October 11, 2017

After the drama of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Simcha of dwelling in God’s presence on Sukkot, we come to a holiday where big highlight is simply praying for rain. In a society where most of us don’t depend directly on the rain for our livelihoods, this can feel like a bit of a letdown. For those of us not living in the land of Israel, and especially as changes in technology and our economy in the last century or so have helped to mask the impact of the weather on our food, livelihood and security, the importance of praying for rain may have become obscured. Instead our focus on this holiday has shifted towards more purely spiritual aspects of the holiday, especially the moment on the second day of Shemini Atzeret (aka Simchas Torah) when we complete the annual cycle of Torah reading.

However, in 2017, here in Sacramento, with years of severe drought fresh in our memories, and fires actively raging not far from our community, the importance of rain to our prosperity and our safety should be lost on no one. It is no accident that at the climax of our holiday season we pray for rain. Rain is not only a symbol of the Torah and of God’s shefa (abundance). It is itself perhaps the most recognizable physical manifestation of God’s generosity in our lives. This year, let’s give the prayer for rain the serious attention it deserves, as we ask God to bless us with rain here in California and in Eretz Yisrael.

Chag Sameach!

Rabbi Garth Silbertein