I woke up singing two songs this morning. One from my Girl Scout days, “The bright sun comes up; the dew falls away. Good morning, good morning, the little birds say.” The other from an old friend who is a songwriter. Bob Franke sings:

The thunder and lightning gave voice to the night;
the little lame child cried aloud in her fright. .
“Hush, little baby, a story I’ll tell,
of a love that has vanquished the powers of hell.
Alleluia, The Great Storm is over
Lift up your wings and fly. http://www.bobfranke.com/lyrics.htm

Here in Illinois it wasn’t like that on Sunday. When I got to Hebrew School early Sunday morning, students were already concerned about the weather. Their parents had discussed the possibility of severe weather, even tornados, with them in their carpools. The wind was kicking up. It was unnaturally warm, 62 degrees. Something was happening.  By 11AM I was getting text messages that tornado watches and warnings had been issued. I didn’t know about Peoria yet. Maybe something had been sited in McHenry County, the next county to Kane. Nothing for our part of Kane and Cook.

I visited each classroom and explained that the adults were watching the weather very carefully and that they didn’t have to worry. In the first and second grade class we made a rain storm (another old Girl Scout exercise) by clapping and snapping. We sang Ufros Aleinu and Ma Tovu, thankful for shelter.

I told the parents who were watching the hail fall in the parking lot that while there is a special blessing for hail (I swear I learned this in youth group but now can’t find it) there isn’t one for snow and that we have a unique opportunity to pray it.

In the 6th and 7th grade class we talked about the responsibility to take care of the earth, for us to exhibit the principle of Bal Taschit, to not destroy the earth (from Deuteronomy 20:19). The haftarah that is tied to that portion, Shoftim, says this in Isaiah: “For I the Lord your God — Who stir up the sea into roaring waves.” What does it mean when we say Yotzer Or, which praises G-d for forming light and creating darkness, for making peace and creating all things? How do we understand this verse in light of the typhoon in the Philippines? If G-d is good how does this make sense? Are storms stronger because of global warming? Would we rather call it climate change? Did the choices we make as a society contribute to all of this?

I admitted to the kids in that class that I don’t have all the answers. This week’s Torah portion was about Jacob wrestling, wrestling with an angel, a messenger, a man, himself, G-d. The text is not clear. What is clear is that Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, meaning G-dwrestler. So these are the issues that our pre-B’nei Mitzvah students should be wrestling with.

Elgin was spared. I have a congregant with a fence that was blown over and already repaired. Another with an outdoor trampoline that toppled. Lights flickered. Then went out. Then came back on. No serious damage. Not so in Peroria or Pekin. Not so in Washington and Coal CIty. Not so in New Mindon. Not so in the Philippines. Not so in Oklahoma last spring. Not so for those in Hurricane Sandy’s path, or Hurricane Irene, Katrina, Bob or Gloria. Not so over and over again.

I can’t explain why we have these natural disasters. They are part of the natural order. They do seem to be stronger. I do know that we have a responsibility to help those directly affected to pick up the shattered pieces of their lives. It was heartwarming to hear about families 140 miles away finding photos and bank statements and other things that had blown away and try to return them to their owners in Washington, IL.

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said,

“Prayer invites God to let the Divine presence suffuse our spirits, to let the Divine will prevail in our lives. Prayer cannot bring water to parched fields, nor mend a broken bridge, nor rebuild a ruined city; but prayer can water an arid soul, mend a broken heart, and rebuild a weakened will.” (As quoted in Gates of Prayer)

 

Prayer can calm us in the middle of the storm. After the storm, on a clear, bright morning like this, it is time for action and comfort. Here are a few ways to help:

For the Philippines:
http://www.juf.org/relief_fund/default.aspx

http://ajws.org/who_we_are/news/archives/press_releases/ajws_announces_first_round_of_philippines_grants.html

https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/donate/onetime.cfm?source=AZD131101D01&utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&gclid=CO_pxIKs8boCFY5AMgodrXwAVQ&mpch=ads

For tornado relief efforts:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Washington-IL-Tornado-Recovery/361545887315736

The needs are changing hourly. Please check before donating or collecting goods which can be hard to distribute.

When I did find the time to look for that elusive hail blessing, I found the lyrics to a Debbie Friedman song I did not know. The Hail Blessing:

When the heavens and the earth were finished,
God’s creations sang on high
The heavens clapped, the mountains danced,
And tears fell from the sky.
The cold wind whistled furiously
And turned those tears to ice,
And snow and hail and crashing sounds
Started falling from the skies.
For the rumblings and crashing in the sky
For the mountains that dance with the heavens on high,
For the tears that fall and are touched
By the winds and by the cold,
We sing praises to the One of Being
Whose power and strength filss the world.
Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam,
Shekocho u’g’vurato malei olam (2x)
Eish u’varad, sheleg v’kitor,
Ruach s’ara, osa d’varo.
Hal’luya…
Blessed is Adonai our God, Sovereign of the universe,
whose power and might pervade the world.
Fire and hail, rain and vapor,
stormy wind, fulfilling God’s word

A good song to keep in our back pockets in case there is another storm.