Farmers regularly visit the home of the Gaon Av Beis Din of the Chareidi moshav of Komemmiyut, HaTzaddik HaRav Yisrael Yitzchak Mendelson, to consult with him on מצוות התלויות בארץ.

HaRav Mendelson, who serves as the Nasi of the Keren HaShaviis, is the son of the famed Rav of Komemmiyut, HaTzaddik HaGaon Binyamin Mendelson, z’tl.

Last week, a group of farmers traveled from the northern town of Beit She’an to visit HaRav Mendelson at his home of Yerushalayim. The group, led by farmers Michoel and Oded Korkin, told the Rav that if the winter continues with no rain, as has been the situation so far, the seeds in the field will wither and die and the farmers will suffer tremendous financial losses.

They asked HaRav Mendelson for a bracha. The Gaavad complied with their request and then said that he has a kabbalah from his father, z’tl, that with the koach of Torah and the gezeriah of Rabbanan, one can demand rain for the needs of the world to provide sustenance for living beings. “If the Kohen Gadol could request that the tefillos of travelers for no rain would not be accepted, that means that one can demand rain,” the Rav said.

As a segulah, the Gaavad asked for a Sefer Yaaros Devash, the drashos of HaGaon HaRav Yonasan Eybeschutz, z’tl, and opened to the first darush, on Birchas HaShanim, and began to learn it with the farmers, saying that in the zechus of limmud Torah and delving into the topic of geshamim, they will be zocheh to gishmei bracha.

Additionally, this past Friday night, when like every Shabbos, dozens of bochurim from all strata of Chareidi society flocked to the Gaavad’s home, the Gaavad told them about the visit of the farmers and the segulah. He then opened up the Yaaros Devash and began learning the darush of Birchas HaShanim with the bochurim and expressed hope that the Shamayim will soon open and copious amounts of rain will descend on Eretz HaKodesh.

And indeed, as residents of Israel are well aware, on Sunday, the previously mild winter weather became cold and windy, and abundant rain has fallen in the past two days. On Tuesday, Israel experienced record-breaking rainfall. In Ashdod, 1.97 inches of rain fell in just 30 minutes, a volume typically seen only in one to two full days of rainfall and the Kinneret’s water level rose by 0.39 inches in the past day.

Below is a video of the Qumran Stream, near the Dead Sea, overflowing on Tuesday:

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)