Blessing of Rain and Dew: “Bountiful rain in
season is a blessing and its absence is regarded as a punishment from
God. Dew, the nightly condensation of vapor is also emphasized as a
symbol of beneficence since it is a source of water for plant life
during the dry season. Its absence is also considered to be drought.”
“Prayers for rain are found among the earliest liturgies. In the time of
the Second Temple, the high priest recited a prayer for rain on the Day
of Atonement. During periods of drought special prayers and fasting were
ordained. The prayers for rain and dew in the daily Amidah
evolved from these practices. Today the principal prayers for rain are
recited during the musaf service on the eighth day of Sukkot . .
. recited in the Amidah daily thereafter until Passover, when the
rainy season comes to an end. The special prayers for dew are chanted
during the musaf service on the first day of Passover and the
benediction for dew is substituted thereafter in the daily Amidah
until Sukkot. From about the fifth or sixth of December until Passover
the Amidah also includes a benediction for both rain and dew.”
(Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
“Two” Seasons in Israel: “There are two seasons in Israel:
winter --- the cold, rainy season from about October to April, and
summer --- the hot, dry season when rain is virtually non-existent.
“Because Passover falls around the beginning of spring, and because in
Erez (land) Israel the rainy season ends approximately at the time, a
special prayer for dew (tal) is recited on the first day and the
prayer for rain (morid ha-geshem) is suspended.” “In biblical
Hebrew, tal, the word for dew, may also mean a light rain. A
comparison of biblical and talmudic quotations and the contemporary
rainfall tables of Israel's meteorologists shows that the ancient
records were accurate observations of weather phenomena. Rains fall in
most of Israel from late October to May; and except for dew, the other
months are dry. The amount of rain is also variable, so that crop
irrigation has been developed to supplement the rainfall and to extend
the growing season.” (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
Rainfall in Jerusalem Equal to London’s: In Jerusalem, the
capital of Israel, the rainfall is equivalent to London, the capital of
England, although Israel gets their rain all at once! An annual average
of twenty-six inches of rain falls in Israel during the months of
December, January and February (Utah gets about thirteen inches per
year).
Rain, Metaphor of Reward and Punishment: “. . . God rewards
the righteous by granting them prosperity and well-being, and punishes
the wicked with destruction. This forms the basis of the passage from
Deuteronomy . . . adherence to God's commandments will bring "the rain
in its seasons"; disobedience will cause God "to shut up the heavens
that there be no rain, and the land will not yield her fruit.”
(Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
Sealing the Heavens: In response to the faithlessness of
Israel, the “sealing” prophet, Elijah, used his God given authority to
seal the heavens. The physical phenomenon of drought and losing their
crops reflected the spiritual phenomenon of disregarding the “still
small voice” and thereby, losing their eternal families. “The prophets
attacked idol worship not only on the grounds that it violates God's
covenant with Israel, but also because it was useless. While the pagans
believed that the natural phenomena rain, fertility, health etc. were
controlled by idols, the prophets taught that God is in control of
nature.” (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
Elijah’s Chair: “A special chair is set aside for Elijah at
circumcisions, as he is called the protector of children, and the
upholder of the covenant between God and Israel, and Elijah is supposed
to visit every Jewish home on Passover, so a special cup of wine is set
aside for him. And, says the Midrash, when the time is right, it will be
Elijah who will herald the coming of the Messiah.” (Encyclopedia
Judaica Jr.)
Who is Your Master? The name of Elijah literally means “my God
is Yah (Jehovah),” an appropriate name at a time when a proliferation of
gods was popular in the land. Ba’al in Hebrew means ‘master’ and the
Ba’al religion named gods (masters) of such things as rain, earth, wind
and fire. It is interesting that a modern “rock group” choose to call
themselves, “Earth, Wind and Fire.” In modern times, groups like these
become the popular “idols” that seek to master the attention of people.
Turning to God required self-mastery, in Hebrew “Ba’al Tshuvah.”
Mastering Repentance: “Repentance in Hebrew is known as
teshuvah, which literally means "return," and signifies a return to
God. A person who repents his sins is known as a ba'al teshuvah.
Many rabbis of the Talmud believed that the real ba'al teshuvah
is greater even than a person who has never sinned and they furthermore
said that when a person repents out of love of God (and not just out of
fear of divine punishment), all the sins he had committed are considered
to be mitzvot (commandments and blessings).” (Encyclopedia
Judaica Jr.)
Doing Good: Taking care of the widows is also a high Jewish
mitzvah. Yet, Elijah, who could have blessed the widows in Israel went
to Sarepta, a suburb of Sidon, and blessed the “foreign” widow, there.
“One of the most frequently mentioned mitzvot in the Torah is to protect
the widow, the convert (the Hebrew word ger also means stranger) and the
orphan who, like the converts, has no parents. This is because these
people are alone in the world they are entering and need help in
adjusting to new ways of acting and thinking.” “The earliest ethical
teachings are commandments in the Bible: to do justice, to avoid
bribery, gossip, robbery, oppression, to protect the weak --- the widow,
the orphan, the slave, the stranger; to be kind to animals. Man is
obliged to overcome his normal feelings and to obey these commands ---
even with respect to his enemy.” (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
Worthy Foreigners: In blessing the “foreign” widow, Elijah set
up a lesson that Jesus would later use at Nazareth, in plain view of
Mount Carmel, still known for Elijah’s “droughtful” response to
Israel’s faithlessness. In response to the Nazarene’s mocking request to
“show them a sign” he said: “But I tell you of a truth, many widows were
in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years
and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; But unto
none of them was Elias (Elijah) sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of
Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.” (Luke 4 25-26)
Take Care of the Widows: In the Bible, another righteous
widow, Ruth, cared for by a righteous Israelite, Boaz, produced the
royal line of David, and ultimately the Savior, the Messiah. These are
repeated lessons; “take care of the widows!”