עברית
Halachot and Customs
Is It Forbidden to Look at a Rainbow?
Question
Hello esteemed Rabbi, I have heard that it is forbidden to look at a rainbow. I would like to know if this is true and, if so, what the reason is. Thank you very much.
Answer
Greetings,
It is stated in the tractate Chagigah (16a) that anyone who looks at a rainbow will have their eyes become dim, and this is learned from what is said (Ezekiel 1:28), "Like the appearance of the rainbow that is in the cloud on a rainy day, so is the appearance of the glory of Hashem." Therefore, it was further stated there that anyone who gazes at the rainbow is considered not to show respect for the honor of his Creator.
However, the prohibition only applies if one looks at it extensively; merely glancing at it is permitted (Tur Orach Chaim 168; so too brought by the Beit Yosef there, as written by Rabbi David Abudraham in the name of the Rosh, and it is also in the Shulchan Aruch there. See further in the book Me’or Yisrael, Part 1, in Chagigah there).
Regards,
Hillel Meirs
