The first rains of the season fell on the Sabbath, washing away worries of Iran and corruption and giving a bit of much needed rain and good news as the old year comes to an end.

Four straight seasons of less-than-average rain have left Israel's water resources seriously depleted, and it will take 40 days and 40 nights of steady rain to bring them back to levels that will relieve the current shortage. Farmers already have been forced to turn off the irrigation pipes in thousands of acres, leaving orchard trees to dry out and fields to remain fallow.

Up to half an inch fell in areas around Jerusalem, and heavy rains were reported for a short time in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. Even the northern Negev saw about an hour's worth.

The rain was a double blessing because it fell on the Sabbath, when farmers do not lose a day of work due to muddy fields because they are not able to work according to Jewish law. Secondly, the rains generally were light and drizzly, allowing the earth, parched from the long summer to absorb the moisture. Heavy rains at the beginning of the season usually fail to penetrate deep into the ground and simply run off into streams.

The forecast calls for more light and local rain on Sunday, accompanied by cool temperatures. The thermometer will rise slightly on Monday, when rain still may fall in the north, and it may return on Tuesday, the first day of Rosh HaShanah.