָּר	Let 60 days pass after the equinox is ᴋᴇᴘᴛ^[22] See Taanit 10a HAlting 15 days from the holiday’s end^[23] See Mishnah Taanit 1:3 SAy the phrase in “Listen” if you forgot “ʀᴀɪɴ”^[24] See Shulchan Aruch 117:4-5 and Mishnah Berurah ibid. 15-16 Count the prayer your beloved make ᴀᴅᴏʀɴᴇᴅ
בא״י שׁוֹמֵר עַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל לָעַד׃	You are blessed, HaShem, Who guards Their people Israel forever.

Notes

Notes
1	בראשית ח:כב
2	ע׳ ישעיהו יא:א
3	ע׳ דברים יא:יד
4	Genesis 8:22
5	Cf. Isaiah 11:1
6	Cf. Deuteronomy 11:14
7	שמות כד:ז
8	Exodus 24:7
9	ע׳ נחמיה ט:יא
10	שמות טו.יג
11	ע׳ דברים לב:ב
12	ע׳ תהלים קג.ד
13	ע׳ רש״י על שיר השירים ג:יא
14	Cf. Nehemiah 9:11
15	Exodus 15:13
16	Cf. Deuteronomy 32:2
17	Cf. Psalms 103:4
18	See Rash’i Song of Songs 3:11
19	ע׳ תענית דף י ע”א
20	ע׳ משנה תענית א.ג
21	שו”ע קיז.ד-ה ומ”ב שם ס”ק טו-טז
22	See Taanit 10a
23	See Mishnah Taanit 1:3
24	See Shulchan Aruch 117:4-5 and Mishnah Berurah ibid. 15-16

Eliran Sobel

Eliran Sobel is a rabbinical student at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. He is a graduate of Rutgers University, majoring in Linguistics with a minor in Jewish Studies, and has spent time learning at the Hadar Institute and the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. He has had internships with institutions such as the Jewish English Lexicon, SAR Academy, and Shamayim: Jewish Animal Advocacy. He is passionate about veganism, Yiddish, and is particularly interested in the variety of nusḥa'ot and studying Tana'kh and liturgy.

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו׃ (תהלים צ:יז) · "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." (Psalms 90:17)