A Story about Rain

looking at the illustrations together

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You may enjoy looking at the illustrations together and asking your child to tell the story in their own words. How do the various animals respond to the rain? How has the illustrator chosen to depict the rain and wind? We don’t know what Rabbi Hanina Ben Dossa looked like, but we can imagine how he lived his life in those days, and what the Galilean landscape was like. Try to look for signs of the place and time in the various pictures.

dress up as the different characters and act out

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You may want to dress up as the different characters and act out the story to your friends and family. Using facial expressions and hand gestures, you could imagine how grateful the birds and animals were for the rain, and how sorry they were when it stopped.

discuss the things that did not exist

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Following the story, perhaps you would like to discuss the things that did not exist during the time of the Talmud, and make our winters easier, such as umbrellas, electric heating, and so on.

Do you like the rain

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Do you like the rain and look forward to it? Perhaps you would like to discuss fun things to do in winter, and how the rain affects the flora and fauna. Have you ever had to cancel a planned trip or outdoor activity because of the weather? You may want to remind each other of such incidents.

"The whole world is at ease but Hanina is in distress?"

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“The whole world is at ease but Hanina is in distress?”: What makes us happy does not necessarily make others happy. You may want to discuss clashing desires within the family, and the ways to cope with them.

ideas for rainy day playtime and entertainment

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Perhaps you would enjoy making a box of ideas for rainy day playtime and entertainment. Ask your child to decorate an empty shoebox. In it you can keep little surprises such as stickers, crayons, marbles, soap bubble dispensers, and colorful notes with ideas for family activities on rainy days (word puzzles, reading, cooking and baking, and so on). Stow the box away, and only open it when it rains outside!

Who was Rabbi Hanina Ben Dossa?

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Rabbi Hanina Ben Dossa was a Tanna – a Mishnaic sage – who lived in the Galilee some 2000 years ago. He was a wonderful man, and many tales describe his special qualities. Ruth Calderon, the author, based this story of Rabbi Hanina and the rain on the following short excerpt found on page 24b of the tractate of Taanit in the Babylonian Talmud:

חנינא בן דוסא הוה קא אזיל באורחא

Rabbi Hanina Ben Dossa was journeying on the road
אתא מיטרא

it began to rain
אמר לפניו: רבונו של עולם, כל העולם כולו בנחת וחנינא בצער?

He exclaimed: Master of the Universe, the whole world is at ease, but Hanina is in distress?
פסק מיטרא

the rain ceased
כי מטא לביתיה

When he reached home
אמר לפניו: רבונו של עולם! כל העולם בצער וחנינא בנחת?

he exclaimed: Master of the Universe, the whole world is in distress and Hanina is at ease?

אתא מיטרא

It began to rain