PRAYER FOR RAIN
Chanted on the eighth day of Sukkoth during Musaf
Reader:
Blessed art thou, Lord our God and God of our fathers, God of Abraham, God of Isaac and God of Jacob; great, mighty and revered God, sublime God, who bestowest loving kindness, and art Master of all things; who rememberest the good deeds of our fathers, and who wilt graciously bring a redeemer to their children’s children for the sake of thy name. O King, Supporter, Savior and Shield!
- Af-Bri is the title of the prince of rain,
- Who gathers the clouds and makes them drop rain,
- Water to adorn the earth with verdure.
- Be it not held back because of unpaid debts;
- O shield faithful Israel who prays for rain.
- Blessed art thou, O Lord, Shield of Abraham.
Thou, O Lord, art mighty forever; thou revivest the dead; thou art powerful to save.
- May he send rain from the heavenly source,
- To soften the earth with its crystal drops.
- Thou hast named water the symbol of thy might;
- Its drops refresh all that have breath of life,
- And revive those who praise thy powers of rain.
- Our God and God of our fathers,
Remember Abraham who followed thee like water, Whom thou didst bless like a tree planted near streams of water;
תפלת גשם, the prayer recited for rain on the eighth day of Sukkoth, solemnly introduces the formula משיב הרוח ומוריד הגשם which is inserted into the beginning of the Amidah during the period between Sukkoth and Pesaḥ. The poems אף ברי and זכור אב were composed by Rabbi Elazar ha-Kallir of the seventh century.
אף ברי presents an impressive picture of the importance and symbolical significance of rain.
זכור אב, an alphabetic acrostic, refers to the pious deeds of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, the twelve tribes, and the miracles that were
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