Atmosphere, The

Besides the basic daily blessings—e.g., for eating or drinking, and those that are part of the prayers—there are a variety of other blessings recited on different occasions.

Think about it: our behavior is our feedback to G‑d, our response to His gift of life, as clouds are earth's feedback (in the form of vapor) to the warmth of the sun...

Why do we not find that the return of the clouds was requested after Aharon's passing, nor any mention of their return in scripture?

The angels have no tickets to this drama. Without knowing what is below, how could they appreciate the mystery of that which is above?

What is our responsibility toward the environment? To what lengths must we go to protect open spaces or endangered species? And are we at fault for natural disasters?

Mount Sinai was a revelation of both an ascending and descending Returning Light

It is a beautiful and colorful aspect of G‑d’s world, but it’s also a reminder of tragedy. We are taught not to stare at it, but we do make a special blessing when it appears in the sky. Let’s see what the Torah has to say about the rainbow.