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The Biur Halacha (229:1) writes

הרואה הקשת וכו' - לא נתבאר אם בעינן דוקא שיראהו בתמונת קשת דהוא כחצי גורן עגולה או אפילו מקצת ממנו די - It's not explained whether you need to specifically see the full half-circle [of a rainbow] or a part of it is sufficient.

Do Poskim allow one to make a beracha on seeing a portion of a rainbow but a significant percentage of it is blocked by trees or houses, or do we say safek berachos l'hakel?

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    Note full rainbows are actually circles, with most usually obscured by the horizon, so the idea that you could see a full one is hard to understand
    – Double AA
    Aug 12, 2021 at 1:01

2 Answers 2

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In my personal experience, I have seen that the common practice is to recite the blessing over any visible rainbow in the sky.

In the additions to Peninei Halacha (Berachot 15:10), Rabbi Ma'or Kayam supports this view by citing a number of contemporary authorities who are lenient (in some regard) for one to recite the blessing even if they cannot see the entire semicircle, including:

  • Rabbi Alexander Mandelbaum, author of Sefer Vezot Haberachah
  • Rabbi Eliyahu Ariel, author of Sefer Sha'ar Ha'ayin
  • Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv
  • Rabbi Nissim Karelitz
  • Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef (who, as per usual, cites many others)
  • Rabbi Moshe Levy, author of Sefer Birkat Hashem

Rabbi Kayam himself agrees with the lenient view, and supports his conclusion by noting that even a partial rainbow causes memory of the covenant, which is what the blessing is about.

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  • The other answer cites "Vezot HaBracha (pg 156, chapter 17) writes that Rav Elyashiv rules that if one saw the entire semicircle one can make the Bracha even if it’s missing a piece."
    – Double AA
    Sep 6, 2022 at 11:42
  • @DoubleAA I'm not sure what that means - how can he see the whole thing if it's missing a piece? I looked it up in my copy of Vezot Haberachah, and the Hebrew isn't clear, but it sounds like if the rainbow is full but you can't see part of it, you can make the berachah. However, it's definitely some sort of leniency over the Teshuvot Vehanhagot. Sep 7, 2022 at 1:06
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From Halachapedia:

Some say that one must see the entire rainbow in order to make the bracha.[4] Others, however, hold that there is what to rely on if one makes the bracha upon seeing a part of the rainbow.[5]

Sources [4] Teshuvot Vehanhagot 3:76 concludes that therefore, one may not make the blessing on anything less than a full semicircle rainbow. Vezot HaBracha (pg 156, chapter 17) writes that Rav Elyashiv rules that if one saw the entire semicircle one can make the Bracha even if it’s missing a piece.

Sources [5] Chazon Ovadia (Brachot p. 473), Halacha Brurah 229:2, Birkat Hashem (v. 4, 4:35)

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