“And if you keep my commandments… I will provide rain for your land it its time… be careful lest your heart be misled and you turn away to serve other gods… and there will be no rain.” Devarim 11:13-17)

Since we were young children we learned the song, “Rain, Rain Go Away, Come On Back Another Day!”

This past Sunday, I went to a New York Yankees baseball game with my father, my oldest son and my brother’s wife. My son was very excited because 1) we were able to get very good seats (through one of my relatives) and 2) the Yankees are his favorite team and being that we live in Miami, he does not ever get a chance to see them play live. There was only one problem. The weather forecast for the Bronx on Sunday afternoon was thunderstorms — actually it was major thunderstorms. Since Yankees Stadium does not have a roof, rain would ruin the day.

Well, Baruch Hashem, rain did not come and we got to see the Yankees play. And they won! My son loved every moment of the day. He can’t wait until we go back home to Miami so he can tell all of his friends about the great experience he had at the game. It was a wonderful day.

This week’s parsha discusses rain as a reward for fulfilling the commandments. My question is: Is rain a blessing? Rain ruins everything! If it rained this past Sunday, my son and I would not have gotten a chance to see a great baseball game in Yankees Stadium (our first time seeing the Yankees play). Anytime someone plans something outside, rain ruins it. Anytime a person needs to drive, rain makes the trip that much harder. So why does the Torah tell us that rain is a reward?

The reason is because we look at rain the wrong way. Rain is extremely beneficial… actually, we cannot live without rain. Rain gives us water. Rain provides a free drink to every living thing. Rain cools down the temperature if it is too hot. Rain cleans the world. Rain makes everything grow. Basically, without rain we could not survive!

Last week, 90,000 Jews celebrated the Siyum HaShas at MetLife Stadium and many thousands joined by live video teleconferencing in cities around the world. It was a beautiful event, but there was only one problem: it rained. But then I wondered if this was really “a problem”. Maybe Hashem was trying to send us a message.

Rain is the most beneficial thing to humans. Maybe Hashem was sending us a sign: just like rain is extremely important, the Siyum HaShas is extremely important. Learning every day is extremely important and we cannot survive without it! Even though there were many different types of Jews at the Siyum HaShas, we all came together to celebrate — this is what the world needs! Hashem was telling us that just as rain is needed for humans to survive, what happened at the Siyum HaShas is what is needed to keep the Jews alive.

So, “rain, rain don’t go away. The lessons you teach us brighten our day!”

Good Shabbos!
-yes
please send any comments or questions to: [email protected]
to see previous Divrei Simcha on the Parsha, please go to www.divreisimcha.com OR www.chesedclub.com > Torah Study