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Editors’ Pick

October 14, 2014

What’s an Angel of Rain Doing in a Jewish Prayer?

A traditional prayer for rain, recited on this week’s holiday of Shmini Atzeret, invokes a mysterious angel named Af-Bri. It seems this angel is the joint product of a 6th- or 7th-century poetic genius, Eleazar Kalir, and a particularly recondite verse in the book of Job. According to Philologos:

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October 14, 2014

  1. Why Did Sweden Recognize a Non-Existent Palestinian State?

  2. Religious Zionism, Women, and the Hamas Kidnapping

  3. Explaining the Appeal of Islamic State

  4. For Opposing a Boycott of Israel, a Professor Is Charged with Religious Discrimination

  5. What’s an Angel of Rain Doing in a Jewish Prayer?