Full Rainbow over Beit Shemesh
by Reb Akiva @ Mystical Paths
Israel has had a wonderful cold rainy winter. Wonderful cold rainy? Yes, in a place with seasonal only rains, those rains were life and death for the people. While it’s not literally life and death today, it is major economic and environmental impact. A cold rainy winter means good water supply, a flourishing land, and a good situation for the farmers in spring.
This past Thursday afternoon was alternating sunny and rainy, which gets…rainbows! Jewish tradition from the Torah itself associates the rainbow with Noach and the flood, and therefore considers a rainbow a negative sign (with an associated blessing on sighting of G-d who remembers His covenant not to destroy the world again).
I explained to my children that the rainbow as immediately caused by the prism effect of the sun hitting the rain, spitting the white light into the colors of the rainbow.
I also explained the setting up of these circumstances over Beit Shemesh seemed appropriate per Jewish tradition that a rainbow is a sign of Hashem’s anger and Him invoking His covenant not to act on it, given the Jew against Jew actions happening in Beit Shemesh. Hopefully both the Jewish traditionalists and the anti-religious saw this sign, noted it’s understood Jewish meaning, and can use it as a Heavenly sign to move in a positive direction and what our Father in Heaven thinks of the current path.
Full rainbow over Beit Shemesh, January 19, 2012, panorama view.
8 comments:
My kids (8 and 9) came home and said that Hash-m must be really angry at what is going on with the protests etc.. I coudn't believe that they could come up with an idea like that.
respectfully to you; the rainbow is actually a sign of hope and promise. Hashem put the rainbow in the sky as a sign that He would never again destroy the whole population of the world like He did in the mabul, the flood.
also, reb nachman of breslov discusses the colors of the rainbo relating to our avot and other wonderful things..(sorry, i can't recall where, but it's in likutey moharan).
lastly, we are instructed not to gaze at rainbows out of respect for the Divine Presence. i do not know the halacha of this.
please, the rainbow is a powerful and beautiful sign from Heaven to give us hope....
also, great photos and great message re bet shemesh. thanks for the post!
Wow, looks like some people are still angry, and you had to remove those comments. Didn't they see the rainbow? You said it exactly as I believe the message was intended.
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