Berakhot 102

1:
Two distinct items are discussed in this mishnah: the issue of where and how in the Amidah to express our concern with adequate rainfall in Eretz-Israel; and where to express the Havdalah [Distinction] that is made between the sanctity of Shabbat (and the Festivals) and the non-sacred days of the week.

2:
I wrote a general introduction concerning the rationale that lies behind our liturgical concern with rain in Berakhot 070. Our present mishnah is concerned with where and how in the Amidah this concern is expressed. We must note that two distinct verbs are being used here: "we mention" the powers of the rains and "we ask" for rain. We "mention" the rain in the heart of the second berakhah of the Amidah, whose main topic is the "resuscitation of the dead" [see Berakhot 070 and subsequent shiurim]. The "mention" is that God "causes the wind to blow and the rain to fall". We "ask" for rain in Eretz-Israel during the ninth berakhah of the weekday Amidah by saying "Give rain as a blessing for the ground".

To be continued.

In Berakhot 099 I wrote, concerning dress that is appropriate for reciting the Amidah, that under normal circumstances this means being dressed in such a way that local social mores would permit your being presented to the head of state.

Reuven Boxman writes:

I am not sure how this would or should be applied, and would contend that it isn't applied. On the one hand, if I were to be presented to a head of state, be it a monarch or a president, under "official" circumstances, I think I would probably "dress up" for the occasion – probably a business suit, perhaps a uniform, or whatever, depending upon the exact circumstance. This would certainly set a higher standard for dress than practiced at the majority of synagogues in Israel. On the other hand, if I were to meet a president or king under social circumstances, the dress would depend very much on the occasion and location. It might (perish the thought) require formal evening attire for a gala party, or it might require far more casual dress if the meeting were on the tennis court, in the swimming pool, or at the sauna. In the latter two cases I think that the standard for dress would be far less than acceptable at most synagogues for reciting the Amidah. So my question is whether the "head of state" test can be applied as a practical yardstick?

I respond:

I think that Reuven's observations are are correct, but that they do not vitiate the general trend of thought of our sources in this regard. In principle, one should "dress up" to "have an audience" with God, in the same way that one would dress up for a meeting with a human dignitary. Remember this is all psychological. Where the occasion is obviously formal – a deliberate and preplanned visit to the synagogue, for instance – one should dress up appropriately for the occasion: sweatshirt and dirty jeans should be "out" and a clean suit should be "in". (On Shabbat this is even more the case, since we are greeting two monarchs, as it were: God the King and Queen Shabbat.) If we are making the effort to go to Mikdash Me'at [The Bet Mikdash in miniature] then we should make the extra effort concerning dress. When our "audience" is unprepared and impromptu – just before an operation in hospital, to give an extreme example – "anything goes".

I know that there was an ultra-orthodox synagogue in London, England many decades ago that had a supply of silk top hats on the Bimah where the Torah is read: no one was honoured with an aliyah to the Torah who did not wear a silk top hat and morning suit – because that was the required dress for a formal audience with the King of England! I do not know whether that synagogue is still in existence and whether the custom is still observed.

Reuven, of course, is correct in contending that this ruling is now "more honoured in the breach than the observance" – like so many other rulings. So, what's new? I suppose that the general trend of thought is that God ought to be pleased that we take the time and trouble to offer worship at all. I can only quote Marcus Tullius Cicero – and for fear of giving offence I shall do so in Latin: O tempora, O mores!