Tractate Berachot, Chapter 6, Tosefta 7 – 9

Notes:

1. The Tosefta states a new law. It is not related to any Mishna.
2. There are no specific details for this requirement of what it is considered to be a beautiful tree or a beautiful person. It seems that it is up to every individual to decide based on their tastes.
3. ברוך אתה ה’ אלוהינו מלך העולם מי שככה לו בריות נאות  – Blessed You Hashem, our God, King of the world, Who has such beautiful creations [in his world]. Since a person receives pleasure from looking at beautiful things he needs to thank God for creating them.

Tractate Berachot, Chapter 6 Tosefta 81 [A person] that sees a rainbow in the cloud2 says [the following Beracha (blessing):] Baruch [Ata Hashem Eloheinu Melech Haolam] Neeman Bevrito Zocher Habrit.3

מסכת ברכות פרק ו תוספתא ח הרואה את הקשת בענן אומר ברוך נאמן בבריתו זוכר הברית.

Notes:

1. The Tosefta states a new law. It is not related to any Mishna.
2. A rainbow is an optical phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the sun shines onto droplets of moisture in the Earth’s atmosphere. A rainbow can occur under various natural conditions. Most commonly it occurs if it rains while the sun is out. However it is also possible for it to occur if water is falling down and hits another water surface really hard creating mist on the sirface of the water and then the sun shining onto that mist, or if a geyser or hot water spring shoots out steam from the ground causing water droplets disperse in the air. I think that the Tosefta needs to specify that the rainbow needs to be in the cloud specifically to teach us that a person says this Beracha only on a rainbow that results from rain that comes down from a cloud and not on rainbow that results from water mist that rises from a waterfall or a hot water spring. Since this Beracha specifically commemorates God’s covenant with Noach that God will not destroy the world anymore through rain it makes sense to say it upon seeing the rainbow that results from rain and not that results from other things. However it is also possible that he Tosefta does not have any such intentions and is simply using the same expression as the Torah itself used (see Bereishit 9:13-14) that says that God placed the rainbow in the cloud. Based on that we would need to say this Beracha upon seeing any rainbow regardless of its cause.
3. ברוך אתה ה’ אלוהינו מלך העולם נאמן בבריתו זוכר הברית – Blessed You Hashem, our God, King of the world, Who is trustworthy in His covenant [and] remembers the covenant. This Beracha is specifically referring to the event in the Torah (Bereishit 9:8-17) when after the endof the great flood God made a covenant with Noach that he will never destroy the world by using water again. As a sign of the covenant He placed the rainbow in the sky to remind people that even though it rains He will not destroy the world using rain.

Notes:

1. The Tosefta states a new law. It is not related to any Mishna.
2. ברוך אתה ה’ אלוהינו מלך העולם יודע מספר כולכם. הוא עתיד לדון אתכם והוא עתיד להקימכם בדין. ברוך אתה ה’ נאמן בדברו מחיה המתים  – Blessed You Hashem, our God, King of the world, Who knows the number of all of you. He will judge you and He will raise you up in judgement. Blessed You Hashem Who is trustworthy in His word [and] Who revives the dead. The belief in the resurrection of the dead was considered by the Rabbis to be a basic and obligatory belief in Judaism. It was so essential that the Mishna (Sanhedrin 10:1) says that a person who does not believe in the resurrection of the dead is equated to a person who does not believe that God gave us the Torah from heaven and has no share in the world to come. This Beracha was intended to awaken the person and to remind him every time he walks into the cemetery that the people who are laying there will be alive one day and that God will make sure to resurrect them and judge them again. This truly made an impact on the person since he suddenly remembered that not only he cannot escape from God’s judgement by dying, but even once he died and was judged he will be resurrected and judged all over again together with everyone else, thus prompting him to behave himself and keep the Torah and the commandments.