Rabbi Elchanan put on his hat, lightly brushed his suit, put on his coat, opened his umbrella and left the house. Today is a special day for him. Years of labor in Torah and fear of God have brought him to this honorable day when he will stand before his rabbis of the past, the heads of the yeshivahs in which he studied, and present to them the book of firstfruits on which he has devoted his nights and days so that the innovations will be written in a clear, pleasant, and fluent language that will please every soul.
For him, presenting the book to his elders was a sacrifice of thanks to his Creator for guiding him through his life's journey on the path of Torah and fear under the supervision of the heads of his yeshiva, some of whom he had little to eat and some of whom he had plenty to drink. His joy was great and his excitement welled up in his stomach. He set off on his way, his lips murmuring words of praise and thanks to the Creator of the world.
A whole cloud of rain. That's what Rabbi Elchanan felt in the first minute. His body dripped and overflowed like a spring flowing, his clothes dripped as if they were after a proper immersion. His elegant hat was stained with mud and dirt and smeared with passing sewage water. His suit distorted its shape and the book bag doubled its weight due to the amount of water that seeped deep inside. A small car continued its fast journey, the driver may or may not have felt what he was doing, or he may have felt it. Either way, the natural reaction of a puddle under the pressure of the wheels of a passing car was already imprinted on Rabbi Elchanan's hat, suit and clothes. And of course on his books.
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Sarah was stressed. The piles of laundry that had piled up into a veritable mountain threatened to drown her. Thank God, the household had grown and the clothes needed to be washed around the clock. But here's the thing: what one sun does in one daily rotation, a dryer doesn't always do in thousands of rotations and hundreds of wasted minutes. The weather forecast for today increased Sarah's pace of work. In her mind, she ran a course of laundry, dark, light, and delicate, all of which would get to hang on the line and enjoy the sun that was hosting here for a moment. The clothes stood on the line as if in order, bright white and numbered. They basked in the winter sun and demonstrated freedom and freedom. Sarah packed her bag and hurried to her office. It wasn't until the evening when she returned to her house and removed the clothes from the line that she realized that everything that the sun does in a whole day wouldn't stand up to a few unruly drops of rain.
The two cases described above are one case: man's nothingness compared to the Creator's special gift.
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""And do not hear the prayer of passers-by" A consecrated high priest adorned in his holy garments. On the holy day and in the holy place, he is busy praying and asking the King of kings - and his prayer is one - that the prayer of passers-by on a rainy day be not heard. That the prayer of Sarah be not heard, and that the prayer of Rabbi Elchanan be not heard. That the prayer of a bride getting married on a rainy and stormy day be not heard, and that the prayer of the groom's driver be not heard in front of a wet road and a steaming sun be not heard. That the prayer of a mother worrying about a child without a coat and a hat running alone on a rainy street be not heard. And that the prayer of the homeless tent dwellers huddled in their coats under the driving and pounding hail be not heard. That the prayer of passers-by be not heard. Is that true? Is it possible?
It's possible!
Who is afraid of rain? Who is afraid of fasts. Who is afraid of fasts? Who is afraid of commitment to the times. And who is afraid of all of these?
He who is not connected. He who is not limited. He who is not committed. He is the one who is afraid.
Every Haredi Jew has rain in his daily life. Rain that prevents him from getting up after prayer time. Rain that requires him to wash his hands. Rain that prohibits and delays eating ice cream and chocolate after a meat meal. Rain that requires a blessing before every meal. Rain that prohibits eating and drinking anywhere. Rain that requires prayers in the minyan and more. - The spiritual rain that exists as an invisible cable that carefully navigates a person's life so that he does not resemble an animal, is even more difficult than the physical rain that prevents and hinders a person in his walks and outings. A person who is bound to the chains of gold, the chains of Judaism and the commandments, will never be deterred and will never be afraid of the chains of materialism.
The holy man stands in a holy place and on a holy day and prays in holiness – please God… and do not hear the prayers of passers-by. Please protect Sarah’s laundry and Rabbi Elchanan’s books. But at the same time, do not listen to the prayer of Maisa with golden chains. Do not hear in their prayer the inability to be within limits, listen and answer the prayer and protect them from trouble.
Great is the day. Great is the rain, and even greater are those who receive the gift with love.
