It's a little hard to relate to these parshiot which describe the Mishkan creation in great detail. But the Yom Kippur song Mareh Cohen helps us connect, through a series of metaphors, on how impressive the Cohen Gadol would have looked with his exquisite clothes, in the middle of the Yom Kippur service: "like grace glowing on the face of the bridegroom", "like the morning star greeting the rising sun at its entry from the east" and "like the image of a rainbow in the middle of a cloud".
So here we have... the Torah of rainbows! Our library offers an intriguing treasure hunt of rainbow references, from Noah's flood where it represents a promise of peace and security, through to the rainbow being a reflection of God's glory. The Gemara (Chagiga 16a) compares gazing directly at a rainbow to gazing directly at priests during the priestly blessing (does anyone else have childhood memories of peeking?) Priests doing their thing and rainbows consistently represent a glimpse of God's presence, and a promise of peace and security that we all long for.
PS anyone watching this with the sound on might be amused by some not-so-peaceful sounds of kids in the background while filming. Real life right?!
Comments