Prayer And Thanks For Rain

The Chief Rabbinate has decided, and announced to the effect of, that the recent deluge of rains, while not enough to remove us from drought status, was significant enough that we should already be thankful for the amount received.

Therefore, this Shabbos morning, before the Torah reading, the Rabbinate has declared that congregations should say the special prayer of thanks for rain that is said after a long period of drought.

Despite saying the prayer of thanks, the Rabbinate reminds us that we still do not have enough rain and are still suffering from drought conditions, and therefore must continue saying the prayer for rain.

For me this is a reminder that we need to say thank you for even partial successes, for small victories along the way, even when not yet having achieved the full response.

The problem with the prayer of thanks for bountiful rain is that few people are familiar with it, and few siddurim have it printed within. I checked five different common siddurim last night and did not find it in any of them. I remember that the text of it is written in the Mishna Brura.

The RAMA says that the prayer became forgotten because it became mostly irrelevant as it was rarely said. As a large segment of the Jewish people lived in Europe, which has no shortage of rain, this prayer was never said.

Ladaat.net and Srugim.co.il have printed the prayer for distribution:

מוֹדִים אֲנַחְנוּ לָךְ יי אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ וֵא-לֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ עַל כָּל טִפָּה וְטִפָּה שֶהוֹרַדְתָּ לָּנוּ.

וְאִלּוּ פִינוּ מָלֵא שִׁירָה כַּיָּם. וּלְשׁוֹנֵנוּ רִנָּה כַּהֲמוֹן גַּלָּיו. וְשִׂפְתוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁבַח כְּמֶרְחֲבֵי רָקִיעַ. וְעֵינֵינוּ מְאִירוֹת כַּשֶּׁמֶשׁ וְכַיָּרֵחַ. וְיָדֵינוּ פְרוּשׂוֹת כְּנִשְׁרֵי שָׁמָיִם. וְרַגְלֵינוּ קַלּוֹת כָּאַיָּלוֹת. אֵין אֲנַחְנוּ מַסְפִּיקִים לְהוֹדוֹת לְךָ יי אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ וֵא-לֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ. וּלְבָרֵךְ אֶת שִׁמְךָ מַלְכֵּנוּ. עַל אַחַת מֵאָלֶף אֶלֶף אַלְפֵי אֲלָפִים וְרִבֵּי רְבָבוֹת פְּעָמִים. הַטּוֹבוֹת נִסִּים וְנִפְלָאוֹת שֶׁעָשִׂיתָ עִם אֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְעִמָּנוּ.

מִלְּפָנִים מִמִּצְרַיִם גְּאַלְתָּנוּ יי אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ. וּמִבֵּית עֲבָדִים פְּדִיתָנוּ. בְּרָעָב זַנְתָּנוּ. וּבְשָׂבָע כִּלְכַּלְתָּנוּ. מֵחֶרֶב הִצַּלְתָּנוּ. וּמִדֶּבֶר מִלַּטְתָּנוּ. וּמֵחֳלָיִם רָעִים וְרַבִּים וְנֶאֱמָנִים דִּלִּיתָנוּ.

עַד הֵנָּה עֲזָרוּנוּ רַחֲמֶיךָ. וְלֹא עֲזָבוּנוּ חֲסָדֶיךָ יי אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ. וְאַל תִּטְּשֵׁנוּ יי אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ לָנֶצַח. עַל כֵּן אֵבָרִים שֶׁפִּלַּגְתָּ בָּנוּ. וְרוּחַ וּנְשָׁמָה שֶׁנָּפַחְתָּ בְּאַפֵּינוּ. וְלָשׁוֹן אֲשֶׁר שַׂמְתָּ בְּפִינוּ. הֵן הֵם. יוֹדוּ וִיבָרְכוּ וִישַׁבְּחוּ וִיפָאֲרוּ וִישׁוֹרְרוּ וִירוֹמְמוּ וְיַעֲרִיצוּ וְיַקְדִּישׁוּ וְיַמְלִיכוּ אֶת שִׁמְךָ מַלְכֵּנוּ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֵל רבׁ הַהוֹדָאוֹת.