Chief Rabbis: Pray for rain. It's already Kislev, and we still haven't received it

December 16, 2024   

The Chief Rabbis - Rishon LeZion, Gra"d Yosef, and the Chief Rabbi, Gra"d Bar, published a joint letter today (Monday) calling on the public to pray for rain. In their letter, the rabbis state: "We are in the midst of the month of Kislev, and we have not yet received showers of blessing. The people in the fields and crops are thirsty for water, and unfortunately there is none." In the letter, the rabbis direct the public to say a number of special prayers: Members of the Eastern community will say the prayer "Do not open the treasures of heaven" at the opening of the Temple on Shabbat and on Mondays and Thursdays; members of the Ashkenazic community will add to the Shemona Esra prayer, in the blessing of the listener, "And we are the Creator of the world." The chief rabbis also direct the continuation of the recitation of the two psalms of Psalms chapters 121 and 11 and the prayer "Our brothers, all of the house of Israel" for the peace of IDF soldiers, for the healing of the wounded, and for the return of the captives and the missing. Prayers for rain are deeply rooted in Jewish tradition and the history of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel. As early as the days of the Mishnah and Talmud, special prayer orders were established for times of drought, including public fasts and the blowing of shofars. In the various Jewish communities, unique customs have developed around praying for rain, with the Mizrahi Jews adding special piyyutim such as "Do not open the treasures of heaven," and the Ashkenazim adding special prayers in the blessing of "Hear the prayer." The letter from the Chief Rabbis continues a long tradition of unity among the people in praying for showers of blessing.