Gevuroth geshamim ("the mightiness of rain") is mentioned in techiyath hamethim (the resurrection prayer) [Gevuroth geshamim: "Mashiv haruach," which is not an expression of imploration, but of remembrance and praise. It is called "gevuroth geshamim" because rain is one of the mighty acts of the Holy One Blessed be He, viz. (Job 9:10): "He does great things, beyond searching out"; (Ibid. 5:10): "He gives rain upon the face of the earth."]; and rain is requested ["veten tal umatar livracha," (which is a request)] in birchath hashanim (the blessing of the years). [Because rain is sustenance, they placed the request for rain in the blessing of sustenance.]; and havdalah [at the conclusion of the Sabbath] is recited in chonen hada'ath ("who bestows knowledge") [which is the first weekday blessing. And, in the Yerushalmi: "Why was havdalah placed in chonen hada'ath? For without knowledge there is no havdalah ('discrimination')." And this is the halachah.] R. Akiva says: It is recited individually as the fourth blessing. R. Eliezer says: It is recited in the thanksgiving benediction.
Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
מזכירין גבורות גשמים – The words “Who Causes the Wind to blow” is not the language of a request, but rather the language of mentioning and praise, and because the rains are one of the powers of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written (Job 5:9-10), “Who performs great deeds which cannot be fathomed…Who gives rain to the earth” – and because of this, we call it the “גבורות גשמים/the Power to cause the rain to fall.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
Introduction
This mishnah deals with three additions made to the basic Tefillah.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
ושאלה – [The words] “who causes dew and rain to fall for a blessing” is a request.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
They mention [God’s] power to bring rain in the blessing for the resurrection of the dead. We mention God’s power to bring rain in the second paragraph of the Tefillah, the paragraph that ends “mehayeh hametim.” Into this paragraph we insert the phrase, “mashiv haruah umorid hageshem” “He causes the wind to blow and the rain to come down.” This paragraph contains praises of God’s powers and as such it is a fitting blessing in which to mention a power which is traditionally considered one of God’s most significant powers, the bringing of rain.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
בברכת השנים – Since these (in this blessing) are for sustenance, [the Rabbis] established their request in the blessing of sustenance.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
And they ask for rain in the blessing for [fruitful] years. We petition God for rain in a different paragraph from the one in which we mention rain. We petition for rain in the blessing in which we ask God for a good year, a year with a bountiful harvest. This blessing ends, “mevarech hashanim.” Into it we insert, “veten tal umatar” “grant dew and rain.” We should note that these two insertions only go into the Tefillah during the winter, which is the rainy season in Israel. It does not rain at all in Israel during the summer. We don’t ask God for the unusual, just that the world should work as “it is supposed to work.”
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
והבדלה – on Saturday night (after Shabbat is over)
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
And havdalah in “Who grant knowledge.” Rabbi Akiva says: he says it as a fourth blessing by itself. Rabbi Eliezer says: in the thanksgiving blessing. Havdalah, the prayer that separates Shabbat or festivals from the rest of the week, is recited as part of the Tefillah, even though it is also recited independently afterwards. According to the first opinion, it is part of the fourth blessing, the one that begins, “Atah honen daat,” “You grant knowledge.” Havdalah is about having the knowledge to distinguish between different things, between that which is holy and that which is not holy. That is why it is appropriate to be stated here. Rabbi Akiva says that Havdalah is an independent blessing, one which comes right before “Atah Honen Daat” on Saturday night and at the end of festivals. Rabbi Eliezer holds that it is recited as part of the “thanksgiving” blessing, which is the blessing that begins, “Modim.” It seems that Rabbi Eliezer’s objection with the other two opinions is that Havdalah is not a petition, as are the middle 13 blessings of the Tefillah. Rather it is an expression of gratitude, so it should be placed in the blessing in which we show our gratitude.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
בחונן הדעת – [Chonen HaDaat] which is the first blessing of the weekday. And in the Jerusalem Talmud, they asked: Why was Havdalah established to be recited in “"חונן הדעת (the fourth blessing of the Amidah)? For if there is no knowledge, how can one know about Havdalah (the ceremony that separates between the conclusion of the Sabbath and the beginning of the workweek)? And this is the Halakha.
