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The Jewish Prayer for Rain in the Post-Talmudic Diaspora

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The Jewish Prayer for Rain in the Post-Talmudic Diaspora THE JEWISH PRAYER FOR RAIN IN THE POST-TALMUDIC DIASPORA by ARNOLD A. LASKER and DANIEL J. LASKER introduction Halakhah does not develop in a vacuum. It grows through its confronta­ tion with the changing conditions in which Jews live. New situations raise new questions which, in turn, require new answers. The process of determining the correct practice has involved more than reinterpreting talmudic discussions or simply following the post-talmudic codes. Other factors, which include local custom, the desire for Jewish uniformity, and the dictates of reason, have also played a major role. Stressing one or another of these factors over the others could very likely result in different conclusions. As a result, authorities very often have found themselves in disagreement as to what the halakhah on a particular point should be. A history of halakhah, therefore, needs to take into consideration the interplay of the various factors entering into decision-making and show which ultimately became dominant. 141 142 ARNOLD A. LASKER AND DANIEL J. LASKER To illustrate this point, we propose to study the following question When is the Jewish prayer for rain to be said in the diaspora? By concen­ trating on what is otherwise a relatively minor, technical point, we hope that certain principles which form the basis of halakhic development will become manifest. The Jewish prayer for rain consists of the insertion of the words fai u-mafar ("dew and rain") in the ninth benediction of the Shemoneh 'Esreh (Birkat haShanim — "The Blessing of the Years").1 The practice of insert­ ing this phrase into the blessing is a very old one. In tannaitic times, apparently the only question which arose about the insertion concerned the exact portion of the year when the prayer was to be said. The Mishnah records various proposed dates for beginning to say it. The accepted opinion was that attributed to Rabban Gamaliel, who ruled that the prayer for rain should commence on the seventh of Marljeshvan, "fifteen days after the feast, so that even the tardiest Israelite may reach the Euphrates [on the return journey from the pilgrimage to Jerusalem]."2 It is unclear from the context whether Rabban Gamaliel intended that the prayer for rain should begin invariably on the seventh of Marfoeshvan or only when there was a Temple and pilgrims.1 Conceivably, when there were no pilgrims, the prayer for rain could begin right after Shemini Atzeret.4 The authors would like to thank the Bcn-Gunon University of the Negev, which provided research grants, and the Bar-Ilan University Rcsponsa Project, whose facilities were used in the retrieval of pertinent sources 1 The phrase fai u-mafar ("dew and rain") is biblical, see 1 Kings 17 1. In the Ashkcnazic rite, the changeover from dr> season to rainy season is effected by the addition of the words fa! u-mafar In the Scfardic rite, the two seasons have different forms for the opening of the bene­ diction Barckh 'aleinu (with the words tal u-mafar) for the rainy season, Barekhemu (without those words) for the dr> season On the ninth benediction of the Shemoneh 'Esreh. sec. c g , Ismar Llbogcn, Der jüdische Gottesdienst in semer geschichtlichen Entwicklung (Frankfurt, 1931. [reprint cd Hildcshcim. 1962]), pp 49-50 2 Mishnah Ta'anit 1 3, see Hcnrv Malter, cd, Vie Treatise Ta'anit of the Bah\loman Talmud (Philadelphia. 1928). ρ 2 (1967 cd , pp 4—5) For our purposes, it is not important to determine the accuracy of the lalmudic attributions Later rabbinical authorities, who arc our main concern here, took the talmudic material at face value Thus, our discussion, for instance, of Rabbi Judah's reasoning is based on the later perspective of commentators and dccisors 3 í rom the discussion in both Talmuds (Bab Ta'anit 4b, Jer Ta'anit 1 2, 64a), it would appear that Rabban Gamaliel's ruling is applicable onlv in Temple times See Joseph Heine- mann. **Lc-\crur Pcshutan shel Mishnavot Abadot," Bar ¡Ian 3 (1965) 11-17 The current practice in the Land of Israel is to begin the pravcr for rain on the seventh of Marhcshvan 4 Whereas the mention {hazkarah) of rain, with the words mashi\ ha-ruah u-morui ha-geshem. begins on Shemini Mzcrct itself, the pravcr (shc'elah) for rain, fai u-mafar. is said onlv in the weekdav Shemoneh 'Esreh and, thus, could not be said until after Shemini Atzeret FRA\ER FOR RAIN IN THE POST-TALMUDIC DIASPORA 143 Babylonian practice was different from that of the Land of Israel. The Talmud reports that Hananiah (a second-century tanna who moved from the Land of Israel to Babylonia) pointed out that the Babylonian Jews started to say fai u-ma¡ar much later than the seventh of Martieshvan. They did not begin to do so until the sixtieth day from Tequfat Tishrci (the autumnal equinox).5 This practice was subsequently declared by Samuel to be the halakhah for Babylonian Jews.6 Despite this difference of procedure bctw een the Jews of Babylonia and those of the Land of Israel as to when to start saying fai u-mafar, they both agreed on when to stop saying it, the last weekday service prior to Passover.7 There were, of course, Jews living in other countries during talmudic times, but, unfortunately, we have no information as to when these communities prayed for rain. Only one case of this nature is mentioned, that of Nineveh (Nawe).8 The Babylonian Talmud relates the story as follows: The inhabitants of Nineveh sent the following question to Rabbi [Judah ha- Nasi] Inasmuch as we are in need of rain during the summer,9 arc wc to be s In the third century, the seventh of Marhcshvan fell between October 3 and November 1 (Gregorian), sec Λ Λ Akavij, Calendar for 6000 Yean (Jerusalem, 1975/76), adjusting his Julun dates for Gregorian by subtracting one day from the Julian to gel the Gregorian (for the third century) Although wc do not know exactly how Babylonian Jews in the third century calculated the equinox, wc can compute that the sixtieth day after the astronomical equinox at that time fell on November 21 'At the present time, the rules for calculation set down by Simucl (trubm 56a) arc employed, and, as a result, the autumnal equinox is presumed to fall on October 7, and the prayer for rain in the Diaspora begins sixty days later, starting with Ma am of cither December 4 or 5, sec below, η 97 6 Sec Bab Ta ami 10a. Malter, Ta'amt, ρ 69(1967 cd, pp 138-140), Jcr 7aanu61d The 'Mxticth day from the equinox [shishun \om ba-tequfah]" ultimately became more precisely defined as the sixtieth day counting from the equinoctial day. or fifty-nine days after the equinox The reasons for the difference between the dates in the Land of Israel and Babylonia ««re explored in the authors' "The Jewish Prayer for Rain in Babylonia." to appear in the Journal for ¡he Study of Judaism 7 Namely, in Mmhah on the eve of Passover, sec Mishnah Ta ami I 1-2 The mention of ram {ma^hn ha-ruah) is made for the last lime on the first day of Passover cither in Shahani (Scfardic and Land of Israel practice) or in the silent Musaf prayer (Ashkcnazic rite) ** The received text is "Nineveh," the Assyrian city, but Samuel Klein, "The Lstatcs oí R Judah Ha-Ndsi," Je*uh Quarterly Rc\ien, η s 2 (1911-12) 550-554, suggested reading here Vivvc. a city in Transjordan His reasoning is that there was no Jewish community in Nineveh at the time of Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi This emendation was accepted by Malter, ρ 97 Ί967 cd. pp 194-195), and by Gcdalyah Alon, Toledol ha-\ehudim be-tre; ) i\rael h¡-Tcqufai ha-\fi\hnah \cha-Talmud, vol 2 (Tel Aviv, 1961). ρ 138 This emendation was faceted by Jacob Obcrmcycr. Die Landschaft Babylonien (Frankfurt. 1929). ρ 139 Î or our purposes, κ makes no difference whether it was the Jews of Nineveh or the Jews of Nawe who 144 ARNOLD A. LASKER AND DANIEL J. LASKER compared to individuals and hence to include our prayer for rain in the benediction Shome a Tefilah ["He Who Hears Prayer"],10 or are we regarded as a community and should insert it in Birkat ha-Shaniml Rabbi replied: You are regarded as individuals, and should insert your prayer in the benediction Shome'a Tefilah An objection was raised: Rabbi Judah says, the given order of fasts applies only to times when the seasons of the year were divided on the basis of their normal recurrence and Israel was dwelling in its land, but in the present [i.e., after the destruction of the Temple and the dispersion of the Jewish people] all depends upon the nature of the seasons and upon the nature of the localities! What! You quote a baraita to contradict Rabbi! Rabbi is an authority of the Mishnah and is entitled to differ. What has been decided in this matter? R. Nahman said, in such a case the prayer for rain may be in­ serted in Birkat ha-Shanim, but R. Sheshet said, it must be included in Shome'a Tefilah, and the law is that it must be included in Shome'a Tefilah " The Jerusalem Talmud reports the incident somewhat differently. As the story is presented there,12 the inhabitants of Nineveh found themselves in dire need of rain after Passover, i.e., when the Jews in both the Land of Israel and Babylonia no longer required rain.
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