This is the last week of the book Beraishis (Genesis).  We say goodbye to our forefathers and mothers and head into exile.  This is the darkest time of the year.  But it is also the time when we pray for rain.  Yaakov (Jacob) gives a particular blessing to each of his son’s as he sets them on their path for greatness. Every son of Yaakov headed into exile armed with a powerful message, a blessing from their father. Like the clouds before the rain, the potential before the actual.  The falling of rain is the sign of life to come.  Rain is necessary for all life and so we hope and pray for it, even though it makes our clothes, vehicles and streets wet and dirty.  We need to see the sunshine in the rain.  The blessing of food and life to come.  The exile was necessary to force us into greatness just as rain penetrates the dry ground and nurtures life. 

Azi and his siblings would dance in the rain, so excited that “their prayers were answered!” He loved to splosh in the puddles and drink the rain as all boys do.  Let’s look for the blessings and we will see them.  There are so many things to be grateful for every day.  Even the small things, the everyday things, like smiles and fingers and rain.