Word Prompt – RAIN – Ziona Greenwald

This past Shabbat afternoon, in the midst of a typical steaming-hot summer here in Jerusalem (it’s August as I write this), we experienced something epic: heavy, drenching rain.

Forecasters had mentioned possible precipitation in other parts of the country (where summer rain, while uncommon, is not unheard of), but no one predicted rain for Jerusalem. No one would have believed them if they had – it would have been like forecasting a heatwave in Siberia or an ice storm in the Amazon.

And it wasn’t just a few drops that came down. No, the rain lasted for more than two hours, complete with darkened skies, thrashing trees, and lots and lots of people – including my two daughters – caught unawares outside and soaked through in their summer finery.

It felt, in a word, Messianic.

The streets dried quickly; the heat returned. But the unexpected deluge left something profound in its wake: a sense of wonder, of infinite possibility – and a reminder that G-d’s control of the world, and our lives in it, knows no limits.

May this wondrous experience be but a harbinger of the wonders – and the ultimate revelation – yet to come.