The Rainbow Covenant and the Generations That Needed No Sign

"And God said unto Noah," and so forth, "And I, behold, I establish" (Genesis 9:8-9). Rabbi Yehuda says: because he transgressed the command, therefore he was disgraced. And Rabbi Nechemiah said: he added to the command and conducted himself with holiness, therefore he and his sons merited the divine speech: "And God said unto Noah and unto his sons," and so forth. "And God said: This is the sign of the covenant which I set between Me and you... for everlasting generations" (Genesis 9:12). Rav Yudan said: "for generations" is written defectively, to exclude two generations: the generation of Hezekiah and the generation of the men of the Great Assembly, who stood only by their own merit. Rabbi Chizkiyah removes the generation of the men of the Great Assembly and brings in the generation of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. Elijah, of blessed memory, and Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi were sitting and studying together. They came upon a certain teaching of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. They said: here is the master of this teaching, let us go in and ask him. Elijah, of blessed memory, went in to him. He said to him: Who is with you? He said: the great one of the generation, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi. He said to him: Did the rainbow appear in his days? He said to him: Yes. He said to him: If so, he is not worthy to behold my face. Rabbi Chizkiyah in the name of Rabbi Yirmiyah said: when Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai would say, "Valley, valley, fill with golden dinars," it would fill. Thus said Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai: if Abraham wishes to gather them from his time to mine, and I from mine to the King Messiah, [we can]; and if he does not wish, let Achiyah the Shilonite join with me, and I will gather them from Abraham to the King Messiah. Thus said Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai: the world cannot endure with fewer than thirty righteous like Abraham our father. What is the reason? "And Abraham shall surely become" (Genesis 18:18) - the numerical value of "shall become" is thirty. If there are thirty, I and my son are two of them; if twenty, I and my son are two of them; if ten, I and my son are among them; if five, I and my son are among them; if two, they are I and my son; and if one, it is I. "My bow I have set" (Genesis 9:13). "My keshet" - a thing that is hardened against Me. Is this possible? Rather, the hardness of fruit. "And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud" (Genesis 9:14): like one who held a boiling cauldron in his hand; he wished to set it upon his son, but set it upon his servant. Rabbi Yochanan proclaimed: Beware of the flies of those afflicted with ra'atan within four cubits. Rav Ami and Rav Asi would not eat eggs from that alley. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi would wrap himself among them and engage in Torah, saying: "a loving hind and a graceful doe" (Proverbs 5:19) - if it bestows grace upon those who study it, will it not also shield? When he was about to die, they said to the Angel of Death: go, do his will. He went and appeared to him. He said to him: Show me my place. He said to him: Very well. He said to him: Give me your knife, lest you frighten me on the way. He gave it to him. When he reached there, he lifted him up and showed it to him. He said to him: Lift me a little higher. He lifted him. He leaped and snatched the knife in the corner of his cloak. He said to him: I swear I will not come back. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: if he ever asked to be released from an oath, let him return; and if not, he need not return. He said to him: Give me my knife. He would not give it to him. A heavenly voice went forth and said: Give it to him, for it is needed for the creatures. Elijah proclaimed before him: Make room for the son of Levi. He went and found Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai sitting upon thirteen stools of gold. He said to him: Are you the son of Levi? He said: Yes. Did the rainbow appear in your days? He said: Yes. He said to him: If so, you are not the son of Levi - though it was not so, and there was nothing to it, but he said this because he had not held the favor as a credit to himself. "And the waters shall no more become a flood" (Genesis 9:15). Rav Elazar said: "no" is an oath and "yes" is an oath. Granted that "no" is an oath, for it is written, "And the waters shall no more become a flood," and it is written, "For this is as the waters of Noah unto Me, when I swore" (Isaiah 54:9). But that "yes" is an oath, from where do we know it? It is reasoned: since "no" is an oath, "yes" is also an oath. Rava said: this is only when he said "no, no" twice, and when he said "yes, yes" twice. Rabbi says: a flood of all flesh there shall not be, but a flood of individuals there is. How so? One fell into the sea and died, or his ship sank in the sea and he died - this is his flood. Rabbi Yehuda says: a flood of water He does not bring, but a flood of fire and brimstone He brings, as was brought upon the Sodomites. Rabbi Yose says: a flood of water He does not bring, but a flood of some thing He brings upon the nations in the days of the Messiah, as it is said, "And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder... and it was broken in that day" (Zechariah 11:10-11). "And the bow shall be in the cloud, between God" (Genesis 9:16) - this is the attribute of judgment above; "and every living soul" - this is the attribute of judgment below. The attribute of judgment above is harsh, and the attribute of judgment below is lenient.