Soaking Wet
 Chevre (friends):
Tuesday, Day 3, and during Creation, God separates water from land, wet from dry. Water is one of those things that we never seem to get in the right amount. It is either really wet or we are going through a period of drought. And as vital as water is to life itself, we seem to have evolved to avoid rain. Rain actually is a blessing.
Last Thursday, September 30th, was the Jewish holiday of Shimini Atzeret (literally, the eighth day of assembly) when we get a bonus, eighth day to the tabernacle holiday of Sukkot. On this holiday, during the afternoon service, we say a prayer for rain (T'fillat geshem) during which the cantor dons a white garment and chants this prayer in a melody reminiscent of the solemnity of the High Holy days. This is important stuff. Water is vital to life, and rain is critical to nourish the crops in Israel through the winter season. This is Day One of the rainy season and worthy of a heartfelt appeal.
From this day forth, until the spring harvest holiday of Passover, we insert four extra words in the amidah (prayer said standing) prayer in our daily worship: Mashiv haruach u'morid hageshem, -- "Who causes the wind to blow and the rain to come down". On Passover, we change these words to "morid ha tal", tempering our expectations during the dry summer to just the morning dew, "Who causes dew to fall".
Rather than a prayer and petition for rain, these short phrases inserted into our worship might be thought of as acknowledging the Source of life, the Source of elemental water and to gently reaffirm our connection with Nature and our Life-force.
In Biblical times, rain is a metaphor for the power of God, exemplified by the forceful flood invoked in the time of Noah. I was thinking that rather than God bringing rain in response to people's actions, today our actions can affect and influence the force and effect of the rains from heaven.
Hurricane Katrina comes to mind. A storm perhaps intensified by our collective actions of global warming, led to destruction that was orders of magnitude beyond the mere force of the rain as it violated man-made levies, and ripped further inland because natural protective barriers and reefs had been compromised through development.
It is interesting to watch people's reaction to rain. My daughter, Lara, prefers rain and clouds to sunshine, I think because of her immersion in the Twilight books. Adults scurry to escape the rain, children stop and drink in the cooling shower of one of nature's most vital elements. In my mind, I can hear people calling out opposing comments during a rainstorm: "hurry, come in out of the rain" as well as "it's only water".
In a way, our comfort and connection with all of nature might be revealed in our response to a simple rainstorm. Next time, consider staying outdoors, becoming a part of the earth's natural cleansing and renewal cycle. Let out the child inside of you and run and laugh and jump in puddles. Celebrate God and Nature bringing us wind and rain, and with it, the opportunity to take a personal moment and get soaking wet. Discover the blessing in rain.
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Shalom,
Arnie Davidson
Worship Leader
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Rabbi Elias Lieberman, Falmouth, MA. | Arnie Davidson will join Rabbi Elias Lieberman, Dr. Wendy Nelson and Pamela Rothstein from the Falmouth Jewish Congregation in a "Boomer Shabbat" full of 60's and 70's music. Bring your "Woodstock" clothes and be prepared for an evening of fun and singing in this "alternative worship", entirely in English, substituting 20 pop songs for related prayers in the Shabbat worship service.
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Havdalah with Julie Silver and a day of Jewish Learning.
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