עברית
Prayer and Blessings
When Do We Begin to Say "He Who Returns the Wind"?
Question
Greetings, in the 18th prayer we recite the blessing for summer or winter. Now we are in the summer, and at some point we need to switch to the winter blessing, but I never know when... Can you tell me when I need to say the winter blessing? When do we transition from summer to winter? I remember from last winter that we first say, "He Who Returns the Wind and Brings Down the Rain" and only after a few days do we start saying the winter blessing... I really need help with this. Thank you!!!
Answer
Greetings
On Shemini Atzeret during the Musaf prayer, we begin to say "He Who Returns the Wind and Brings Down the Rain," but we only start saying "He Who Gives Dew and Rain for a Blessing" the night before the 7th of Cheshvan.
In the summer, on the first day of Passover during the Musaf prayer, we say "He Who Brings Down Dew," and at the Ma'ariv prayer of Hol HaMoed, on the first day of Passover, we stop saying "He Who Gives Dew and Rain."
With great respect
Binyamin Shmuali
