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Divine Blessings of Rain

TANAKH

The promise of timely and beneficial rain is a divine blessing that ensures agricultural productivity and the flourishing of nature. The book of Leviticus outlines the blessings promised by God for obedience to His commandments, including the provision of rain at the right times.

I will grant your rains in their season, so that the earth shall yield its produce and the trees of the field their fruit.

Leviticus 26:4

Weathering the Crisis

RESPONSA

The cessation of rain due to communal sins can lead to the institution of new religious practices or reforms during times of crisis. In a responsum by the medieval halachic authority Rabbi Asher ben Jehiel (the Rosh), he addresses the community's response to a drought, emphasizing the importance of prayer and invoking divine mercy.

But now that I see that, because of our sins, the rains have stopped, and the plantings have been ruined, and we are fasting for rains, and even on Sabbaths and holidays, when we do not fast, we invoke the thirteen attributes and recite verses pertaining to rain, my heart has said to me: the time has now come to institute what I have wanted to do for many years, for they will certainly heed me during such a time of distress; and if this is prescribed for them during the present year, they will find it sweet, and they will not relent from it…

Teshuvot HaRosh 4:10:9

The Mystery of Thunder

TALMUD

The rabbis of the Talmud offer various explanations for the phenomenon of thunder. The Gemara in Berakhot presents a fascinating discussion on the causes of thunder, including opinions from several prominent rabbis.

We also learned in the mishna that over thunder one recites: Whose strength and power fill the world. The Gemara asks: What causes thunder? Shmuel said: When the clouds located in the curvature of the firmament collide with the firmament itself, they produce this sound, as it is stated: “The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; the lightning lighted up the world; the earth trembled and shook” (Psalms 77:19). And the Rabbis say: Thunder is the sound of clouds pouring water into one another…

Berakhot 59a:7

Elijah's Control Over Rainfall

TALMUD

Elijah's prayers had the power to control rainfall, demonstrating his unique influence over the weather. In the Talmudic tractate Sanhedrin, Elijah's declaration to King Ahab and his divine ability to control rain are discussed.

The verse relates Elijah’s reaction: Immediately: “And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab: As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew or rain these years, but according to my word” (I Kings 17:1). Elijah prayed for mercy and they gave him the key to rainfall enabling him to dictate when it would rain, and he arose and went.

Sanhedrin 113a:12

Ḥoni HaMe’aggel and the Power of Persistent Prayer

MISHNAH

Ḥoni HaMe’aggel's unique relationship with God demonstrates the power of holy people's prayer to influence divine actions, especially in the context of rain as both a blessing and a potential source of trouble. The Mishnah recounts the story of Ḥoni HaMe’aggel, a revered sage known for his ability to pray for rain, illustrating the importance of rain in an agrarian society and the belief in the power of prayer.

The mishna adds: In general, they cry out on account of any trouble that should not befall the community, a euphemism for trouble that may befall the community, except for an overabundance of rain. Although too much rain may be disastrous, one does not cry out over it, because rain is a sign of a blessing. The mishna relates: An incident occurred in which the people said to Ḥoni HaMe’aggel: Pray that rain should fall. He said to them: Go out and bring in the clay ovens used to roast the Paschal lambs…

Mishnah Ta'anit 3:8

Interpreting the Heavens

SECOND TEMPLE

Philo of Alexandria highlights the wisdom of ancient observers who interpreted celestial signs to predict earthly events. In his work, Philo systematically records how wise men used observations of heavenly bodies to forecast weather, crop yields, and animal fertility.

[92] Numberless other phenomena have been observed and recorded by wise men who by study of the heavenly bodies have marked the signs of calm weather and stormy winds, of plentifulness and scarcity of crops, of mild and scorching summers, of sinister and spring-like winters, of droughts and rainy seasons, of fecundity in animals and plants and on the other hand of sterility in both and all other matters of the same kind. For of all the things that happen upon earth, the signs are graven in the face of heaven.

On the Special Laws, Book I 16:13

The Blessing of Snow

MIDRASH

Snow on the mountains is as beneficial as multiple downpours of rain on the ground. The early 20th-century compilation, Ein Yaakov, includes a passage from Taanit that highlights the importance of snow and rain for the land's fertility.

Raba said: "Snow on the mountains is as good as five downpours of rain on the ground; as it is said (Job 37, 6) for to the snow he saith, 'Be thou on the earth'; likewise to the pouring rain, and to the pouring rains of his strength."

Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition), Taanit 1:4

Shaking the Four Species and Praying for Rain

HALAKHAH

The ritual of shaking the four species during Sukkot is deeply connected to expressing gratitude for past rains and praying for beneficial rain and dew in the coming year. Rabbi Eliezer Melamed’s contemporary work explains the spiritual and practical significance of this ritual, linking it to the agricultural cycle and the Jewish calendar.

Since Sukkot is when we are judged concerning rain, shaking the four species – which grew from the rains of the previous year – expresses thanks for the blessings of the previous year and a prayer for the upcoming one: that from the heaven, the earth, and the four winds will come beneficial rain and dew, not harmful precipitation and destructive winds.

Peninei Halakhah, Sukkot 5:5:3

Rain as Divine Providence

JEWISH THOUGHT

Rain is a sign of divine Providence, benefiting both the righteous and the wicked, and is considered a greater phenomenon than the resurrection of the dead. In his 15th-century philosophical work, Sefer HaIkkarim, Rabbi Joseph Albo discusses the Jewish principles of faith, emphasizing the belief in divine Providence through the metaphor of rain.

