What do the seven colors of the rainbow represent?
Table for Five: Noach
In partnership with the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles
Edited by Nina Litvak & Salvador Litvak, the Accidental Talmudist
I have set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. – Gen 9:13
Rabbi Elliot Dorff
American Jewish University
As first-year law students learn, a contract involves mutual agreement and mutual consideration by two or more parties for one or more tasks to be performed. In contrast, a covenant, as in a covenant of marriage, is a relationship between two or more parties that often involves multiple duties that change over time and that are spelled out, if at all, only partially. In this verse God creates a covenant with the Earth to sustain it. As Creator, God owns the Earth, “for all the land is Mine” (Exodus 19:5) and “Mark, the heavens to their uttermost reaches belong to your God, the earth and all that is on it!” (Deuteronomy 10:14). This means that we humans are tenants on the land, and we have a fiduciary relationship with God to preserve God’s property. Like Adam and Eve, we may work the land, but we must also preserve it (Genesis 2:15). So God’s covenant with the Earth requires we who live on it to abide by God’s covenant with the Earth in doing what we can to ensure that it not be destroyed by our actions. In addition to that theological reason to preserve the environment, there is also, of course, the practical reason that if we cannot live on this Earth, nothing – literally, nothing – else matters.
Rabbi Chanan Gordon
Senior Lecturer, Gateways; International Inspiration Speaker
The Torah tells us in Parshas Noach (Bereishis 9:13): “I have set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.”
At first glance, the rainbow is just a natural phenomenon—a refraction of light through water. The Torah however reframes it as something deeper: a spiritual contract. After the destruction of the world through the Flood, G-d does not just promise not to destroy the world again; He establishes a relationship built on trust. The rainbow becomes the ultimate paradox—born of storm and sunlight together. It is only visible after the darkness, a reminder that redemption does not erase pain; it transforms it.
In Chassidus, the colors of the rainbow symbolize diversity within unity. Each color refracts from the same light, just as humanity—diverse cultures, personalities, opinions—emanates from one Source. The rainbow is Hashem’s message that difference does not threaten holiness; it completes it.
For individuals in our generation who continuously face anxiety, uncertainty, and distraction, the rainbow serves as a reminder that light and clarity can still emerge. The covenant was not only between G-d and the generation of Noach. It is a personal promise to each of us: even when your world floods, you are not abandoned. The light is already hidden in the storm; you just need to look up.
That is the spiritual work of today—to be rainbow-makers: to turn chaos into color, fear into faith, and isolation into covenant.
Rabbi Avraham Greenstein
AJRCA Professor of Hebrew
Despite the seeming simplicity of this verse, the Ramban sees profound significance in its wording and imagery. He points out that the “sign” of any covenant must by necessity be a visible reminder of that covenant. For this reason, the rainbow that signifies God’s covenant with humanity, and with all of the creatures of the world, must be pervasive and impossible to miss. The rainbow must fill the sky, and it must also be visible in a puddle or a glass of water. Much like the covenant of circumcision with Abraham, this sign of the covenant with Noah must be one that is too present with us to ignore, a sign that is inescapable to the point of ubiquity.
The Ramban further remarks on the fact the Hebrew word for rainbow is also the Hebrew word for bow. The rainbow can accordingly be viewed as an inverted instrument or war, a de-strung bow pointed heavenward away from humanity. In this conception, the rainbow acts as a signal that God has put down His arms and disabled them. God promises to never again employ a flood to destroy all of His creations.
In return, God asks us in verses 1-7 to hold life precious: to procreate, not to take human life, and not to cause distress to animals. The rainbow is here to remind us to value life, the lives of God’s creatures and our own. God values His world and sees in it sacred potential. We must do so too.
Rabbi Brett Kopin
Founder, The Six11 Project
When God creates the celestial bodies, the Torah says that they will be used, in part, as “signs,” *otot.* After the Flood, the rainbow, which is not mentioned in the creation story, becomes the only celestial body designated as a “covenantal sign.” There are only two other specific covenantal signs in the Torah: *brit milah* and Shabbat.
One intriguing connection between these three signs is their relationship to the number seven. Shabbat, of course, is the seventh day of the week. While *brit milah* occurs on the 8th day, many commentators explain that this is so because it follows the seven day week. One reason is that the newborn should experience Shabbat before *brit milah.* The Rabbis teach that just before the appearance of the rainbow, God gave “the seven Noahide laws.” The rainbow itself is associated with seven. The common mnemonic to remember the colors is ROY-G-BIV: seven letters for seven colors.
Seven is the number of natural order and completion. *Brit milah* is a personal, hidden sign. Shabbat is a sign both for people and God, a mutual expression of divine will. The rainbow is a sign for God exclusively: “I will see it and remember…” God will see the seven colors of the rainbow and remember not to disturb the natural order of things–to let the signs and seasons unfold as they were created to do–as the Torah says, “a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.”
Nina Litvak
Screenwriter, Co-creator of accidentaltalmudist.org
When Noah left the ark after the flood waters subsided, he faced a world of utter devastation. He must have wondered whether it was worth trying to repopulate the earth; after all the same thing might happen again. The world might become filled with wickedness leading God to send another annihilating flood.
But then God addressed Noah’s concerns by sending a rainbow, a beautiful arching bow of heavenly light that was never before seen in the world. The rainbow’s powerful message, according to Yaakov Paley at Chabad.org is: “There will always be a righteous minority within mankind who, despite the vapors, will be ready and willing to accept the burden and beauty of arching bravely and steadily heavenwards, to touch some of heaven’s radiance from beyond, then curve gracefully back towards the earth—thus banishing the gloom from within their arc, and filling the threatening atmosphere with the glorious spectrum of colors that are manmade reflections of G‑d’s truth and hope for mankind.”
God was telling Noah and his descendants (us!) that there will always be people in the world who live by the seven colors, meaning the seven Laws of Noah given to humanity. It was a holy promise that we would never descend to pre-flood levels of universal wickedness. There will always be good people fighting the good fight. It’s a reminder to all of us to have faith in God, and it’s a promise that although things can seem dire, the bad guys will lose in the end.
With thanks to Rabbi Elliot Dorff, Rabbi Chanan Gordon, Rabbi Avraham Greeinstein, Rabbi Brett Kopin and Nina Litvak.
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