מְבָרְכִים בִּרְכַּת הַקֶּשֶׁת, וְלֹא כְּיֵשׁ מְפַקְפְּקִים בָּזֶה.

[Our custom is] to recite the blessing over a rainbow,1 unlike the view of those authorities2 who question whether this blessing should be recited.3

אֵיינעֶר פוּן דִי מעֶזִיבוּזשעֶר בַּעֲלֵי בָּתִּים האָט געֶהאַט אַ מַחֲלוֹקֶת מִיט נאָך אַ בַּעַל הַבַּיִת, אוּן זַייעֶנדִיג אַמאָל בַּא דעֶם בַּעַל שֵׁם טוֹב אִין שׁוּהל האָט עֶר געֶשׁרִיעֶן, אַז עֶר וואָלט זַיין בַּר פְּלוּגְתָּא קוֹרֵעַ כַּדָּג זַיין.

דעֶר בַּעַל שֵׁם טוֹב האָט געֶהֵייסעֶן דִי תַּלְמִידִים געֶבּעֶן אֵיינעֶ דִי אַנדעֶרעֶ דִי העֶנט, אוּן זִיך שׁטעֶלעֶן לעֶבּעֶן אִים מִיט צוּגעֶמאַכטעֶ אויגעֶן. דעֶר בַּעַל שֵׁם טוֹב האָט אַרויפגעֶלֵייגט זַיינעֶ הֵיילִיגֶע העֶנט אויף דִי אַקסלעֶן פוּן דִי צוֵויי תַּלְמִידִים, וועֶלכעֶ זַיינעֶן געֶשטאַנעֶן לעֶבּעֶן אִים, פּלוּצלוּנג האָבעֶן דִי תַּלְמִידִים אָנגעֶהויבּעֶן שׁרַייעֶן פוּן גרויס שרעֶק: זֵיי האָבעֶן געֶזעֶהן וִוי דעֶר בַּעַל הַבַּית אִיז קוֹרֵעַ כַּדָּג זַיין בַּר פְּלוּגְתָּא. דאָס בּאַווייזט קלאָהר, אַז פוּן יעֶדעֶר כֹּחַ אִיז פאַראַן אַ פּוֹעַל דָּבָר: אָדעֶר אִין אַ לְבוּשׁ חוּמְרִי, אָדעֶר אַ רוּחָנִי וואָס מִי קאָן אִים אָנעֶמעֶן נאָר מִיט העֶכעֶרעֶ אוּן אֵיידעֶלעֶרעֶ געֶפִילעֶן.

One of the householders in Mezhibuzh had a running argument with a fellow townsman. Once, while he was in the shul of the Baal Shem Tov,he cried out that he would tear apart his adversary like a fish.

Hearing this, the Baal Shem Tov told his disciples to hold each other’s hands and stand near him in a circle with their eyes closed. He then closed the circle by resting his own hands on the shoulders of the two disciples nearest to him. All the disciples suddenly screamed in terror: they had a vision of this person actually tearing apart his adversary like a fish.

This unequivocally shows that every potential has an effect, either in a material format, or in a spiritual format that can be perceived only with a higher and subtler sensitivity.4

Delving Deeply

A person who thinks badly about others might justify himself by saying, “I was only thinking it; I didn’t do anything.” However, thought is also a form of doing, and all our thoughts and words, both the positive and the negative ones, have an effect.5

This concept is expressed in Kabbalistic terms as follows: “The atmosphere of the Garden of Eden envelops every individual, and in this atmosphere are recorded all his good thoughts and utterances of Torah and Divine service. (Likewise to the contrary, Heaven forfend: [negative thoughts and utterances] are recorded in the atmosphere from Gehinnom which envelops every individual [when he engages in them].)”6

Thus, even our thoughts change the spiritual nature of our environment.

As to the words we speak, there is a delicate tension between (on the one hand) the demands of vigilance and (on the other hand) the need for warm communication. We have to strike a balance between them. R. Mendel Futerfas used this formula: “Why do we have eyes? To speak with. And why do we have a mouth? To keep silent with....”