Adina Roth – Head of Jewish Life

Circles of Influence, the gift of the rainbow

Since the terrible events unfolded on Saturday 7 October 2023, Jewish communities in Israel and around the world have moved from despair and paralysis into action. In the Emanuel community, the layers of chesed (kindess) are everywhere. As Mr Watt writes, parents are caring for teachers, teachers who are not Jewish have offered all kinds of support and care for Jewish teachers, all teachers are caring for students and students are expressing care by sending letters of support to Israel. Moving to proactivity is deep within Jewish sources. Our tradition teaches us that each person can act in their sphere of influence to have a small impact on the greater good. This is the Jewish idea of brit or covenant; we are partners with God in the unfolding of our story on this planet. Even when forces seem much greater than us, we are nevertheless reminded in Pirkei Avot, lo alecha hamlacha ligmor…velo atah ben chorin le’hibatel mimenah, it is not upon you to finish the task, but nor are you free to ignore it.

The concept of covenant is mentioned for the very first time in the Torah in this week’s Parsha, Noah. After God destroys the earth through a flood because it is filled with chamas, a form of violence, God promises ‘never again will a flood destroy the earth.’ Then God offers a covenant and a sign, ‘I have set My rainbow (kashti) in the clouds, and it shall serve as a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.’ Since ancient times, the rainbow has assumed a symbol of profound hope and peace, a guarantee against apocalypse. That we read about it in our Torah portion this week can give us some succour.

Many understand the rainbow as a one-sided promise, an assurance from Heaven to earthlings that God will not destroy us. However, the Lubavitcher Rebbe z’l offers a different interpretation. Connecting the rainbow to the rain cycle, he suggests that just as water evaporates, assembles into cloud formations and then condenses into rain, human actions influence reality at different levels of creation. The arc of the rainbow between heaven and earth suggests a relationship of influence between human endeavour and the heavenly realm. Put in modern language, our actions matter beyond their small sphere! We express kindness to each other, we light candles, we recite prayers, we give tzedakah, we put our hand on someone’s shoulder and ask if they are ok, we choose love instead of hate – all these actions connect our presence here on earth to something bigger. Our tradition is emphatic, we are in a brit with God, partners in the unfolding of life on the planet. The image of the rainbow reminds us that actions that start on the flat surface of our planet can reach up in an arc and literally change the world. In this sense, the hope of the rainbow is not simply about hope in God, it is a bold assertion about the potential goodness of humanity.

Many years from now, we will all tell our children and grandchildren about these weeks, about where we were, what we felt and what we did. In telling them this history, we will also be teaching them this way of our tradition, that the smallest actions ripple outwards and upwards. One such action is to light candles this Friday night. Every Emanuel student is coming home with Shabbat candles. As we light them at the time of candle lighting, we will be connecting to our personal family, to our Emanuel community and to the wider Jewish world. 

A few months ago, I saw a rainbow over the basketball courts and the Brender Moss building. It gave me hope then and it gives me hope now. In difficult times, our community itself is our rainbow. All our tiny, collective actions have the potential to create something beyond our wildest imaginings.

Shabbat Shalom