What is the halacha for a women (Ashkenazi) who said ten tal umatar too early , i.e should have said vesain berocha in brocha of boraich aleinu but in error said tal umatar a day early. Does she repeat shemona esrai assuming she continued to the end of this tefillah ? Thanks , Ruth

Shalom, Your question is a rather interesting one, as it allows us to examine the time frame for saying the winter request for rain – “v’ten tal u’matar”. We start saying this in Israel on the night of the 7th of Cheshvan, and outside Israel on the 4th of December, or in the year before a civil leap year on the 5th. The reason for the difference is based on the different needs for rain between Israel and Babylon. In Israel, we need rain immediately after Succot – however we wait to start asking for the rain until two weeks have gone by so that those who came (and will come) to the Temple for the festival can return home without getting wet. Outside of Israel, they need rain later in the year, and so they wait 60 days after the “Tekufat Tishray”, that is until December when the rains are needed. If someone made a mistake and started asking for rain early, then, in Israel, as long as it was after Succot, we really do need rain, and their prayer was an intrinsically correct one – it is just that we would not normally ask for rain then so as to care for the travelers. Because of this, they do not need to repeat the Amidah, and their prayer was (after the fact) acceptable. However, outside Israel they do not need the rain until the day in December that marks 60 days after the “tekufah”. As such, if they started early, even a day early, they do need to repeat the prayer, as asking for rain in the non-rainy season invalidates the Amidah. (Ishay Israel, 23,45). There is no difference between a man and a woman in this question as far as the morning and afternoon services go – but a woman does not need to repeat the evening service in this case if she asked for rain too early (see Tefillah KeHilchatah 12,52). Blessings.