Parshat Noach



Dear STOCS Friend:

How should we understand the nature of the great Flood that engulfed the world in the time of Noach? Undoubtedly, it was a punishment, a direct response to humanity's corruption and moral decay. Yet it should not be seen only as a catastrophe that destroyed the world. Was it, in fact, also an act that saved the world, cleansing and resetting it for renewal? Or might there be a unique perspective on the Flood’s deeper purpose and meaning?

Following the exit from the ark, Noach  is told by Hashem:

עֹד כׇּל יְמֵי הָאָרֶץ זֶרַע וְקָצִיר וְקֹר וָחֹם וְקַיִץ וָחֹרֶף וְיוֹם וָלַיְלָה לֹא יִשְׁבֹּתוּ.

For all the rest of the days of the earth sowing and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will not cease.

In other words, the world continued; nature resumed its rhythm, the seasons returned, and the sun rose the next morning just like before. So, what, then, is the takeaway? If the world reverted to its natural course, what lasting lesson was truly learned? Was the purpose of the flood merely to reset creation, or to awaken humanity to a new moral consciousness, a realization that the world may endure, but only if humanity behaved righteously and ethically?

Rabbi Gavriel Lamm writes: “The main achievement of the flood was to teach us that adverse behavior has consequences: When we misbehave, we are punished. That lesson has left an indelible mark on humanity. We know this because of the extensive body of ancient folklore that recounts a man saved from a deluge of water. The story of a massive flood appears on painted objects and cave wall paintings, shared even by the people of nations and places where the Torah was unknown for hundreds of years.”

It was not the evil behavior of that generation that led to the flood, but rather ignoring the possible consequences! Rabbi Beryl Wein writes: “Many times, the refusal to make any choice when the correct one was patently present is not viewed in Judaism as being cautious or neutral. It is viewed as being a fatally wrong choice. An opportunity squandered is a sin, and sins of omission are many times worse and more dangerous than sins of commission.”

Our lives are filled with opportunities to make the correct and moral decision. Many times, the choice is clear. Other times it is exceedingly difficult, and we are afraid to take a stand. Please, let Hashem assist us in challenging times so that we avoid adverse outcomes. The statement that nature and the world will continue may be a hint to us to make the proper determination to ensure the status quo of the world.

Shabbat Shalom

 13 deceased hostages are still in Gaza!

Rabbi Evan Shore