On a winter Friday night Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu left his home in Kiryat Moshe to go to the Ades Synagogue in the Nachlaot neighborhood of Jerusalem to participate in the “Shirat Habakashot” the song of asking which takes place there.
Before Rabbi Eliyahu left his house with his close students it was pouring rain. But when Rabbi Eliyahu started on his way the rain stopped and he made the long way there completely dry.
The Shirat Habakashot was pleasant and it was time to go home. It was pouring rain outside and again when Rabbi Eliyahu started on his way back home the rains again stopped.
The people accompanying the rabbi were astounded. “Esteemed Rabbi,” They said. “It seems that the heavens are watching over the Rabbi and making sure he stays dry!” Someone else commented, “Indeed on our way here it also happened that the rains stopped when the Rabbi stepped outside.”
Rabbi Eliyahu questioned: “Is this indeed so? The nation of Israel needs rain and you think the rain stopped because of me? If it’s up to me, I decree that it should start raining immediately!”
At that moment the sky broke open and it started raining torrentially. Everyone accompanying the Rabbi was soaked through to their bones!
After the Rabbi came home and changed to dry clothing someone asked him; “Rabbi, I remember when we were together with the rabbi in England someone proposed to the rabbi to wear regular clothing and not his rabbinical cloak for fear of rain. On that occasion the rabbi waved his hand ignoring it; he went with his rabbinical cloak and it did not rain. So why now didn’t the Rabbi agree to walk home dry and he asked for the rains to return?”
The rabbi smiled and reminded him that there’s a special prayer on Yom Kippur that the high priest would say asking G-d not to take heed to the travelers who ask that it shouldn’t rain so they can travel unhindered. “That prayer was for the people of Israel” the rabbi said smiling, “we needn’t worry about rain for the people outside of Israel.”
That’s why in Israel when the rains stopped the rabbi asked for them to come back.
