Shulchan Aruch: Chapter 114 - Laws Relating to Mention of the Wind, Rain, and Dew

SECTION 114 Laws Relating to the Mention of the Wind, the Rain, and the Dew. (1-11)

1 The second blessing [of Shemoneh Esreh] does not begin with the words Baruch [Atah...], because it follows in direct sequence to the [preceding] blessing.1 Similarly, all the other blessings [of Shemoneh Esreh] follow in direct sequence to each other. Hence they conclude Baruch [Atah...], but do not begin Baruch [Atah...].

During the Mussaf Service of Shemini Atzeres, we begin mentioning [the granting of] rain in the second blessing2 and we do not cease until the Mussaf Service of the first day of Pesach.3 [The role of] this mention is to make the request acceptable;4 i.e., before making a request for rain when the appropriate time comes, which is in the rainy season, we mention G‑d’s might in causing the rains to fall so that our request will be accepted in good grace.5 [The Sages] placed this mention in the blessing that praises G‑d for resurrecting the dead, because the rains are considered as equivalent to the Resurrection.2 For just as the Resurrection of the Dead [brings] life to the world, so too, the rains [bring] life to the world.6

Logically, it would have been appropriate to begin mentioning [the rain] and [requesting G‑d’s grace] on the first day of Sukkos, because on Sukkos [the world] is judged with regard to [the granting of] water.3 Nevertheless, since the rains during Sukkos indicate a curse, for it is impossible to dwell in the sukkah while it is raining,7 we do not mention rain until the seven days of dwelling in the sukkah have passed.8 It would have been appropriate to begin mentioning [the rains] immediately on the night of [Shemini Atzeres],9 but since not everyone is present in the synagogue for the Evening Service, there would be some who would mention it and others who would not,10 and thus they would [be forming] separate groups.11

And why is [the rain] not mentioned in the Morning Service [of Shemini Atzeres]? Because it is forbidden to mention it until the sheliach tzibbur or the synagogue attendant announces morid hageshem (“He who causes rain to descend”) before Shemoneh Esreh, and in the Morning Service such an announcement may not be made, because the blessing Gaal Yisrael must be directly linked to Shemoneh Esreh.12 Therefore even one who is sick or subject to forces beyond his control — who throughout the year is allowed, even in the synagogue, to recite Shemoneh Esreh before the congregation does, as stated in sec. 90[:11] — is forbidden to recite the Mussaf Service of Shemini Atzeres before the congregation does even when he is praying at home, because it is forbidden to make the mention of rain before it is announced communally.

If, however, he knows that such a communal announcement was made, even though he did not hear it personally, he should mention the rain. For this reason, if one arrives at the synagogue after the congregation has already begun reciting [the Mussaf Service], he [too] should [recite the Shemoneh Esreh of Mussaf] and mention rain, even though he did not hear the announcement.13 A person who lives in a place where there is no minyan should wait to recite [the Mussaf service] until the time at which congregations at large [recite it].

2 Similar concepts apply with regard to ceasing [to make this addition]. We do not cease mentioning rain until the announcement morid hatal14 is made in the synagogue before the Mussaf Service on the first day of Pesach. This is the case in the places where it is customary in the summer to say morid hatal instead of [mashiv haruach u’]morid hageshem,15 because there the announcement to mention dew signals that rain should no longer be mentioned. Before this announcement is made, the community does not cease mentioning rain, so as not to create a confusion of practices with one mentioning it and one failing to mention it, in divergent groups. If, however, an individual recites the [Morning or Evening] Shemoneh Esreh alone, he may mention dew instead of rain.16

In these countries17 (where it is not customary to mention dew in the summer instead of rain and thus there is no announcement concerning dew to signal that one should no longer mention rain), it is customary not to cease mentioning rain until the Afternoon Service when [the congregation] has already heard how the sheliach tzibbur had omitted the mention of rain in [the repetition of] the Shemoneh Esreh of Mussaf. In the whispered Shemoneh Esreh of Mussaf, the entire congregation and the sheliach tzibbur mention rain so that there will not be a confusion of practices. [This course of action is taken] because it is inappropriate to announce before Shemoneh Esreh that one should cease mentioning rain. To do so would appear as if [the congregation] is spurning the rains — and the Sages teach that18 “we do not pray for [the cessation of] abundant good.”19

The reason the sheliach tzibbur does not cease mentioning [rain] in the Morning Service is that those people who did not attend the synagogue in the Evening Service [might err].9 When they hear that the sheliach tzibbur does not mention [rain] in the Morning Service, they may assume that one ceases mentioning it in the Evening Service, for in all situations, [the halachic status of] the day follows [that of the previous] night. [It could thus be that] in the following year they will not mention [rain] in the Evening Service. [This would lead to a confusion of practices,] with some mentioning [rain] and some not mentioning it.

