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Comments on Why is 17 Cheshvan the date we start fasting for rain?
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Why is 17 Cheshvan the date we start fasting for rain?
The mishna in Ta'anit talks about praying for rain. Ta'anit 1:4 says that if 17 Cheshvan arrives and rain hasn't fallen, individuals begin to fast. The previous mishna gives 3 Cheshvan (two weeks earlier) as the date to insert rain language into the ninth blessing in the Amidah, though Rabban Gamliel says 7 Cheshvan (to allow people time to get home after the Sukkot pilgrimage). The g'mara on 1:4 doesn't talk about the date, nor did I see anything else in the first chapter of the mishna.
Another rain-related event that began on 17 Cheshvan was the mabul, the great flood. Is there any connection or is this just a coincidence? 17 Cheshvan is also 30 days after Sukkot (first day), so perhaps that's relevant?
Do our sources give a reason for choosing this date to begin fasting for rain?
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