[Avodah] Friendly Reminder - Monday evening begin Prayer for Rain

[Ari Meir Brodsky]

Dear Friends, shavua tov.

	This is just a friendly reminder to Jews outside of Eretz Yisrael
that our daily prayers should include the request for rain, beginning with
the Maariv service this Monday evening, December 4, 2006, corresponding to
the evening of 14 Kislev, 5767.  The phrase "Veten tal umatar livrakha" -
"Give us dew and rain for a blessing" is inserted into the 9th blessing of
the weekday shemone esrei, from now until Pesach.

	Please be so kind as to remind friends and family members of this
event, especially those who may not have occasion to be in shul at that
time.

	The request for rain is begun in the Diaspora on the 60th day
following the fall equinox, as calculated according to the approximation
given by Shmuel in the Talmud.  If you are interested in more information
about this calculation, you may wish to follow the link below, to a
fascinating article giving a (very brief) introduction to the Jewish
calendar, followed by a detailed discussion on why the prayer for rain
begins when it does.  Thanks to Russell Levy for the link:
www.lookstein.org/articles/veten_tal.htm

	Also, in case you ever find yourself stranded somewhere at Birkat
HaChodesh without a calendar listing the time of the Molad, you may want to
learn my Mental Molad Method, at:
http://individual.utoronto.ca/aribrodsky/MentalMoladMethod.htm

	And if you're curious about how often there are two Shabbatot during
Chanukka, as there are will be year, you can find that as well as other
Chanukka statistics at:
http://individual.utoronto.ca/aribrodsky/Chanukka.htm

	Finally, I wish a very happy first wedding anniversary to my sister
and brother-in-law, Sara and Noah Farkas, who were married last year on the
night we began praying for rain!

	This reminder is dedicated in memory of my dear Zaide, Morris O.
Brodsky, משה אשר בן מרדכי אייזיק ע"ה,whose yortzeit, 14 Kislev, falls this
year on the day we begin praying for rain.


Wishing everyone a happy Chanukka,
Ari Brodsky.


-----------------------
Ari M. Brodsky
ari.brodsky at utoronto.ca