3 The Sages did not require that dew and wind be mentioned,20 neither when mentioning [G‑d’s praise] in the second blessing, nor when making a petition in the blessing that requests material prosperity,21 for they are never withheld. If, however, one chooses to mention them, he may do so.22

In fact, it is universal custom to recite mashiv haruach (“He causes the wind to blow”) when mentioning rain in the rainy season, but wind is not mentioned in the petition [for rain in the blessing for material prosperity]. It is not mentioned in the summer at all, for it is sought in the rainy season only, to dry the abundant moisture of the earth. If one did not mention [wind] in the rainy season or if one did mention it in the summer, he is not required to return [and repeat the blessing], even if he had not yet completed it.23

Dew is something that is always sought.24 [Hence,] there are places where it is customary to mention it in the summer,15 and to request it both in the summer and in the rainy season.25 For although the dew never ceases, we are asking that it should descend as a blessing, since there are times when it [does not descend as a] blessing.

If one mentioned [dew] in the rainy season, or failed to mention it in the summer, or requested it neither in the summer nor the rainy season, he is not required to return [and repeat the blessing] even if he had not yet completed it, since the Sages did not require the mention of dew and wind at all.

In these countries17 it is customary to request dew during the rainy season, but not in the summer, and not to mention it [in the second blessing], neither in the summer nor in the rainy season.26 If one mentioned [or] requested it [in the summer] — (e.g., he said, vesein tal {“And grant dew”} and remembered before saying umatar {“and rain”})27 — he is not required to repeat the blessing.

4 If one said morid hageshem in the summer, he is required to repeat the blessing, because in the summer, rain is nothing but an indication of a curse.28 [The Sages] therefore required a person whose prayer mentioned a curse to pray again without a curse, repeating the blessing in which he mentioned it. He must therefore go back to the beginning of the blessing. If he would return to the phrase mechalkel chayim,29 he would not negate the fact that he had mentioned rain inappropriately, for when morid hageshem is mentioned in the rainy season, the requirement is [also] to say mechalkel chayim directly afterwards.30

If one remembers [making the inappropriate addition] after concluding the [second] blessing, he must return to the beginning of Shemoneh Esreh. [The rationale is that] whenever one errs in the recitation of a blessing to the extent that he is required to repeat it and correct his mistake, and he did not return before concluding this blessing, it is not sufficient that he return to the point at which he erred in order to correct his error. Instead, he must go back to the beginning of the blessing, as will be explained.31 And in this context, the three first blessings [of Shemoneh Esreh] are considered as one blessing, as will be explained.31

5 One is required to repeat [Shemoneh Esreh if he made such an addition] even at a time when rain does not indicate a curse, for example, when the spring equinox has not yet passed.32 [Moreover,] even if rain is needed, one is required to repeat [the blessing if he mentions rain]. Since most of the time when we no longer mention it, rain would indicate a curse, the Sages did not make any distinctions and ruled that one who mentions rain after the time we cease mentioning it is required to return [to the beginning of Shemoneh Esreh].

Even in countries that always require rain [even] in the summer, in a situation where if a person requested rain in the blessing for material prosperity he would not be required to repeat it, as explained in sec. 117[:1], nevertheless, if one mentioned rain in the second blessing, he is required to repeat that blessing. For the land’s need of rain is not of consequence with regard to the mention of rain [in the second blessing]; it is of consequence only with regard to the request for rain [in the blessing for material prosperity]. (For when requesting [rain] one requests for his own land, but when mentioning [rain in the second blessing in the summer], one would be praising the Holy One, blessed be He, for causing rain to fall at an inappropriate time, when it indicates a curse for Eretz Yisrael and similar lands. This is why he must repeat that blessing, without the curse.)

