Thoughts for Shabbat

The rainbow – sign of God’s covenant and invitation to return to good.

Torah Portion – Noach – Noah; Genesis 6:9 – 11:32; Isaiah 54:1 – 55:1

Have you ever paused when a rainbow suddenly spans the sky? Have you wondered why this fleeting streak of color stirs something in us—wonder, hope, perhaps even a quiet longing? What draws us in: the beauty of the colors or the silent message behind it? Maybe we subconsciously sense that this sight is more than a natural phenomenon. That it says something not just about the sky, but about ourselves.

A rainbow always makes me stop. I stand in awe of its beauty every time. The rainbow awakens thoughts in me; it calls me to reflection in the face of this natural phenomenon that has something illusory about it: All colors unite into a whole, and from diversity and difference arises perfect harmony. I stop to photograph it, as if it were the first time. And perhaps every rainbow truly is a first? Every rainbow brings a freshness of renewal, a moment of grace, and a message from above.

Yet beyond its beauty, the rainbow is for me a divine message, a seal, a sign of the covenant God made with humanity after the flood: “I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” The rainbow reminds us that God has not abandoned the world—not because we are good or perfect, but because of His promise to Noah, to humanity, and to creation.

Even though humanity continues to sin, fight, wound, and destroy. Even today, people wage war, murder, rape, plunder, annihilate, and sow devastation. A brief glance at our world is enough to see how much evil and destruction humans are producing right now.

And yet the rainbow stands there—a living and eternal testimony of divine love that is not bound by conditions. It reminds us of the simple truth: “The inclination of the human heart is evil from youth,” but not evil in its origin. For when God completed creation and made man, it says: “And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” Deep down, we are good, and God remembers that.

If we only pause for a moment, look at the rainbow, remember the covenant, and examine and improve our actions, then perhaps we can return to that original goodness. We can choose light over darkness, peace over conflict, good over evil. If we listen to God’s message revealed through the rainbow, we can live in harmony, learn to embrace the full spectrum of colors and differences within and around us. The rainbow is a reminder that we are not yet at the goal, but also an invitation to believe that we can reach it. If we understand its message, we can create human and divine harmony, full of beauty and unity. So may it be. A Shabbat filled with beauty.

Shabbat Shalom!

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