Rainbows - Reciting the Beracha

QUESTION: How much of a rainbow must one see to be able to recite the beracha?

ANSWER: The Mishnah Berurah (Beiur Halacha 229, s.v. Ha’roeh) writes that the poskim do not explain how much of a rainbow one must see to be able to recite the beracha: must one see the entire half circle arc of the rainbow, or is any part of it sufficient? Rav Sternbuch (Teshuvos V’Hanhagos 3:76) writes that since this question was left unanswered, we must follow the rule “safek berachos l’hakel” (in cases of uncertainty one may not recite a beracha)—one may only recite the beracha when there is a complete rainbow, otherwise one should say the beracha without Hashem’s name. Sefer V’zos Haberacha (p.156) writes that if one sees most of the arc of the rainbow, even though part of the rainbow is obstructed, one can recite the beracha. Presumably, this is based on the concept “rubo k’kulo” (the majority is like the totality). Yalkut Yosef (229:1) writes that even if one only sees part of the rainbow, one can recite the beracha.

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