Today is Shabbat morning. Just hours before Passover is due to begin. The house is clean. The matza is bought and the chicken soup has cooked.
After seeing a cute video of pressing flowers with magna-tiles, we decided we had to try it. So Siikwan and I went on a morning flower-hunting adventure.
The morning was crisp and cool, with small drizzles of rain coming and going. Half the sky was blue with the sun shining brightly. The other half was covered in a thick blanket of grey clouds. Then we noticed the rainbow. The big beautiful full rainbow stretching across the sky.
Our flower-hunt took on another role of rainbow-chasing. The sun reflecting on one side and the misty rain drizzling on the other, made my eye water so much that I looked like I was crying. To which Siikwan said, "you know what mommy? It's so beautiful that I'm crying too."
The rainbow appears as a sign of the covenant between Gd and the world's inhabitants, that Gd will never again destroy the world. The rainbow is Gd's message of reassurance, the symbol of the everlasting love, acceptance, and hope in us. Also, when a rainbow appears in the sky, it is considered a sign that we have sinned, and evenso Gd has remembered the covenant.
When seeing a rainbow, it is appropriate to thank Gd for not making another flood. We thank Gd by making a special blessing.
“Blessed are You, Gd, Ruler of the world, who remembers the covenant, who is faithful to Your covenant, and who stands by Your word.”
As we enter the final moments leading up to the Passover Seder, let us pause to reflect on our sins and how we can improve ourselves. Then, not only will we be commemorating our physical freedom, but also the emancipation from mental slavery.
Comments
Post a Comment