The Blessing of Rain

In this week’s episode of Ḥoni’s Circle we study the Prayer for Rain, Geshem, and a supplemental piyyut (liturgical poem) by Ruth Gan Kagan that adds Miriam to the list of ancestors whose merit we call upon to be given rain for a blessing. We talk about how this ancient prayer points to the fact that humans have always understood that water is a powerful force on which our lives depend, and in the times of floods, droughts, forest fires and hurricanes, having this prayer as an elevated part of our liturgy can be an inspiration to work on issues contributing to this change in our climate. Follow along with the source sheet here: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/521685

What is Ḥoni's Circle?

Ḥoni's Circle is a climate chevruta (partner text study), In which Rabbi Paula Rose and Tamar Libicki explore Jewish texts from the Torah, the Talmud, and Commentaries to grapple with climate change. Rabbi Paula Rose is the associate Rabbi at Congregation Beth Shalom in Seattle, Washington. This Podcast is a project of Congregation Beth Shalom and Ahavat V'Avodat HaAdama, our community's environmental group.