Word Prompt – RAIN – Ita Yankovich

I hate rain!

I know that’s wrong. I shouldn’t think that. Afterall, rain is a source of beracha. We start davening for rain this time of year. Our planet wouldn’t exist if not for rain to nourish our plants, quench thirst, and clean our environment, yet still, I’m not a fan.

Anyone residing near a flood zone can attest, the mere mention of rain in the forecast spurs our anxiety into the thoughts of potentially threatening downpours, flash flooding, and thunderstorms. We prepare the sandbags and rags bracing for the worse.

Although I acknowledge the gifts that rain bestows on us, I tend to think of it more as a sign of G-d’s mighty wrath and maybe even his displeasure towards me. My house is prone to flooding, and when I stand on my porch watching my drain quickly get plummeted with rain to the point where it starts backing up and seeping into my downstairs apartment, I’m filled with dread. Dread of what damage it will cause, how long it’ll take to dry and clean this up, and what this downpour is doing to my roof and gutters. It’s frightening how much havoc a little H20 can cause.

If the torrential waters don’t ease after a few minutes, I turn my head to the cloudy, dark heavens and I beseech Hashem in anguish, “Please! Enough! Make it stop! I got the message” (as if I have the power to reason with G-d). When the rain does finally cease and I happen to see the arc of a rainbow above me, I look at it as a message that I should do better and that Hashem has once again shown mercy on me and my property.