RAIN! It is not only raining...it is POURING. And it is a great day...we so desperately need the rain in Israel that when it began last night, you could almost hear every household cheering. I actually overheard a child (8 years old?) at the bus stop saying, "Baruch Hashem, our tefillot were answered!" While it can be inconvenient to get around, it is overshadowed by the SEVERE need for this water. The downside of course is that the roads are slick and there are many areas that have flash flooding. Sadly, one person has died in a flash flood and as I write this there is a truck with 3 passengers stuck in a flood with the IDF trying to extricate them. Reports on line are talking about a large rise in the water level in the Southern reservoirs greater than they have been in years. I am still waiting to hear about what the rain is doing to the Kineret. All I can say is that here we see with our eyes the power of the Tefillot and what it really means when we say "Mashiv Haruach...."
Last night was the 35th (!) yahrzeit of my wife's father, Louis Shoichet, z"l. As we have done for the last many years, I made a Siyum on the night of the yahrzeit in our home. What made this extra special was that it was the first Siyum (on Yevamot) that I made in our home in Israel. It was special to invite some neighbors/friends and have them participate in this learning of Torah. It just FELT right...
Ok...back to looking out the window at the rain. It is a beautiful sight...
