[Avodah] Announcing Geshem

[Akiva Miller via Avodah]

Regarding the start of Mashiv Haruach Umorid Hagashem/hageshem on Shmini
Atzeres, we find: "It is assur to mention Geshem until the Shliach Tzibur
announces it." - Mechaber 114:2.

This announcement is critically important, as we see from several halachos.
For example, the announcement itself ought to be made at Maariv (of Shmini
Atzeres) but is done at Musaf instead, because more people are at shul for
Musaf than for Maariv. Similarly, if someone can't make it to shul for
whatever reason, he should delay his private Musaf until he knows that the
announcement was made in shul. And the poskim discuss other problems too,
like a shul with multiple minyanim, and some are saying Shacharis after
another has already said Geshem at Musaf.

Why on earth is this announcement so very important?

And why is there no announcement at all for Tal Umatar?

Beginning at Maariv tomorrow night in Eretz Yisrael (in December in chu"l),
Tal Umatar will be added to the Shmoneh Esreh. I'm sure that there will be
reminders of various sorts in all the shuls and via other methods. But none
of those reminders are halachically mandated in the manner that the
announcement for Geshem is.

Why the difference? Both Geshem and Tal Umatar are so important that
omitting them requires one to repeat his tefilah. So why is one
orchestrated with a special piyut from the chazan, while the other is no
more than an instruction in the siddur?

Akiva Miller
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