The general "rule" here in the HolyLand is that the rain stops by the end of Passover and resumes sometime around the end of Succot. But the real "rule" is that there aren't any rules. Almost every year has some sort of exception, whether it's "unseasonably hot and dry" after Succot or, like this year, "unseasonably wet, cool and rainy" after Passover.
At 5am I woke up to the sound of thunder. I managed to get back to sleep, and when I finally got up to get up before 8am, it was wet outside from the rain. Since I noticed rainclouds in the west, I took a shawl to shul for protection. We don't use umbrellas on Shabbat. But it was very much like a rainy summer's day in New York.
At some point during the dovening (prayers) there was a very heavy downpour. Then the rain clouds "went" away.
Was that the last rain of the season? I'd be afraid to take bets on it.
Shalom!
ReplyDeleteThe unseasonable weather may be connected to the volcano in Iceland that erupted again, stranding Obama again.
Or it's the state of the Am Yisrael, People of Israel...
ReplyDeletein the Shema, the "yoreh" (first rain) and "malkosh" (last rain of the season) are mentioned. I sometimes wonder, it's no problem to identify the "yoreh", how do we know which is the "malkosh"? :)
ReplyDeleteLeah, so true.
ReplyDelete