Parshat Noach teaches us that the rainbow symbolizes the first covenant God makes with humanity. Why a rainbow? Why not a dove, or an olive branch or a calm sea? To help answer this question, we should turn to the words of Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch who summarizes some of the most well known rabbinic explanations as to why a rainbow was chosen to serve as the sign of the Noachide Covenant. “Some see the rainbow a reversed weapon, a bow with its string toward earth; hence, a symbol of peace, implying that no more arrows will be shot from heaven at earth. Others perceive it as an arc linking heaven and earth; hence a symbol of the bond between heaven and earth. Still, others point out that it is woven of light and water. Light appears in the midst of ominous clouds, signifying that even when the attribute of [God’s] strict justice prevails, the world endures by God’s grace” (Commentary on Bereshit 9:15). 

However, perhaps the reason why the rainbow was chosen to serve as the symbol of the covenant is because of its diverse array of colors. According to Rav Hirsch, “From now on, God’s mode of rule will be as follows: No matter what the nuances of humankind’s future development, God will never again decree the destruction of the human race. Rather, on the basis of these very nuances and the diversity of human beings, God will educate humankind toward the Divine goal. A rainbow is essentially one unified, complete ray of light in its purest form, broken up into seven colors. These colors range from the red ray, which is the closest to the light, to the violet, which is the farthest from the light…Yet they are all shades of light, and together, they form one white ray, which shines forth in full purity. This signifies that the whole infinite variety of living things [symbolized by the various colors from the brightest] to the dullest form of life, the lowly worm, and especially the whole spectrum of humanity, from the person of the highest spiritual refinement to the one in whom there is only a faint, barely discernible glimmer of the Divine – all are united by God in one common bond of peace. In all of the them is found a refracted ray of God’s spirit, and even the dullest in spirit, who are distant from the light, are the ‘children of the light’” (Ibid.).

The rainbow, then, was chosen because it represents the beauty of the diversity of creation in all of its forms, and this diversity is what makes creation worth sustaining. Thus, every time we see a rainbow, not only should we meditate over the idea that God will never again destroy the world, but we should also consider the fact that God sustains His creation because of the inherent nuances of humanity, and how those nuances strengthen and compliment each other in our resolve to improve this world for the sake of God and each other. If we can find the “light” in one another, however bright or dim, we will be able to see that we are all bonded to one another with bonds of peace, fellowship and responsibility. 

Shabbat Shalom

-Rabbi Dan