The prophets also cite rain as a sign of Providence. Jeremiah says: “But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted, and gone. Neither say they in their heart: ‘Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth the former rain, and the latter in due season; that keepeth for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.’ ” The Psalmist says: “Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth.” For rain can not come unless the wind blows, covering the heaven with clouds and carrying them from place to place, whithersoever God wills to take them…

Sefer HaIkkarim, Maamar 4 8:11

The Storm's Fury

KABBALAH

The Zohar vividly describes the chaotic and destructive impact of a storm, offering a profound reflection on nature's power and human vulnerability. This foundational Kabbalistic text, traditionally attributed to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, explores the mystical dimensions of the Torah and the natural world.

Now, when the wheels of the sea arise all the boats which sail thereon do heave and toss, and air and waters are mightily stirred so that a great storm arises; and the fishes that dwell in the depths of the sea are whirled about by the violence of the tempest, and are buffeted towards the four corners of the earth, some to the east, and some to the west, some to the north, and some to the south; and there they are caught by the nets of fishermen, as they reach the ocean’s shallower depths, where the sands of the shore slope down to meet the breakers of that sea.

Zohar, Beshalach 10:100

Blessings of the Early and Late Rains

MIDRASH

Understanding the timing and nature of the yoreh (early rain) and malkosh (late rain) is crucial for appreciating their role as blessings in the agricultural cycle of ancient Israel. The Sifrei Devarim, a halakhic midrash on Deuteronomy, clarifies the proper seasons for these rains.

The yoreh falls in Marcheshvan; the malkosh in Nissan. You say: The yoreh in Marcheshvan and the malkosh in Nissan. — But perhaps, the yoreh in Tishrei and the malkosh in Iyyar? It is, therefore, written "in its (proper) time" — the yoreh in Marcheshvan and the malkosh in Nissan. And thus is it written (Ezekiel) 34:26) "And I shall bring down the shower in its time; (showers of blessing shall they be.") But perhaps (it is called) "yoreh" (to shoot) in that it makes the fruits fall and floods the seeds and the silos! It is…

Sifrei Devarim 42:5

The Dual Nature of Clouds and Rain

CHASIDUT

Clouds and rain can be both beneficial and detrimental, depending on their timing and context. Rabbi Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin, a 19th-century Hasidic thinker, explores the dual nature of weather phenomena in his work 'Tzidkat HaTzadik,' drawing on philosophical and mystical insights.

[14] And also during the day (time of clarity) there are times where clouds obstruct the light, but don't darken it completely. They (the clouds) are good, for one who gazes at the sun directly, his eyes will weaken and become blind, and they also dampen the full intensity of the sun that is too intense for man - like we find with Nadav and Avihu. And also they are inherently good, as I heard (from the Ishbitzer Rebbe) regarding (Psalms 147:8) "who covers the heavens with clouds, provides rain for the earth. " For through the clouds, rain falls and rejuvenates the parched body…

Tzidkat HaTzadik 14:1

Forty Days and Forty Nights of Rain

TANAKH

The story of Noah’s Ark includes a dramatic weather event where rain falls continuously for forty days and forty nights. The Book of Genesis, the first book of the Torah, recounts the origins of mankind and includes the story of Noah and the Great Flood.

(The rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.)

Genesis 7:12

God's Control Over Nature

LITURGY

The Amidah prayer acknowledges that natural phenomena like wind and rain are directly controlled by a higher power. This line from the Amidah prayer is included in the winter months to recognize God's control over the elements most relevant to that season.

Causer of the wind to blow and of the rain to fall.

Siddur Ashkenaz, Weekday, Shacharit, Amidah, Divine Might 5

The Drought in Samaria

COMMENTARY

The severe famine in Samaria due to the lack of rain underscores the direct impact of drought on the land and its people. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz’s modern translation and commentary on the Hebrew Bible provides a clear and engaging account of the prophet Elijah’s confrontation with King Ahab during this period of drought.

Elijah went to appear to Ahav, and in the meantime, as no rain had fallen, nothing had grown; therefore, the famine was severe in Samaria.

Steinsaltz on I Kings 18:2

Blessings for Rain

COMMENTARY

Rain is a precious and celebrated blessing in Israel's dry climate. This modern commentary on Mishnah Berakhot discusses differing opinions on when it is appropriate to say a blessing for rain.

For rain and for good news one says, “Blessed be He that is good and grants good.” Some commentators say that one blesses over rain only if it hasn’t rained for a long time. However, others say that in Israel, a very dry country, people are so happy when it rains for the first time that they also recites the blessing the first time it rains in the rainy season.

English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot 9:2:5

The Ideal Rainfall

TALMUD

Excessive rain can negatively impact soil and crop productivity. The Talmudic tractate Taanit discusses the ideal amount of rain, interpreting a verse from Leviticus to emphasize the importance of moderation.

The Sages taught: “Then I will give your rains in their season” (Leviticus 26:4). This means that the earth will be neither drunk nor thirsty; rather, a moderate amount of rain will fall. For as long as the rains are abundant, they muddy the soil of the land, and it does not give out its produce. Alternatively,

Taanit 22b:19

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