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In the Shemoneh Esrei, the line "who makes the wind blow and the rain descend" is added to the Second Blessing from Shemini Atzeres. The request to "give dew and rain for a blessing" is not added to the Ninth Blessing until a variable time a few weeks later. Both then run until Pesach.

Have any other qualities, beyond the physical one of its possibly raining, ever been ascribed to this period between Shemini Atzeres and the time when rain is positively required?

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    Ta'anis 10a indicates that crops in Israel generally required more irrigation and people in Israel therefore requested rain as soon as travelers would have safely crossed the Euphrates and returned to Babylonia after Sukkos. Babylonia, where agriculture was more in the lowlands, did not desire early rains and waited to pray for it (until early December, in our fixed calendar).
    – Fred
    Commented Nov 29, 2015 at 23:01
  • @Fred thank you, that straightaway brings two things to mind: people whose situation isn't as easy as my own; and not asking for things I don't need.
    – chrysanthemum
    Commented Nov 30, 2015 at 12:10
  • Taanit 4 talks about a period of רצוי שאלה
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Nov 26, 2016 at 23:39

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The reason is actually because it should be the other way around.

We SHOULD be saying טל ומטר also from Shemini Atzeres. However, the Gemara states that the later date was set so as to allow the people who live the furthest from Jerusalem to return home before the roads became impassable. In other words we forgo two weeks of rain for the convenience of those who came to Jerusalem for the festivals.

Note that this is a kind of interesting reason since one of the prayers of the Cohen Gadol on Yom Kippur was that Hashem would not listen to the prayers of travelers - who inevitably pray "Let it not rain until I get home". Since there is always someone traveling it would never rain! This would seem to contradict this though we could say that the needs of the many is different (outweigh the needs of the few?)

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  • Thank you. We make sure what benefits us isn't a burden for someone else?
    – chrysanthemum
    Commented Dec 2, 2015 at 12:29
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    It also has the result that people won't be afraid to come. They wouldn't fear getting stuck on teh way back.
    – theblitz
    Commented Dec 2, 2015 at 13:21
  • This answer only addresses Israel. Other place start much later lechatchila.
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Dec 3, 2015 at 14:47
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    How does this answer the question which was Have any other qualities, beyond the physical one of its possibly raining, ever been ascribed to this period between Shemini Atzeres and the time when rain is positively required?
    – Danny Schoemann
    Commented Jul 25, 2017 at 8:10
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    This post would seem to be more a comment, rather than an answer. As @Danny said, this doesn't seem to address if there's any significance to the period between Shmini Atzeres and Tekufas Teves. If you could please edit your answer to make that clearer, that would be great. Otherwise, this would seem to be more suited to a comment on the OP.
    – DonielF
    Commented Jul 26, 2017 at 3:59

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