The Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, Shlomo Amar, has made a special request that Jews fast and pray this Thursday for rain to ease Israel's drought:
In a letter written on official stationery of the State of Israel, Amar explained to the public that most of the winter season has passed without the "rains of blessing", and with Israel's water flow "limited and coming with great suffering," after several years of below average rainfall. "The Kinneret is almost totally dry," he lamented.
Rabbi Amar promised the public that a solution can be found in the collective and individual actions of the Jews of Israel. "It is our obligation in this situation to look inward and to actualize [good] deeds, to draw near to G-d with all our hearts, and to pour out our pleas to Him with a broken and forlorn heart."
Rabbi Amar called on all those who care about the continued presence and success of Jews in the Land of Israel to fast and pray on Thursday, the 28th day of Tevet. Those who have difficulty fasting, he says, should fast at least half the day. He also encouraged Jews to congregate in synagogues to say Selichot (penitence) prayers and Psalms.
If the Jews do these things, Rabbi Amar says, "the great G-d will not reject, He will hear His poor ones, He will see His impoverished ones and hear our prayers, and will fulfill our requests with kindness and mercy, return His winds and waters will flow… with mercy on our nation and on the inheritance of our fathers."
There's a special prayer for rain here, for those of you whom read Hebrew. And for those of you wishing to honor the Rabbi's request, the 28th day of Tevet is this Thursday, January 14th.
For those of you not of the Jewish persuasion, I'm sure a moment of prayer for rain for Israel this Thursday would have much merit and help a great deal.
1 comment:
I always pray for Israel. I was not aware of drought conditions. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I will be better able to focus my prayers now.
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