Halocho #1235 - Fire and rain on Zot Chanuka

On Wednesday night - the  8th night of Chanukah  - we start praying for rain in the 9th Bracha of the weekday Amida - Barech-Aleina - בָּרֵךְ עָלֵינוּ - in the Diaspora.

Ashkenazim will add וְתֵן טַל וּמָטָר לִבְרָכָה in the 9th Bracha of the weekday Amida - בָּרֵךְ עָלֵינוּ.
Sefardim will say בָּרֵךְ עָלֵינוּ  instead of בַּרְכֵנוּ as the 9th Bracha.

In Israel we started this on the 7th of Marcheshvan.

For more details see Halocho #668 - Ask for rain http://halocho.blogspot.com/2010/10/halocho-668-ask-for-rain.html

The Torah Reading for tomorrow - the last day of Chanuka - has 39 verses.

It starts from בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁמִינִי in Parshat נָשֹׂא and continues all the way past the end of the Parsha and ends with the first paragraph of Parshat בְּהַעֲלֹתְךָ which talks about the daily lighting the 7-branched Menora in the Mishkan and the Bet HaMikdash.

The last paragraph of Parshat נָשֹׂא starts with the words זֹאת חֲנֻכַּת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ- as a result the last day of Chanuka is often referred to as Zot Chanuka.

Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch  139:23

Chodesh Tov! Don't forget Ya'aleh Veyavo and Al Hanisim in the Amida and Birkat Hamazon.

- Danny
Wednesday, 2nd day Rosh Chodesh Tevet 5774