Yaakov b Mordechai Yosef of Izhbitza, Beit Yaakov: On Dew: 1

We have (Taanit 4a): "So the Congregation of Israel made an unsuitable request, and the Holy One Blessed Be gave them a suitable reply, as it says (Hosea 6:3) 'Let us know, strive to know God, may [God's] coming out be as sure as the morning, and may [God] come like rain to us.' God said to her: 'My daughter, you are asking for something that is sometimes desired and sometimes is not desired; and I will be for you something that is always desired,' as it says (Hosea 14:6) 'I will be like dew to Israel.'"

The distinction between dew and rain is that rain teaches about the connection and joining of the actions of people with the actions of God. A person knows that even if they do all the actions--plowing, sowing, and all the labors of the field--if God does not give rain, one sees with ones senses that all ones actions and deeds aren't worth a thing, as it says (Jeremiah 15) "Are there any among the vanities of the nations that can cause rain?..." because rain comes only through prayer and overrides and nullifies the actions of people. And this is why when it rains, drowsiness naturally falls on people---then a person sleeps and is comfortable with their deeds. We know explicitly that we must pray to God for rain.

And about this the Talmud said that they made an unsuitable request that [God] come like rain to us, which sometimes is desired and sometimes is not desired--because a rainy day is called a closed-up day (Proverbs 27:15) and it is hard for travelers (Yoma 53b), and rain is occasional, not constant.

And God answered them "I will be like dew to Israel", which is always desired, for it never ceases and is constantly present, as the sages teach (Taanit 3b) that dew never stops. And God pours out dew silently, sneakily, without us creatures noticing. And it seems to people that there is no need for God in this, and all the more so "not depending on any person or relying on humanity" (Micah 5:6). Indeed, truly in the image of a person (which is to say the heart of a Jew), there are constantly services and prayers that never cease at any moment. Becaue dew derives also from the strength of human activity and petition to God. Indeed the distinction is that rain falls by the strength of the recognized and felt human action toward God, and dew goes from the services that are found in the depths of the heart of Jews---that their hearts are always praying, day and night, even if a person does not feel it at all. Like what is said (Isaiah 62:6) "On your walls, Jerusalem, I have appointed guards all day and all night always they will not be silent."--that they are always clinging to God. And how did God put those guards in the depths of the Jewish heart? As that verse concludes: "those who remember God, do not be silent"---that even unconsciously, and also while sleeping, they are serving God in their hearts.

And this is called "dew," and from dew come all of the redemptions. Because dew is a very fine droplet that God gives to people, and therefore it has the ability to enter even into a lesser and worse and very closed-off place and even in cracks in stone, because of its fineness. Whereas rain is a course droplet, and there are places that it cannot enter. And this is the matter that the high priest needs to enter the holy of holies in Yom Kippur with the finest of fine incense, that because of its fineness the light rises up higher and higher in the dear place and cracks open all the screens. All year he was not able to enter there and he wouldn't be able to achieve this with the incense that he brought every day, which was merely fine [not the finest of the fine]. And similarly dew can enter even into the hearts of Israel which are not so suitable and it doesn't hurt them at all because of its fineness and innerness.

This we find also with words of Torah, sometimes the words of Torah enter into the Jewish heart, and sometimes a person closes their heart, that no words of Torah will enter it. Even so, there are words of Torah that have the attribute of dew---very fine and inner, that enter even into the closed off and blocked off heart, without the person noticing at all. As is written (Ezekiel 37:4) "the dry bones heard the word of God." And as with Saul who went to ask the witch, and swore then, by God's life, etc, and the Midrash (Leviticus Rabba on Emor) made "a comparison to a woman who was with her paramour and swore by the life of her husband"---Israel, even when it is involved in activities that are the most inferior, disgusting and despicable, and it seems that there are no words of Torah at all, even so, then too, the fine, inner words of Torah are not extinguished from the depths of their heart. And they have words of Torah hidden in their heart without knowing it. And this is called "dew"---That there are words of Torah, like the ten commandments that a person has explicit grasp of them, and sometimes transgresses them (God forbid) and doesn't uphold them. But indeed, in the future, God will show that there are words of Torah, like the love of God, as it says "love God your God" (Deut 6:5), which is never ever extinguished from the depths of the Jewish soul.

And this is why we have (Shabbat 31a), that a person is asked on Judgement Day, "Did you anticipate redemption?"---that is to say the hope to be desirous of redemption is always present in the Jewish heart without any break, as it never ceases. Therefore from dew come all the redemptions that it seems that a person is not hoping for them at all. All the more so that one not hope for a mortal or fear a human. And this is by dint of there being words of Torah in a person's heart that they are not aware of at all. Thus from this also comes redemptions that one didn't hope for, because dew never ceases and is not recognized.

And that is why we have (Shabbat 88b) that through dew God will in the future revive the dead. God's conduct with Israel is revealed and known that without prayer and service, God will not do anything, and this is the matter that Israel would serve---through this one rises up, and the animal spirit sinks down to the ground. And that is called death. Indeed, in the future in the time of the revival, God will awaken God's gevurah and say "you do not understand what is considered service before me. And I will show that even in places where you completely gave up on yourselves (God forbid) in any case---there I bear witness on the children of Israel that they clung to me." And this is through the strength of dew that falls without human awareness. And through that strength, God will in the future revive the dead.

And this is why God said "I will be like dew to Israel," that the Blessed One will reveal the root from Godself to Israel, how they clung to God, even without knowing it. This is why we have (Tur Orach Chaim 490, in the name of Rabbenu Hai) that the revival of the dead will be on Passover. Because as things operate below, so things operate in all the worlds. Like here, that all the days of winter the land stops and doesn't give produce, and in the days of Passover at the beginning of summer, the land gives its fruits---just so, the revival will be at that time. Therefore, we request dew in this time, because just as things operate in this world, so too will things operate with the souls of Israel.