Between Man and God - Between Man and God --

Blessings on Nature’s Renewal

< 1 min read

The blessing on seeing fruit trees blossoming for the first time in the spring (generally in the month of Nissan) is “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has withheld nothing from His world, but has created beautiful creatures and trees in it for human beings to enjoy.”

In a year of drought, a blessing must be said when it finally rains enough to accumulate in puddles. (The Talmud describes this poetically as the drops racing to meet each other like a groom racing to greet his bride.) While field owners recite Ha-tov Ve-hametiv, everyone else recites: “We give thanks to You, Lord our God and God of our ancestors, for each and every drop that You rained upon us.”

The blessing on seeing a rainbow is “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who remembers the covenant, is faithful to the covenant, and fulfills His word.” The covenant referred to here is the one in which God promised Noah not to flood the earth again (2:4 above).