It’s what we pray for

Every fall, on the Jewish holiday of Shmini Atzeret, Jews around the world start adding a line to our prayers, “Mashiv haruach u’morid hageshem – [God] makes the wind blow and makes the rain descend.” Three times daily (four on Shabbat) between Shmini Atzeret and Passover, we recite this line as our formal request of God to cause rain to fall.

Rain (in appropriate quantities – not looking for flooding) is essential to life, and yet it rarely brings us happiness. Farmers in Israel and firefighters in California and Colorado are ecstatic, but the rest of us?

“How was your vacation?” “Feh – it rained all week.”

“Plans for today?” “I was planning to go skiing today, but…”

Sometimes, we may hear a slightly more positive comment like, “Well, at least it’s not freezing.”

On a personal note, I was really enjoying my new windshield wipers this morning. Streak-free windows are very satisfying.

Refreshingly, my daughter shared, “It’s raining here [in Israel] too. But we can’t be too upset. It is what we pray for.”

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