6 If one does not say morid hageshem in the rainy season, he is required to repeat [the blessing] (even if he said mashiv haruach). This applies only if he did not mention dew.9 If he mentioned dew, he is not required to repeat the blessing (even if he did not conclude the blessing). Even though dew is never withheld, mentioning it is still a praise of G‑d, like the mention of rain. For just as rain [brings] life to the world, so too, dew [brings] life to the world,33 for through it grain is blessed. (In several sources the Sages referred to dew as “the dew that vivifies.”34 Such an appellation was not given to wind. For although the world cannot exist without wind,35 wind is not called “life for the world” as rain and dew are. This explains why some people mention dew throughout the summer,26 so that if they will forget to say morid hageshem in the rainy season, it can be assumed that they say morid hatal, as they were accustomed to do in the summer. [Hence,] they are not required to repeat [the blessing].)

7 When do we apply the rule that one is required to repeat the blessing if he did not mention either rain or dew in the rainy season? When he completed the entire blessing and began the blessing that follows it. Then he must return to the beginning of Shemoneh Esreh, for the reason given above.36 If, however, he remembered [his omission] before he completed the blessing, he should say mashiv haruach umorid hageshem at the place at which he remembered. For the Sages did not specify a certain point within that blessing at which rain should be mentioned. They merely said2 that [G‑d’s] might [in granting] the rains37 should be mentioned in [the blessing of] the Resurrection. It is customarily mentioned before mechalkel chayim (“He sustains life”) because rain is [essential] to [our] sustenance and livelihood. [Nevertheless,] if [rain] was not mentioned before mechalkel chayim, the entire blessing is an appropriate place for it.

Even if one concluded the blessing [without mentioning rain], but remembered before beginning Atah Kadosh,38 he is not required to return to the beginning [of Shemoneh Esreh]. Instead, one should say mashiv haruach umorid hageshem without concluding [it as one concludes a blessing], and then say Atah Kadosh. [The rationale is that] as long as one does not begin the blessing that follows, it is not considered as if he has finished this blessing entirely with regard to the factors that require him to repeat the blessing.39 By contrast, it is considered as the conclusion of the blessing with regard to matters that do not require repetition of the blessing, e.g., [the omission of] Havdalah40 in the blessing Chonen HaDaas, and [the omission of] Yaaleh veyavo in the Evening Service of Rosh Chodesh. These passages should not be recited after one concludes the blessing even though he has not yet begun the following blessing, as will be explained in sec. 294[:7] and sec. 422.41

8 The first three blessings [of Shemoneh Esreh] are considered as a single unit because they share a common purpose — to set forth the praises of the Omnipresent before requesting one’s needs,42 like a servant who enumerates his master’s praises before asking for a gift. Similarly, the final three [blessings] are considered as a single unit, for they are comparable to a servant taking leave of his master after receiving a gift from him, as explained in sec. 112[:1].

Accordingly, if one erred at any point in the first three blessings, he must go back to the beginning of Shemoneh Esreh, and [if he erred at any point] in the three final blessings, he must go back to the blessing Retzeh.42 [This applies] whether he is praying as an individual or [as the sheliach] tzibbur, provided it is an error that cannot be corrected unless one goes back to the beginning of the blessing in which he erred. To cite examples:

[a] one erred in the concluding phrase of a blessing, replacing it by a conclusion appropriate for a different blessing, or

[b] one concluded [the third blessing with the words] HaE-l HaKadosh during the Ten Days of Repentance,43

and [in either case] did not remember until after the lapse of [the brief time span that is called] kdei dibbur.44 [In such instances,] he cannot correct his error by [merely] going back and concluding correctly, for going back [and making such a correction] is effective only when done within [the above time span].

If such [an error is made] in [one of] the intermediate blessings, one must return to the beginning of that particular blessing.

This also applies if one concluded [the blessing] appropriately, but (he replaced the entire preceding text of the blessing by a different text that does not reflect the content of the blessing at all and did not realize [his error] until he concluded the blessing.) (Alternatively, [it applies] when one said nothing of the body of the blessing, but only its concluding phrase. Thus) he recited the blessing in a short form only,45 like that of the blessings [recited before partaking of] fruit or [before performing] the mitzvos, whose opening and conclusion is the same [phrase. Since] he deviated from the version46 that the Sages instituted for the blessing, he did not fulfill his obligation and, if it is one of the intermediate blessings, he must return to the beginning of that blessing. If it is one of the first three [blessings], he must return to the beginning [of Shemoneh Esreh]. And if it is one of the final three [blessings], he must go back to the blessing Retzeh. (Needless to say, [the above applies] if he skipped a blessing entirely and did not remember until after he concluded the blessing that follows.) For were he not [to do] so, if he were to recite it in the place that he remembered, the second blessing47 would be like an error in the midst [of Shemoneh Esreh].48

