This premise was extremely problematic to Jewish commentators who took their science seriously, and it provoked many questions. If we take the words at face value, they seem to be saying that prior to the great deluge there were no rainbows and that God did not introduce them until the time of Noah. This pledge was then given symbolic representation by the creation of a rainbow that would henceforth appear in the heavens after rain showers, as if to remind the Almighty of his commitment. After the flood that wiped out the sinful humans of Noah's time, God reassured the survivors that he would never again bring upon them a flood of such proportions. This provokes a serious problem when we compare it with what seems to be the Torah's explanation for the origin of rainbows. The appearance of rainbows would therefore appear to be an invariable process that takes place whenever there is a convergence of the necessary conditions: moisture in the air, sunlight, and an eye that is capable of viewing it from the appropriate angle. We may even have attempted to reproduce that process for a science fair with the help of lawn sprinklers and lamps. Some of us might still recall the explanation that we learned in our high school science classes: rainbows arise from the process of refraction of sunlight through the droplets of water that remain in the air after the storm. Living in a region known for its rapid changes of weather, where severe rainstorms are followed quickly (or even overlapped) by bright sunshine, we are privileged to witness rainbows with uncommon frequency. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2011. “Kabbalah and Science in the Middle Ages: Preliminary Remarks.” In Science in Medieval Jewish Cultures, edited by Gad Freudenthal, 476–510. “The Aristotelian Explanation of the Rainbow.” Isis 30, no. “Mathematical and Physical Optics in Medieval Jewish Scientific Thought.” In Science in Medieval Jewish Cultures, edited by Gad Freudenthal, 476–510. “Acceptance and Devaluation: Nahmanides’ Attitude Towards Science.” Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy 1, no. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2001. The Rainbow Bridge: Rainbows in Art, Myth, and Science. “Gersonides’ Use of Aristotle’s Meteorology in his Accounts of some Biblical Miracles.” Aleph-Historical Studies in Science & Judaism 10, no. The Jewish Free Press, Calgary, October 12, 2012, p.
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