Unpaid Debts, Violence, and Rain

Rabbi Ammi taught that violent robbery — taking by force or more general oppression — upset the universe to the point of interfering with the most basic of divine blessings. I found this passage (B. Talmud Taanit 7b) exploring prayers for Shemini Atzeret, at the close of Sukkot. This year, the close of Sukkot marks a full Jewish calendar year of disaster and death and grief. The still intensifying process of genocide, greed, and disregard for both humanity and international law seems too clear an example of “the sin of hands” Rabbi Ammi cites.

I began my studies on this hoping for inspiration to craft a prayer or ritual response for the terrible anniversary coming. At this point, I can only share the sources I’ve explored.

Rabbi Ammi tells us “rain is withheld only due to the sin of gezel [robbery, wrong, oppression].” He uses a form of scriptural reasoning that links words and images in one verse to those in another, with each image a powerful one worth considering:

• our hands, engaging in acts of violence and appropriating of others’ resources;
• God’s hands, holding lightning or covering light;
• God spreading out light, which is linked to Torah and to rain;
• God filling dark clouds with moisture and emptying them as rain.
• identification of prayer and pleading as “remedy” for what ails us and the world.

The last link in the chain of verses is a statement that “remedy” is increased prayer, brought to us through an odd conclusion to the scriptural tour: “prayer [t’fillah]” and “pleading [pegi’ah]” are equated based on God telling Jeremiah that neither one will avail for unrepentant people (Jer 7:16).

This sounds hopeless, with God telling the prophet, in essence: Don’t even try it! These folks have burned all their bridges, so don’t you come crying on their behalf!

And yet…

Debts to Pay, Ways to Mend

God tells Jeremiah to not bother praying or pleading on behalf of the people, because they’re already been offered every opportunity to change and have refused. And yet, the verse that Rabbi Ammi cites is prefaced by crystal clear atonement instruction:

If you really mend your ways and your actions; if you execute justice between one party and another; if you do not oppress the stranger, the orphan, and the widow; if you do not shed the blood of the innocent in this place; if you do not follow other gods, to your own hurt— (Jer 7:5-6)

Rabbi Ammi’s “what is the remedy?” message says what is needed is prayer. But the passage chosen clarifies that true prayer/pleading means self-reflection and change. Prayer/Pleading ALONE are useless. What’s required is “mending your ways and your actions.”

The prayer for rain asks that the blessing “not be withheld because of unpaid debts.” And that means we cannot JUST pray for blessing. We’ve got debts to pay and ways to mend.

Sources in three-column study sheet with color coding (Rain Debts PDF)

Same material in straight text without colors or columns (Rain Debts Text Only)