Some of us are still in the holiday mindset of doing good and feeling Hashem as merciful and others have already forgotten. Parshat Noach is read during this time on purpose to reinforce mercifulness. Hashem makes a covenant with Noach and his sons in which He says He will never send a flood on the earth again. On top of that he added that every time we see a beautiful rainbow, it is a sign that Hashem wanted to create a flood but He didn’t because of this pact.

How could something so pretty be a sign of God wanting to destroy us? Like many events in life, there is good in everything. One could realize how merciful Hashem is from a rainbow. Not only is He not destroying us but He is going above and beyond and giving us something beautiful to see. I believe that He is sending us a message. Yes, He wants to destroy us but the same actions we do that cause destruction are a gift from Hashem that we can use for good. Once all the Jews use these gifts and can come together, there will be no more destruction, only beauty.

By Shira Sedek