If, however, one skipped part of the text in the middle of a blessing49 (and even if he replaced the omission by another text that was unrelated to this blessing), as long as he concluded [the blessing] appropriately (and recited a related request before concluding the blessing,50 [even] if he did so in a manner that deviated from the version ordained by the Sages), he is not considered to have deviated from the wording of the blessing ordained by the Sages, as explained in sec. 66[:12] and sec. 68[:1]. For one is not considered to have deviated from the wording ordained by our Sages unless he changed the beginning or the conclusion of the blessings that begin with Baruch and conclude with Baruch. (And [with regard to the] blessings of Shemoneh Esreh that conclude with Baruch, but do not begin with Baruch, even if one alters the beginning of the blessing and expresses its content in other wording,51 the law is the same as if one made a deviation in the middle of the blessing. The rationale is that the blessings follow in sequence to each other52 and thus the beginning [of each one] is considered as if it were the middle of the blessing.)

9 Whenever [the Sages] ruled that one must return to the blessing in which he erred, for example —

[a] he skipped [a blessing]

[b] he erred in the concluding phrase of one of the intermediate blessings53 or in [one of] the final three blessings in which instance, he should return to the blessing Retzeh, which is the beginning [of that bracket], or

[c] he mentioned rain in the summer in which instance should return to the beginning of the second blessing54 if he had not yet completed the blessing,

— they issued those rulings only when one erred inadvertently. If, however, one acted willfully and intentionally, he must return to the beginning of Shemoneh Esreh. This also applies when one speaks intentionally [in the midst of Shemoneh Esreh], as explained in sec. 104[:4].

10 [The following rules apply if] one [recites Shemoneh Esreh] and does not know whether he mentioned rain or not: Within 30 days [of the day when a change was made], it is assumed55 that he mentions what he would mention habitually. After 30 days, [we assume that] he mentions what he is required to mention. Accordingly, if in the summer he is in doubt as to whether he mentioned morid hageshem, for [the first] 30 days it is assumed that he mentioned it as was his habit throughout the winter. Hence, he must repeat [the blessing]. In the rainy season, [if] during the [first] 30 days [he is unsure of whether he mentioned morid hageshem], in these countries where dew is not mentioned in the summer, he must repeat [the blessing]. For during those [first] 30 days, it is assumed that he mentioned neither dew nor rain.56

After 30 days have passed, he is not required to repeat the blessing, because his tongue has already become accustomed to [pray] as required and it can be assumed that he prayed according to his [present] habit. Even if he erred or transgressed and did not pray for a day or two, [his conduct] does not change the prevailing assumption.57 Since that assumption was established during the majority of those days, that is sufficient. In view of the fact that [despite] not having mentioned it for a day, he afterwards went back, mentioned it, and [continued doing so] until the end of the 30 days, the 30-day assumption has been established.

11 If, on the first day of Pesach,58 one recited the second blessing from Atah gibor until and including morid hatal — or, in these countries, until and including mechalkel chayim — 90 times [consecutively] without saying morid hageshem, [it is assumed that] his tongue has [thereby] become habituated to say rav lehoshia morid hatal59 or rav lehoshia mechalkel chayim.60 [This repetition is regarded] as if he had recited this passage for 30 days. For [even] in 30 weekdays61 one will not recite [this blessing] more than 90 times, three times every day. If one establishes a habit when reciting [these phrases] on diverse occasions, how much more can we assume that a habit was established when [the repetition] is made consecutively. Therefore, [after having been habituated in this manner,] if one does not remember whether he mentioned rain, it is assumed that he did not mention it and he is not required to repeat the blessing.

Similarly, if on Shemini Atzeres62 one says Atah gibor until morid hageshem inclusive 90 times, and afterwards is unsure whether he mentioned rain, it is assumed that he mentioned it.

(There are those who differ with this [ruling]. As an initial preference,63 it is desirable to respect their opinion and not to pursue this [tactic] and then rely on it. If, however, one did so and then became doubtful as to whether or not he mentioned [morid hatal], he is not required to repeat [the blessing], for [the initial view] is given primacy.)