Seforno: The Rainbow as a Warning

      We read in Parashat Noach of the promise God proclaims after Noach's emergence from the ark to never again flood the earth.  He designates the rainbow as an eternal sign of this promise, declaring that the appearance of a rainbow after a rainstorm signifies the guarantee that rainwater will never again destroy the world.  In explaining the precise function of this "sign," the Radak comments, "When people see it [the rainbow] they will remember that it is a sign of the covenant that the Almighty established for them, and they will not fear the deluge." According to the Radak, the rainbow serves as a source of encouragement for all mankind, who might otherwise be tormented by the memory of the flood and live in fear of a similar catastrophe.

            Seforno, however, takes a different approach: "It shall be a sign for the righteous people of the generation when their generation is guilty [and deserving of destruction]…and they will pray, reprimand and teach wisdom to the people."  According to Seforno, the rainbow functions not as a source of encouragement, but rather as a warning.  Its appearance signals to the tzadikei ha-dor – the spiritual leaders of the time – that the generation is deserving of destruction, as in the time of Noach, but that God, true to His promise, has withheld the floodwaters. The righteous leaders will then respond by increasing their efforts in guiding and instructing the people and thereby avert disaster.

            Upon considering Seforno's comments, one might wonder why he emphasizes the role of the tzadikei ha-dor in this process.  The rainbow appears prominently in the sky and is visible to all people, of every background and stature.  Indeed, the Radak, in presenting his explanation of the rainbow's role, speaks of it as a reminder to benei adam ("people") generally, and not to any particular group of people. Why does Seforno view the rainbow as a sign specifically to the spiritual leaders?  Aren't all men capable of beholding the rainbow and heeding the warning it conveys?

            Seforno's comment perhaps alludes to a basic point of distinction between the tzadikim and the common man, namely, the ability to look beyond superficial appearances.  The rainbow is indeed readily viewable by all mankind, but to most people it appears as a serene, tranquil sight heralding the end of a harsh storm.  It takes a certain degree of depth and insight to look beyond the external manifestation of the rainbow, the majestic array of colors and their calming, soothing effect as they stretch across the sky, and to recognize the harsh reality of divine wrath which the rainbow represents.  While on the surface the rainbow brings a feeling of serenity and peacefulness, it in truth – according to Seforno – conveys a harsh warning and forebodes potential calamity.

            This contrast between external appearance and actual essence indeed characterizes, at least to some extent, the difference between piety and vanity.  The "tzadikei ha-dor," as Seforno describes them, are not misled by the appealing exterior of otherwise vacuous pursuits or ideas; they look beyond the "gift wrap" and assess the essential nature of what they see around them.  What appears superficially as something valuable or beautiful might in fact be something worthless or harmful.  The message of the rainbow, perhaps, is that we must train ourselves to look beyond external appearances and not be deceived into affording importance and value to that which is in truth empty and vain.