Geshem

Geshem (גשם) is a Hebrew word for "rain," and is the name of a prayer for rain recited on the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret.

Geshem (גשם) is a Hebrew word for "rain," and is the name of a prayer for rain recited on the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret. ==Overview== In Israel, rain falls mostly in the fall and winter; this half of the year is called in the Mishnah "yemot ha-geshamim" (days of rains). On Shemini Atzeret, which is the last holiday before the beginning of this rainy season, traditional Jews begin mentioning rain in their prayers (adding the phrase "He causeth the wind to blow and the rain to descend"). "Geshem" is the name of a set of piyyutim recited by religious Jews in the Mussaf (additional) prayer for Shemini Atzeret, which is read and sung as an introduction to the first mention of rain in the prayers. In the Eastern Ashkenazic rite, these piyyuṭim end with an invocation in six stanzas, each of which closes either with "for his sake do not withhold water!" or with "through his merit favor the outflow of water!" the merits of the Patriarchs, of Moses, of Aaron, and of the twelve tribes crossing the Red Sea being successively referred to. Following this invocation, the prayer leader proceeds: "For thou, O Lord our God, causest the wind to blow ... For a blessing and not for a curse, For plenty and not for famine, For life and not for death!" and the congregation thrice answers, "Amen!" "Geshem" corresponds to the "Tal" (Dew) prayer recited on the first day of Passover, after which the above-quoted mention of rain is omitted as being inapplicable to the summer dry season, and is replaced by mention of dew. In some communities, it is customary for the reader of the Musaf on the days on which "Geshem" or "Tal" is inserted, to put on the kittel, as on Yom Kippur, and before Mussaf to sing Kaddish in the tune of that solemn day; in some Western Ashkenazic communities, the words "le'eila le'eila" are repeated like on the High Holidays. ==References==

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