Recently, facing uncertainty and feeling sad, a friend told me “rainbows come only after rain”. This really struck me. I was feeling sad, but encouraged I would someday see a rainbow. Although I wasn’t certain when the rainbow would appear, my sadness lessened knowing it ultimately would. I looked to the Torah for the meaning of the rainbow.
In Genesis 9, the story of Noah’s Ark unfolds. Basically, God instructs Noah to build an Ark in order to save his family and a pair of all animal species, because God was going to flood the earth and destroy all remaining inhabitants who were not aboard the ark. God wanted a reset and Noah to begin life anew. After the flood, God presented a Rainbow to Noah, signifying his promise to never to destroy all life on earth again.
“When I send clouds over the earth, and a rainbow appear in the sky, I will remember my promise to you and to all other living creatures. Never again will I let floodwaters destroy all life. When I see the rainbow in the sky, I will always remember the promise that I have made to every living creature. The rainbow will be the sign of that solemn promise” (Gen.9:14-17). Please remember that we all have the blessing of God’s rainbow covenant to recover from any storm.
“Somewhere over the rainbow way up high blue birds fly….”
Please enjoy this video of “Somewhere over the Rainbow” as sung by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole.
