January 22, 2007

The Sign of the Rainbow

While reading the chapter of Understanding Genesis about Noach and The Flood, an understanding of the sign of the rainbow occurred to me that, at first blush, seemed obvious. A rainbow appears when sunlight is reflected through falling rain; this usually occurs towards the end of a rainstorm, or during a light rainfall. It would seem then, that the rainbow was a sign from God to mankind that He remembered His promise to never again inundate the earth with water. The rainbow acts as a sign to man of God's adherence to His promise.

While reviewing Noach with my son, I realized this interpretation doesn't hold water. A cursory reading of the verses shows that the the keshet acts as a sign to God, not as a sign to Man.

13 I have set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth. 14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring clouds over the earth, and the bow is seen in the cloud, 15 that I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.'
Going back to Understanding Genesis, Sarna relates the fact that in all other instances in the Torah, keshet is used to connote one's physical strength and ability to destroy. So, God so to speak places his destructive inclination, his keshet, in the rain cloud. Now, when He is causing rain to fall on the earth with possibly destructive consequences, the appearance of the rainbow causes God to recall the promise to never again destroy the world through flooding, and cease the falling of the rain.

Posted by Greg at January 22, 2007 2:02 PM in , | TrackBack