הברכה התשיעי של תפילת העמידה
בָּרֵךְ עָלֵינוּ ה' אֱלהֵינוּ אֶת הַשָּׁנָה הַזּאת וְאֶת כָּל מִינֵי תְבוּאָתָהּ לְטובָה. וְתֵן (בקיץ - בְּרָכָה) (בחורף - טַל וּמָטָר לִבְרָכָה) עַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה וְשבְּעֵנוּ מִטּוּבָהּ. וּבָרֵךְ שְׁנָתֵנוּ כַּשָּׁנִים הַטּובות. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', מְבָרֵךְ הַשָּׁנִים:
Bless us, Lord our God, this year and all its various produce for good, and give (in the summer) blessing / (in the winter) dew and rain for blessing on the face of the earth, and let us be sated from your goodness. Bless us as in the good years. Blessed are you Lord, Who blesses the years
Suggested Discussion Questions:
Why might we be thankful for the dew and the rain on the face of the Earth?
What is good about the years that we are thankful for?
Does this imply that God rewards with rain and therefore that drought is a punishment?
How do we reconcile traditional interpretations with modern understanding of the weather and our climate?
Time Period: Rabbinic (Maccabees through the Talmud)