Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on October 26, 2011 by Lauren Schuchart
Cross-posted from “Life According to Lauren”:
Today, it rained in Jerusalem for the first time this season!
Why is this so notable? The middle east faces a chronic water problem. Every bit of water is crucial to the well-being of this arid region, and when there isn’t rain, people suffer in a dangerous way.
At the end of Sukkot (which was last week), Jews say a special prayer, in hopes of having a season of plentiful, beneficial rain. Other faiths also have prayers for rain (check out this article from last year). In this area of the world, rain is considered a blessing.
When it started raining, everyone in my class got up to look out the window and watch. Down the hall, people were excitedly saying to each other, “did you see the rain?!” It was exciting to find such significance in something that I once took for granted.
This year, may the Middle East be blessed with RAIN.
