In Sukkot, our rabbis said, our livelihood is determined bachag nidonim al hamaim . In other words, assuming we were granted good health to make it to the next year (notice that we ask God to grant us ‘one year at a time’) the question remains: will we be granted the means to maintain a life of dignity?
The key concept that represent our request for a dignified livelihood is the word ‘rain’.
Why?
Because in biblical and Talmudic times, the Jewish farmer would plow the land, saw the seeds, and take care of his field protecting the crops from animals, sickness, strong winds etc. But it is “rain” what will ultimately determine the success of his harvest. Rain is needed for a successful harvest and having then what to eat and rain is essential for our livelihoods and the life of our animals. Drought would kill humans and animals and it was considered one of the worst and most damaging natural tragedies …Rain is the most important requirement for the livelihood (parnasa) of the farmer.
At the end of Sukkot, from the Musaf prayer of Shemini Atzeret this coming Shabbat morning we change the words Morid haTal “You make the dew descend” for “Mashib haRuach uMorid haGeshem“, “You make the wind blow, and the rain descend.” to praise HaShem for the Creation of rain (see also this article) . This text is introduced in the second blessing of the Amida.
It is important to notice that at this specific point we are not actually “asking” God for rain. As we know, during the first three blessing of the Amida we don’t ask God for our needs, rather we praise Him for His power and kindness. When saying Mashib haRuach thus, we are acknowledging (not asking) God that it is by His will that the mechanism of rain is activated, and we are implicitly recognizing that our livelihood depends on Him.
מי ששכח להזכיר “משיב הרוח ומוריד הגשם”, ונזכר לאחר שסיים את ברכת מחיה המתים , אם אמר “מוריד הטל” במקום “משיב הרוח ומוריד הגשם” ,כפי מנהג הספרדים בימות הקיץ , אינו חוזר לראש התפלה כיון שאמר מוריד הטל
