Illustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
Halakhah הֲלָכָה
After Noah emerges from the תֵּיבָה (teivah, ark), God promises never to destroy the world through a flood again. God shows Noah a rainbow as a sign for this promise.
וַהֲקִמֹתִ֤י אֶת־בְּרִיתִי֙ אִתְּכֶ֔ם וְלֹֽא־יִכָּרֵ֧ת כׇּל־בָּשָׂ֛ר ע֖וֹד מִמֵּ֣י הַמַּבּ֑וּל וְלֹֽא־יִהְיֶ֥ה ע֛וֹד מַבּ֖וּל לְשַׁחֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֗ים זֹ֤את אֽוֹת־הַבְּרִית֙ אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִ֣י נֹתֵ֗ן בֵּינִי֙ וּבֵ֣ינֵיכֶ֔ם וּבֵ֛ין כׇּל־נֶ֥פֶשׁ חַיָּ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר אִתְּכֶ֑ם לְדֹרֹ֖ת עוֹלָֽם׃ אֶת־קַשְׁתִּ֕י נָתַ֖תִּי בֶּֽעָנָ֑ן וְהָֽיְתָה֙ לְא֣וֹת בְּרִ֔ית בֵּינִ֖י וּבֵ֥ין הָאָֽרֶץ׃
“And I will establish My בְּרִית (brit, covenant) with you, and never again will all flesh be cut off by the flood waters, and there will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said: “This is the sign of the brit, which I am placing between Me and between you, and between every living thing that is with you, for everlasting generations. My rainbow I have placed in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a brit between Myself and the earth.”
The Talmud (Berakhot 59a) teaches that, based on this text, we make a blessing upon seeing a rainbow to thank God for the promise to not destroy the world through a flood anymore. But, there are different options presented for what the words of the blessing should be. Rav Pappa’s version of the blessing is accepted as the halakhah in the Shulhan Arukh and remains the blessing we make to this day:
הָרוֹאֶה הַקֶּשֶׁת אוֹמֵר בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלֹקֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם זוֹכֵר הַבְּרִית נֶאֱמָן בִּבְרִיתוֹ וְקַיָּם בְּמַאֲמָרוֹ.
One who sees a rainbow says, “Blessed are You, God our Lord, Ruler of the universe, who remembers the brit, and is faithful to God’s brit, and keeps God’s promise.”
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