Rainbow Gazing

Prologue: This week's Sedra contains the covenant between Hashem and Noach preventing the former from bringing a flood to destroy the world with. The sign marking the covenant was a rainbow (Keshet). Appropriately, this week's Chabura deals with the subject of looking at rainbows.

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Rainbow Gazing

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The Gemara in Chagiga (16a) states that whoever lacks regard for the Kavod of his creator is worthy not to have been created. Rabbi Abba explains that this statement refers to one who gazes at a rainbow. Rav Yosef explains that it refers to one who violates an Avaira in private. Rabbi Yehuda bar Nachmeni then expounded that one who gazes at three things loses his eyesight: at the rainbow, at a Navi, or at the Kohanim's hands during the Duchaning.

Why is it so terrible to look at a rainbow? After all, from our parsha, it seems to be an affirmation of a covenant with God?

The Gemara in Berachos (59a) notes further that Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Levi used to say that one who sees a rainbow must bow immediately. The Gemara challenges him lest one appear as if he was bowing to the rainbow, yet agrees that a Beracha--Zocher HaBris V’Neeman Briso, V'Kayam B'Mamaro" should be recited. Now how could one make the Beracha if he is not allowed to look at a rainbow?

The Mitzpeh Ayson (Chagiga 16a d”h Kol) notes that there is a third reference (Megilla 28) that notes that one is not allowed to glance at the face of a wicked person. The Amoraim explain there that one who does, loses his eyesight. Why is that Gemara not incorporated into our Gemara in Chagiga?

The Meiri (Chagiga 16a) notes that the intention of the Gemara in Chagiga is not to one who glances at a rainbow that appears after a rain, rather, the illegal one is a reference to the image of God, hence the Gemara uses support from Sefer Yechezkel for the rainbow of Yechezkel was a revelation of God to Yechezkel as part of the Maaseh Hamerkava. Hence, it is not Assur to glance at a rainbow today in order to make the Beracha, for any Issur is on a different rainbow entirely.

The only difficulty arises with this approach is from the Poskim. The Tur and Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim, 229:1) seem to feel that one who gazes at the rainbow of today is in danger of losing his eyesight. This seems to be because it too, is a representation of God as he appeared to Yechezkel (See Ben Yehoyada to Chagiga 16 who agrees with this explanation) Hence the gaze at the rainbow is seen as a lack of respect for Kavod Hashem and is similar to Moshe's turning of his head away from the fire at the burning bush-- for which he was rewarded.

How then can one look at the rainbow and recite a Beracha? The Avudraham and the Lechem Chamudos both note that the Rosh explained that there is a difference between looking and gazing. A gazer examines for a long time, which lacks respect. A look is brief. This is the source for the Psak of the Shulchan Aruch who notes that one who makes the Beracha should not "look too long."

Based upon the two explanations, the prohibition of gazing at a rainbow exists because of Kavod Hashem, which parallels its connection to the cases of gazing at the Kohanim and the Novi. In all three, gazing demonstrates a lack of Kavod Hashem. However, looking at the face of a wicked person is forbidden for a different reason. As the Maharsha (Megilla 28) notes, even mere looking is an embodiment of Killilas Hashem - a profaning of the name of God. Therefore, the Gemara in Chagiga left this case out of the listing of three things that lead to poor eyesight, for its reason was different than the first three.