Guide
Rabbinic Narratives of Forceful Intercessory Prayers
By Carol Bakhos
Scholars have identified a particular “forceful” style of rabbinic prayer, modeled on law-court patterns, in which God is taken to task and “bested” on the deity’s own moral grounds. The style appears mostly in narratives about intercessory prayers for rain and in the imagined prayers of biblical characters (see Rabbinic Depictions of Individual Prayers).
Related Primary Sources
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Ḥoni’s Prayers for Rain and Cessation of Rain
Once, most of [the month of] Adar had passed but rain had [still] not fallen. They sent [this message] to Ḥoni the Circle Drawer: Pray, and rain will fall. He prayed, but no rain fell. He drew a…
Primary Source
Levi’s Prayer on Occasion of Drought
Levi ordained a fast, but no rain fell, so he exclaimed:
Master of the Universe!
You have ascended and taken Your seat on high, and You will not show mercy…
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Nakdimon ben Gurion’s Prayers for Rain
Once when all Israel went up for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, it happened that there was no water for them to drink. So Nakdimon ben Gurion went to a certain gentile lord and said to him: Lend me twelve…
Primary Source
Rabbah’s Prayer for Rain
[King Shapur’s mother] sent a message to Rabbah: Concentrate your mind and pray for divine mercy, for there is no rainfall. He prayed:
Master of the Universe!…
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Ḥanina ben Dosa’s Prayers for Rain and Cessation of Rain
R. Ḥanina ben Dosa was travelling when it began to rain. He prayed:
Master of the Universe!
The whole world is at ease while Ḥanina is in distress?!…
Primary Source
Rabbi Tanḥuma’s Prayer for Rain
R. Tanḥuma proclaimed a fast [ . . . ] but rain did not fall. He said to the people, “My children! Be filled with compassion for one another, and the Holy One, praised be He, will be filled with…