Rain is certainly a special occurrence in Israel, not for its frequency but for the alignment of the Israeli wet season to Jewish prayers and traditions. It is one of the many facts that inherently tie the Jewish faith to the Land of Israel.
The area of the Southern Levant, Israel included, has been an agricultural-based society for the vast majority of recorded history. The Mediterranean climate offers the perfect conditions for bountiful farming. However, nothing is perfect and the downside of this climate is that rain is extremely rare during the Summer months, to the point where most Israelis see rain strictly as a Winter occurrence.
The Jewish religion which was first practiced in the land of Israel is in sync with the climate, for better and worse. The faith is so aligned with the Land and the weather that the daily ritualistic prayers Jews have followed for at least 2100 years include prayers for the climate in Israel. No matter where they have lived, the prayers Jews recite revolve around the Land of Israel. For example, during the rainy season of the Jewish Homeland which falls between late September to early May, observant Jews all over the world will pray for rain 3 times a day, and it has been like this for millennia. During the Summer months, prayers shift, and Jews pray for god’s blessings over the fields and the entire land to bring about a bountiful harvest.
For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’
— Tafara P Sairai (@tafarasairai) September 16, 2022
1 Kings 17:14 NIV
Based on all of the traditions behind it, one can only imagine how thrilling the first rain in Israel is for kids, but not only. Every single year the forecast for the first rain of the season makes headlines in all major newspapers. It has become a sign of the changing of seasons, and for religious Jews, a sign that God is listening to their prayers and aware of the agricultural needs.
So with great excitement and for the first time in The Judean, we would like to announce that Israel will be expecting its first rain of the season. According to the weather forecast of the Israeli meteorological service, rain is expected from later on today, Tuesday, September 20, 2022, in the western and northern parts of the country. It may also rain towards the weekend, in the central district.
Posting today about the streams in the desert of Israel during the rain seasons. https://t.co/JsCSxshBEC pic.twitter.com/d02xXErTVa
— Ferrell Jenkins (@ferrell_jenkins) September 19, 2022
It should be noted that naturally, rain does not automatically start with the first prayers for it, but it is pretty miraculous as it usually happens within weeks of the change in prayer from bounty to rainfall. To be in Israel during the first rains of the season is to touch history, and the storms are unlike anything on earth - one can understand why the ancient Israelites believed God lived in the cloud and communicated with them. The roaring thunder shakes the buildings and the hard rains wash the summer dust and dirt away, just in time to clean the country for the New Year through the Succot (Feast of Tabernacles) holiday season.
That's true. But is written in Jewish prayer books hundreds of times. All Jews pray in direction of Jerusalem. Pray for well being of Jerusalem. Pray for rain in Eretz Yisrael At end of Passover & Yom Kippur we say Next year in Jerusalem
— (((iAmAJudean))) 🇺🇦🇮🇱 (@TeachESL) May 19, 2021
If the opportunity arises, all the faithful who have read about the Land of Israel in the bible, both new and old testaments, should come during this time to witness the changing of the seasons. It is truly a miraculous, and faith-affirming event.
