Rabbi Yehudah adds a human aspect to
the previous discussion. Even though by right we should start mentioning the rain on the last day of Sukkot – when the rainy season begins and when the people can safely travel home, even in the presence of rain – we should also avoid confusion. If we start in the evening – many people may miss the evening prayer and not be aware of the addition. And if we say it in the morning, they might mistakenly think that the prayer for rain started already yesterday evening and will therefore make a mistake next year. So, the prayer leader should not mention rain in the morning prayer for everybody to know what's right. Then, he should attract their attention by saying it in the additional morning prayer (Mussaf), and then everybody will know.
Nonetheless, if one mentions that God gives dew and winds, he can do it any time he wants – because these never stop. And how do we know this about winds? – From the phrase "
Just as the four directions (winds) of the world – so I have spread Israel, says God." This means that just as the world cannot be without winds, so it cannot be without Israel, which is spread out in the world to sustain it.
Art: View on the Seine - Harp of the Winds by Homer Dodge Martin
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