The Sign of the Rainbow

Much of this week’s parsha, parshat Noach, is consumed by the extermination of a wicked and corrupt generation by flood. Quite famously, towards the end of the parsha, Hashem promises to Noach that he will never again destroy the earth as He did during the flood. Hashem gives Noach a special sign corresponding to the promise, that of the rainbow. The rainbow is a natural phenomenon that occurs when sunlight is refracted through water particles heavy in the air after rainfall. The white sunlight is split into the ROY G BIV spectrum, the beautiful colors that compose our world.

Nowadays, it is not that rare for an eye-catching rainbow to make an appearance after rain clears away, and our first instinct is to marvel at its beauty. Yet, on a deeper level, we cannot help but be reminded of the covenant formed nearly 5,000 years ago, cannot help but rejoice at the reminder of God’s promise to never again bring such destruction upon the world again by way of water.

But should we really be celebrating? After all, the promise was not that there would never be a generation again deserving of such punishment, merely that they would not be destroyed on account of it. The Gemara in Ketubot recounts, while on the topic of the death of the righteous Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, that no rainbow was seen in his lifetime, signifying that he was a completely righteous man (tzadik). Rashi recounts that the sign of a rainbow is a reminder of the covenant, and that if there is a completely righteous member in a generation, there is no need for such a sign, as the world persists on their behalf. Conversely, when a rainbow does appear, it signifies the lack of such an upstanding person that would preclude Hashem needing to restrain himself.

Signs or markers such as that of the rainbow serve a dual purpose: One, to remind ourselves of the past, of the treaty between Hashem and Noach, and two, to guide us into the future. When we see a multicolored streak appear in the sky after a downpour, we should be reminded that there is no human upon whom we can rely upon for salvation. We must take it upon ourselves to be the righteous person in our generation. In the post-High Holiday weeks, it is a message we cannot soon forget.