https://pixabay.com/photos/plant-raindrop-foliage-leaves-water-7227222/
יִפְתַּ֣ח ה | לְ֠ךָ֠ אֶת־אֽוֹצָר֨וֹ הַטּ֜וֹב אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם לָתֵ֤ת מְטַר־אַרְצְךָ֙ בְּעִתּ֔וֹ וּלְבָרֵ֕ךְ אֵ֖ת כָּל־מַֽעֲשֵׂ֣ה יָדֶ֑ךָ:
Hashem will open for you His good treasure the heaven to give rain for your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand; (Devarim 28:12).
This question is taken from a WhatsApp group in which Rabbi Linzer responds to halakhic questions from rabbis and community members. For more of R. Linzer’s psakim, see psak.yctorah.org.
QUESTION—Riverdale, NY
For people traveling to Israel during a time when those in Israel are already saying v’ten tal u’matar livracha (“give dew and rain,” a wintertime insertion in the Amidah), but we in chutz la’aretz (the diaspora) are not yet saying it, does one keep one’s diaspora practice in Israel or adopt the Israel practice for the few days that one is there?
ANSWER
The Mishnah Berurah (MB 117:5) says to keep practices of the place from which you originate, and not say it.
However, for my part, I cannot see being in Israel, where and when they actually need rain and are praying for it, and not identify with the people around you—Jews who are connected to land and its produce—and rather identify with generic chutz la’aretz people, to whom you are not really connected, and whose need for rain is anyway not reflected by the times we do or don’t say v’ten tal u’matar. In other words—in Israel the need is real, these are our people, and v’ten tal u’matar is actually synced to when rain is needed. In chutz la’aretz—not so much. It all just follows formal rules. This is the position of the Chida (Birkei Yosef OH 117:5), Rabbi Betzalel Stern (Betzel HaChochma 1:62), and Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Halichot Shlomo, Tefillah 9:22).
Based on this reasoning, I would say v’ten tal u’matar if I were in Israel during this time.
To read this post in Spanish, click here
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