 Torah Thoughts
This week we read the Torah portion
of “Noach” (pronounced “No-ach” in Hebrew, “ch” as in the Scottish “Loch” or German “achtung”.)
(Genesis 6:9-11:32) Noach contains 153 verses and no
commandments.
We read of Noah’s righteousness and salvation from the
cataclysmic flood. The post-diluvial era was stormy for humanity too. The
weekly portion concludes with the episode of the Tower of Babel,
the dispersion of mankind and ultimately, the birth of Abraham ten
generations after Noah
The episode of Noah and the flood is instructive for
every generation. Noah was the scion of a corrupt and degenerate
civilization. The pursuit of self-gratification had become a supreme value.
Violent robbery and sexual immorality characterized social intercourse.
The world was rapidly reverting to a state of chaos. The boundaries that
characterize a moral society had been all but erased. Indeed, G-D decided to
"reboot" the world by returning it to a primordial state when the
boundaries between water and dry land did not exist. All
corrupted forms of life were extinguished. Only Noah and his household
and specimens of zoological families were saved. They were enclosed in a
protective capsule, surrounded by the fluid of gestation. Life was to be born
anew.
The Torah describes Noah as "a righteous man,
perfect in his generations". Our Sages discuss the nature of Noah's
righteousness and why it is mentioned in the context of "his
generations". One position is that Noah's greatness was that
despite his environment, he maintained his morality. Had Noah been nurtured in
a milieu of righteousness, he would have been even greater. The opposing view
states that in HIS generation Noah was considered righteous, but had he lived
in the generation of Abraham, he would have remained an anonymous Everyman,
unworthy of mention in the Torah. Was Noah's righteousness absolute, but
his potential greatness was curtailed by the theater in which he operated? Or
was he merely a beacon of mediocrity in a moral cesspool?
Our Sages are certainly not indicting Noah. The Torah
itself refers to him as "perfect in his generations". Maintaining a
modicum of morality where no-one else subscribes to it is a great
achievement. Swimming against the current demands great energy merely to
retain one's position, let alone to advance. Noah's was a lone voice in a
spiritual wilderness. He risked his life for many years during the
construction of the Ark,
warning a derisive, hostile audience of their impending doom.
Yet Noah is depicted as all but disappearing in
Abraham's giant shadow. Abraham reached out to others and prayed for
their welfare. Noah, by contrast, never prayed for the salvation of his
generation. He had given up on humanity.
We live in a generation of great challenge. Our world is
gripped by violence. Our society is not too distinct from that of Noah.
Depravity is becoming acceptable, even chic. The boundaries separating right
from wrong are increasingly blurred on our television and movie screens.
Societal values are being dictated by tasteless sitcoms. Profanities roll out
of the mouths of babes so fluently. Just to maintain our Torah values
requires great energy. It is exhausting. But that is not enough for the
descendants of Abraham. We are expected not only to maintain our
spirituality, but to grow. We must not be satisfied with merely closing
ourselves off in a capsule from the tempest outside, but as our father
Abraham did- we must try to change the world by reaching out to others, by
serving as examples and by taking to heart the tribulations of humanity.
HAFTARA (Additional Reading from the Prophets)
Isaiah 54:1-17, 55:1-5. We read these words not
too long ago as the haftara for the portions of Ki Teitze and Re'eh, which
were part of the "Seven Sabbaths of Comfort" between Tisha B'Av and
Rosh Hashana.
The prophet comforts Jerusalem
and the Jewish People that after all the agony that was endured in exile,
redemption and jubilation will envelop Jerusalem
and her children. Jerusalem,
compared with a childless woman in pain, is promised that her children will
return to her en masse.
Just as G-D swore to Noah that He would never again
destroy the earth by flood, so He swears that He will never again destroy the
Holy City. In the future, the abundance of
produce and goods in Jerusalem
will be evidence of G-d's blessings.
May we see our beloved Jerusalem dwelling in peace and prosperity,
reunited with all her children in fulfillment of this prophecy very
soon.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Baruch Price
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