Thinking Torah Blog

As Sukkot departs and the holiday of Simchat Torah/Shmini Atzeret arrives tonight, I am reminded that our prayers shift with the changing seasons. In the Amidah, the central prayer of almost every Jewish worship service, there is a line in the second paragraph where we pray for dew during the summer and for rain and wind in the winter. This prayer reflects the climate of the land of Israel, where the summers are dry, and the winter months can bring significant rainfall.

I am also reminded that water holds both literal and metaphorical meaning. As we begin to pray for rain and wind, let us also pray for justice to come swiftly into the world and for peace to settle upon us like nourishing rain. May we be sustained by a peace that overwhelms our world and quenches the prolonged drought.