Barely ten generations had passed since
the Creation, and the world was already corrupt. From human beings to the animal kingdom,
violence was rampant and immorality was the order of the day. Only one man and his family stood out as
uniquely righteous, Noah. G-d ordered
him to build an ark and gather two of each kind of animal, along with seven pairs
of kosher animals. These fortunate souls
would be saved from the impending destruction of the planet. Noah did as he was instructed and the Almighty
sent a Great Flood that lasted for forty days.
Upon emerging from the ark, G-d
made a promise to Noah. No matter the
behaviour of humankind, never again would He destroy the world. As a sign of the covenant, He produced a rainbow,
pledging His commitment to recall His mercy whenever our behaviour might
warrant His attribute of harsh judgment.
וְאָמַר רַבִּי
אֲלֶכְּסַנְדְּרִי אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי: הָרוֹאֶה אֶת הַקֶּשֶׁת
בֶּעָנָן צָרִיךְ שֶׁיִּפּוֹל עַל פָּנָיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״כְּמַרְאֵה הַקֶּשֶׁת
אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה בֶעָנָן וְגוֹ׳ וָאֶרְאֶה וָאֶפֹּל עַל פָּנַי״. לָיְיטִי עֲלַהּ
בְּמַעְרְבָא, מִשּׁוּם דְּמִחֲזֵי כְּמַאן דְּסָגֵיד לְקַשְׁתָּא. אֲבָל
בָּרוֹכֵי וַדַּאי מְבָרֵךְ. מַאי מְבָרֵךְ? — ״בָּרוּךְ … זוֹכֵר הַבְּרִית״.
בְּמַתְנִיתָא תָּנָא, רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל בְּנוֹ שֶׁל רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן בֶּן
בְּרוֹקָא אוֹמֵר: ״נֶאֱמָן בִּבְרִיתוֹ וְקַיָּים בְּמַאֲמָרוֹ״. אָמַר רַב
פָּפָּא: הִלְכָּךְ נֵימְרִינְהוּ לְתַרְוַיְיהוּ: ״בָּרוּךְ … זוֹכֵר הַבְּרִית,
וְנֶאֱמָן בִּבְרִיתוֹ וְקַיָּים בְּמַאֲמָרוֹ״
Rabbi Alexandri quoted Rabbi
Yehoshua ben Levi: One who sees a rainbow in a cloud must fall upon his face,
as it is stated: “As the appearance of the rainbow that is in the cloud . . . And
when I saw it, I fell upon my face.” In the West, they would criticize such a
response, because it appears as if one is bowing to the rainbow. As far as blessing
is concerned, however, all agree that one certainly recites a blessing. What
blessing does one recite? Blessed…Who remembers the covenant. It was taught in
a baraisa: Rabbi Yishmael, son of Rabbi Yocḥanan ben Beroka, says that the
blessing is: Who is faithful to His covenant and fulfils His word. Rav Pappa
said: Therefore, let us say them both: Blessed…Who remembers the covenant and
is faithful to His covenant and fulfils His word.
Falling on the face generally
symbolizes teshuvah (repentance).
Each morning and evening, we fall on our face as part of the tachanun
prayer, when we beseech G-d’s forgiveness.
The first people to pray in such a manner were Moshe and Aharon, who
fell on their faces, in a moment of introspection, during Korach’s attempted
coup.
Rainbows are probably the most
beautiful of Hashem’s creations. The
array of colours, the unique shape, the sun glistening off the drops of
water. Why does Rabbi Alexandri
recommend falling on one’s face upon seeing a rainbow? Why would seeing a rainbow prompt a teshuvah
moment?
When we consider what the rainbow
represents, it’s actually terrifying.
The rainbow is G-d’s sign that right now He is minded to destroy the
world. He feels that we are so corrupt
that it’s time to start all over. But He’s
acting mercifully and withholding His wrath.
In other words, the appearance of the rainbow is bad news.
Consequently, the Shulchan Aruch
states that one should not gaze upon a rainbow. In fact, according to the Chayei Adam, even
when one notices a rainbow, one should not inform one’s fellow. If you’ve seen
the rainbow and your friend hasn’t, perhaps Heaven is sending you a message, a
message unnecessary for your friend to receive. When you see the rainbow, you should be
spurred on to teshuvah. If he
hasn’t seen it, and you point it out to him, you’re essentially implying that
his behaviour falls short and warrants teshuvah. Now who are you to judge?
The Midrash teaches that King
Chizkiyahu and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai were so righteous that the rainbow did
not appear during their lifetimes. Their
merit was so great that it protected the entire generation from Heaven’s
wrath. While they walked the Earth,
there was no need for a rainbow, because the merit of their righteousness
ensured that the world was protected.
But how is that possible? A rainbow is a naturally-occurring
phenomenon! In fact, Pirkei Avot teaches
that the first rainbow was fashioned by G-d during twilight on the Sixth Day of
Creation. While it may not have become a
covenantal symbol until after the Great Flood, it certainly existed in nature
prior to that event. It’s difficult to
believe then that there were eras, during which no rainbows appeared. After the rain comes the rainbow!
Take a moment to think about the
phenomenon of rain. Is it a good
thing? On the one hand, nobody likes
getting wet. On the other hand, without
rain, the crops wouldn’t grow and we would suffer from drought. What’s the solution? Let it rain at night! When it rains at night, it’s a win-win
situation all round. The crops get the
saturation they need, and we get clear blue skies to enjoy during the sunlight
hours. When that happens, inevitably there are no rainbows, because the
sunbeams are not present to reflect off the raindrops.
That’s the meaning of the rainbow’s
absence during the period of King Chizkiyahu and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. The Rema explains that they were so righteous
that, as a result of their merit, during their generation it only ever rained
at night!
Rabbi Yochanan ben Beroka’s version
of the blessing is so powerful. He
maintains that G-d is faithful to His covenant.
According to the Avudraham, the meaning is that G-d remains faithful to
His end of the deal, even when we’re not keeping our end. What’s more, He “fulfils His word,” meaning
to say that, even if He hadn’t made a formal covenant, the mere fact that He said
that He would never destroy the world again would have sufficed as a guarantee
of His commitment to us.
That should be our response to the
rainbow. When we see a rainbow, we
should feel inspired and loved. It’s a
sign that no matter who you are or what you’ve done with your life, our Father
in Heaven loves you. He never forsakes
His covenant. He never gives up on His
love. That should inspire us to return
the love. To want to keep our part of
the bargain. To reinvigorate ourselves
in His service.
A rainbow is a reminder to Hashem
of a deal He made. But it should also serve
as a reminder to us that it takes two to covenant’ango. Next time you see a rainbow, may you be
inspired to a greater love and commitment towards Heaven!
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