The Powerful Reminder of A Rainbow

Missy Borman March 25, 2024

In Parashat Noach in the Book of Genesis, Noach, and the animals, who entered the ark two-by-two, are instructed by God that they may march out of the ark by family. God tells Noah and his family:

My rainbow I have placed in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Myself and the earth.

Take a walk down the hall at Hillel Day School for all the evidence you need - rainbow backpacks, t-shirts, hairbows, shoes, etc. - that rainbows are everywhere. Sure, a rainbow is colorful like lots of school-age kids’ things, but the appeal of the rainbow itself goes deeper than that.

Consider the scientific connection to the rainbow. The definition of a rainbow, “a meteorological phenomenon caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets that creates a spectrum of light in the sky,” represents a quest for knowledge, a sense of curiosity we aim to inspire in our students. Consider, also, the emotional connection to the rainbow. As part of a first grade science lesson about making observations, I showed the students a photograph of a rainbow. Big, bright smiles spread across their faces - sheer joy.

No wonder the rainbow has become a symbol of diversity and harmony. The colors of the rainbow, each beautiful in their own right, become so much more when they are put together. The rainbow becomes a reminder to celebrate differences, to recognize individual gifts, and to inspire each child to celebrate what makes them unique.

God follows up with And it shall come to pass, when I cause clouds to come upon the earth, that the rainbow will appear in the cloud.

God is telling Noach and his family that bad things will happen, but they’ll be alright. During professional development this summer, our entire staff learned about the concept of grit as a combination of guts, resilience, initiative, and tenacity. We explored the meaning behind these words and how to best instill them in our students. The notion that although the clouds will come, the rainbow remains is a powerful reminder to students that you’re safe - safe to take risks, to try new things, to stretch yourselves to do things that may have once seemed impossible. And so as our Hillel family - diverse in their personal gifts as the rainbow itself - marches into the heart of the school year, inspired to spark curiosity, joy, harmony, and grit.

 

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Missy Borman

Missy Borman is an ECC4-fourth grade science teacher at Hillel Day School.