Tonight: Start Praying for Rain

The Crown Heights Bais Din released the following directive to follow the laws associated with reciting V’sen tal u’matar, beginning Thursday evening, eve of 13th of Kislev (Dec. 4):

Tonight marks sixty days since the onset of Tishrei tekufah (autumn season), and therefore, outside Eretz Yisroel, the winter prayer of v’sein tal u’matar li’verachah is said in the Amidah in the blessing of bareich aleinu.

This phrase replaces v’sein berachah, which is recited throughout the summer months. The winter phrase will continue to be recited on all weekdays until the Minchah service of erev Pesach.

The gabbai should not make an announcement between the blessing of hashkiveinu and the start of the Amidahreminding the congregation to say tal u’matar.

There are a number of laws that apply in case v’sein tal u’matar (or even just the word u’matar) was not said:

1) If we realized the error before pronouncing Hashem’s name in the blessing of mevareich ha’shanim, we go back to the words v’sein tal u’matar.

2) If we have already recited Hashem’s name in mevareich ha’shanim, we add the words v’sein tal u’matar li’verachah immediately after mevareich ha’shanim, before beginning the following blessing of tekah be‘shofar.

3) If we began tekah be’shofar, we add the words v’sein tal u’matar li’verachah in the blessing of shema koleinu immediately after the words reikam al teshiveinu, then we continue ki ata shomei’a etc.

4) If we already pronounced Hashem’s name at the conclusion of shema koleinu, we add the words v’sein tal u’matar li’verachah immediately after that blessing (after the words shomei’a tefillah), before beginning retzei.

5) If we already began retzei, then as long as we have not taken three steps back at the conclusion of the Amidah, we return to bareich aleinu and continue from there.

6) If we concluded the Amidah by taking three steps back, or even if we recited the second yihyu le’ratzon (which is considered the conclusion of the Amidah), we must repeat the entire Amidah.

7) If we realized our error only at the time of the next prayer service, we recite the Amidah of that service twice―the first time for the current service and the second time as a way to make up for the invalid Amidah of the previous service. However, if we omitted v’sein tal u’matar in the Minchah service of erev Shabbos, we do not recite the Shabbos Amidah of Maariv twice.

The calculation of sixty days from the onset of the Tishrei season is not measured down to the exact hour. We begin reciting the prayer for rain, v’sein tal u’matar, at the very first prayer of the sixtieth day, even though sixty full days haven’t yet completed.

The halachic authorities are uncertain in the case of one who omitted v’sein tal u’matar before the precise hour at which the sixty days expires has arrived, for example during Maariv Thursday night. In such a case, we repeat the entire Amidah on condition that if you are not technically required to do so by halachah it should be considered a nedavah (voluntary) and not a chovah (obligatory).

The following is a general principle in halachah: For thirty days after a seasonal change in a prayer, if we are in doubt whether we said the correct version, we must assume that we said the previous, incorrect one. However, after 30 days have elapsed (this year, beginning from Maariv of Motzoai Shabbos Parashas Vayechi (Jan. 3), we can assume that we have grown accustomed to the new version, i.e. reciting v’sein tal u’matar and did so in this instance as well.

VIDEO: Rabbi Nachman Wilhelm of Online Smicha discusses V’sen tal u’matar