{"id":51846,"date":"2019-03-23T21:32:22","date_gmt":"2019-03-23T19:32:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=51846"},"modified":"2022-10-13T15:29:10","modified_gmt":"2022-10-13T12:29:10","slug":"the-blessing-of-rain-then-and-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-blessing-of-rain-then-and-now\/","title":{"rendered":"The Blessing Of Rain \u2013 Then And Now"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[504,437,780],"acf":{"old_id":"51846","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":33877,"related_cahpter":"181","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Great is rain, for it is compared to the resurrection of the dead","content":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the first part of our Chapter, Moses lists the blessings that will be a reward for \u201chearkening diligently unto the voice of the Lord\u201d (Deuteronomy 28:1-14) One of the most enduring of these is the Blessing of Rain: \u201cThe Lord will open for you His bounteous store, the heavens, to provide rain for your land in season and to bless all your undertakings \u201c( verse 12).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Last year, Israel experienced one of the worst droughts in 100 years. Fortunately, this year\u2019s relatively rainy winter has created a welcome break in a five-year period of drought, but the country\u2019s water woes are still far from over. The Kinneret (\u201cSea of Galilee\u201d), Israel\u2019s major reservoir of fresh-water, is still considerably below being considered \u201cfull\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Midrash (Deuteronomy Rabbah 7:6) elaborates on the blessing of rain in a way that remains relevant to this day: \u201cThe Lord will open for you His bounteous store\u201d \u2013 What does the word \u2018open\u2019 here refer to? God alone holds the \u2018keys\u2019 for \u2018opening\u2019 resurrection, infertility and rain. The \u2018opening\u2019 of resurrection is mentioned by Ezekiel (37:13): \u2018You shall know, O My people, that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves and lifted you out of your graves.\u2019 The \u2018opening\u2019 of infertility is mentioned in Genesis (29:31): \u2018The Lord saw that Leah was unloved and he opened her womb.\u2019 And the \u2018opening\u2019 of rain is mentioned in Deuteronomy (28:12): \u2018The Lord will open for you His bounteous store, the heavens, to provide rain for your land in season.\u2019 Great is rain, for it is compared to the resurrection of the dead, as it says: \u2018On the third day He will raise us up \u2026 And He will come to us like rain, like latter rain that refreshes the earth\u2019 (Hosea 6:2-3).\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For this reason, we include the Prayer for Rain in the Blessing of Resurrection (the second benediction of the \u201cEighteen Benedictions,\u201d Amidah prayer). And so, let us join with the Psalmist in praise of God for His Blessing of Rain: \u201cYou take care of the earth and irrigate it \u2026 The meadows are clothed with flocks, the valleys mantled with grain. They raise a shout, they break into song\u201d (Psalms 65:10-14).<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","image":{"ID":51847,"id":51847,"title":"dt28-rain","filename":"dt28-rain.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt28-rain.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-blessing-of-rain-then-and-now\/dt28-rain\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"dt28-rain","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":51846,"date":"2019-03-23 19:32:12","modified":"2022-02-13 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