Abba’s Wife: Pray for Rain, or for Repentance?

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The Jewish calendar helps Am Yisrael understand and connect to life in its many “seasons” – literally and figuratively: one example is the need for certain chagim, or holidays, to fall at certain times of the year, such as Passover always needing to be in the spring-time. In fact, in the fall (typically when Sukkot has ended), we have a specific prayer for rain, which concludes with, “For You are G-d, who causes the wind to blow and the rain to fall. For a blessing, and not for a curse…for life, and not for death…for plenty, and not for scarcity.” We pray, so G-d heeds our call? It’s not so simple. Pray, and all pain will go away? As we all well know, this doesn’t often happen. Yet, on the other hand, pray, and let there be rain? It is not a Jew’s nature to look out his or her window, or turn on the news, and see “seasons of life” as random, or “things that just happen”.

On the topic of rain, there was a tannaic sage named Abba Hilkiahu, noted in the Talmud, as being exceptionally scrupulous in his work and behavior¹. Additionally, he was able to perform what many described as “miracles”. His gift to “pull strings with nature” was passed down by his grandfather, Honi HaMe’agel. They were neither magicians, nor sorcerers; rather, both Abba and his grandfather placed complete faith in Hashem, and through this complete trust in His infinite abilities, created a vessel for miracles. But it was not alone that Abba would “perform” miracles (for those in desperate need, one might add). It was only with the help of his wife – and later, as he added, in her merit – that Abba was able to do the “impossible” to save his community from a drought.

As mentioned, seasonal changes affect our lives tremendously – a snowy day might cause slow traffic and the beating, summer sun might bring cancellations to outdoor plans. In Israel, we know that we rely on seasonal changes, not only for our integral holidays, but for our agricultural needs. We pray for rain in order for our crops to flourish, and ultimately, for us to have what to eat. There is no doubt the weather affects us, but do we have an affect on it?

During the times of Abba Hilkiah, it was well-known that select righteous people did, in fact, have “influence” on G-d’s Hand. Abba was visited by two people (sent by sages who knew of his inherited abilities); they were to ask him to pray for long-awaited rain. It’s been suggested that due to his humility, Abba did not heed their request; only until they left his presence, did he make his way to the attic. But it was not alone that Abba beseeched the King of Kings. Beside him, pleading for rain to come, was his wife. Almost immediately, the Heavens opened, and the blessing of rain was bestowed upon the needy people. The visitors quickly returned, and demanded an explanation from Abba! To their surprise, he answered that it was not his prayers that were the reason for Divine bounty – but his wife’s. “The rain came from the direction my wife prayed, not mine.” How could this be? It was not from her grandfather that the gift to “pull Divine strings” was passed down, rather, her husband’s! Read on, and the true reason for her meriting G-d’s answer will soon be revealed…

Maimonides writes, people who say “things just happen” are cruel people. To realize that “things happen” because there is a Creator, and we are His creations with some power to co-create (primarily through prayer), is to realize that we’re not set on this earth while Someone up there rolls the dice. While man has no answers for war, personal tragedies, or natural disasters, the Torah does explain why G-d brought rain at one point in history, being the flood. Hashem explicitly tells us how wicked humanity had become, and that every man’s deepest desire was to do evil². This, in the most simplified terms, was His reason to flood the Earth.

Is it that none of us are righteous enough to stop a natural disaster (or flood)? Are we lacking in good deeds, or engaging in so much “evil” that G-d has closed His ears to us? Not quite. Abba was no less righteous than his wife, and yet, it was her prayer for rain that was answered by the Creator, and not his. Why? Abba explained to the two stunned visitors, upon the immediate rainfall, that his wife’s pleas were answered first due to her inclination towards chesed, or kindness. Similar to the evilness found in the times of the flood, Abba encountered wicked behavior in his time. “There had been robbers in my street, and I prayed to G‑d to get rid of them (which many understand as a request to kill them), but my wife prayed that they should mend their ways!”³

In the same way, Jews do not believe “things just happen”, Abba’s wife did not believe that the robbers’ wickedness had “just happened”. It was perhaps due to lousy circumstances, failed upbringing, or even, desperation for survival. In our day in age, rabbis explain that we are literally seeing good and evil unfold before our eyes. Many of us wish for G-d to destroy the bad – perhaps praying for a natural disaster, or something even worse to be cast upon our enemies. But, according to Shemonai Esrai, a Jew’s personal prayer recited three times a day, we request first that wickedness should be perished, not the evildoers themselves. We beseech G-d to humble the hearts of wrongdoers, and to guide them towards repentance, replacing their desire for evil with desire for good, or G-dliness.

The wisdom of Abba’s wife is that it is far better to pray for evildoers to mend their ways – just like in Jews’ prayer for rain, “for a blessing, and not for curse…for life, and not for death…” – than for their total destruction. We may not have such power to bring hail and fire upon Israel’s enemies (as was done to the Egyptians) for death. We may not even be able to open rain clouds instantaneously (as our ancestors did) for life. But, like Abba’s wife teaches, we can always pray for evil people to become good people – and in her merit of kindness, ask that G-d show such mercy to those who have strayed from Him, yet are ultimately His children, too.