Prayer

Thanks for today's summary, Jenny!

Rashi explains passuk hay:
1)man wasn’t around to appreciate rain.
2)therefore no one was praying for rain.
3)therefore Hashem did not let rain fall.
4)the plants and trees didn’t grow. They remained in seedling form but did not emerge from the earth.

The Netziv compares this passuk to a passuk in Chayei Sara and says that the words siach hasadeh are saying that the reason it didn’t rain was because there was no prayer.

The Talmud mentions that prayer is called work of the heart. Prayer involves our emotions and is the key to developing a relationship with Hashem.

Passuk vav describes how a mist rose and watered the ground. The Sforno says the the mist happened from when the seedlings were created until Adam davened for rain. This is how the plants survived before Adam prayed for rain.

Rashi gives a mashal. Flour cannot be kneaded unless water is added and it is made into dough. That’s why Hashem added water to the dirt so it could be molded into a human. This passuk is therefore an introduction to the creation of man.