[Avodah] Stopping Saying Mashiv Haruach

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

R' Liron Kopinsky asked:

> In Israel, we start saying Mashiv Haruach 2 weeks after Shmini
> Atzeret to give the people who made Aliya laRegel an opportunity
> to return to their homes.
>
> Why don't we stop saying Mashiv Haruach 2 weeks before Pesach
> for the same reason?

You are confusing Mashiv Haruach with Tal Umatar. Everyone begins Mashiv Haruach on Shmini Atzeres, but in E"Y and in Chu"l. Tal Umatar is where the differences are, beginning on 7 Cheshvan in E"Y, and 4-5 Dec in Chu"l.

But if the question would be rephrased for Tal Umatar, it would stump me.

> My presumption is that it has something to do with the need for
> a public hachraza on both Shmini Atzeret and Pesach to notify
> people that the change is happening (either now or in 2 weeks)
> and that can't work retroactively from Pesach to Rosh Chodesh
> Nissan.

I see two problems with that: (1) How effective is an announcement that we're going to make a change 2 weeks from now? Heck, the gabbai announces "Yaaleh V'Yavo!" on Rosh Chodesh, and far too often I forget about it in less than three minutes. (2) Even if you'll insist that the 2 week delay is not a problem in Eretz Yisrael, surely you'll agree that the time from Shmini Ateres until December does constitute a problem for those in Chu"l.

I'm sorry that I have no answers to offer. But I hope you get some answers from someone else, because just a few months ago (http://www.aishdas.org/avodah/vol28/v28n242.shtml#06) I posted some very similar questions here, and got no responses. :-(

Akiva Miller

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