Welcome to Torah Thoughts from Adas Israel the Jewish Congregation of Northern Iowa, based in Mason City. Before we get into this weeks parsha know that we have set aside Friday the 18th of November at 7:00PM for services and our Midrash will be on Shabbat the 19th at 10:00AM. Both at the shul. Hope to see you then.
This week we read Parsha Noah (Gen. 6:9 - 11:32) and we start with: "These are the offspring of Noah - Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his generation..."
What does it mean to be “Righteous” and why, after we are told that Noah was “righteous”, are we given the names of his sons? The answer to that means that being "righteous" extends to our children, our off-spring. If we do what the Shema tells us to, "teach these words to your children" then our children can carry on the identity of being righteous. But, of course there is always "free will".
Twice during this reading G-d says he will destroy to world…and tells Noah that he and his immediate family will be spared.
Noah did EXACTLY what G-d commanded and it took him 120 years… Noah…did what G-d commanded…but was it enough? That is the major question to ask about this reading.
Let's Go Back
In last week’s Torah Portion we have G-d asking Cain… “Where is Abel your brother?” The answer is stunning… “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The sages say that the rest of the Torah is intended to answer that question…to the affirmative. In other words, we are.
But let's go further back. Abraham and Sodom – G-d will destroy but Abraham “lawyers up” and starts a dialogue with G-d. He asks what will it take to not destroy the city? Fifty good people? Forty? Thirty? Twenty? How about ten?
We move to Moses…who is on the mountain receiving the Torah…the people pressure Aaron to build a new “leader” (Note it was NOT a god) to take the place of Moses…because they did not listen to the exact words of Moses…he was gone too long. G-d sees what the people did and says he will destroy them. Moses Pleads with G-d…to not destroy the people saying it wouldn’t look so good. But if he went ahead and wiped out the nation he tells G-d to "Blot out my name from your Book!" What does G-d do? He turns aside his anger and relents.
So, let’s go back to our story….Noah does exactly what is commanded of him…however he never…not once…calls out to G-d to help save humanity…not even one more person. By doing so we can understand that while Noah was "righteous in his generation" he never, asked G-d to spare humanity. Which is exactly what a truly righteous person should do.
The Rainbow
After the Great Flood the Almighty said, "My rainbow I placed in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth" (Genesis 9:13). What lesson can we learn from the rainbow?
The rainbow symbolizes peace and unity. A rainbow is made up of various colors and shades of colors and although they are very different from each other, they come together to make one entire whole. Similarly, people are very different from each other. They come from different national backgrounds, and they have different personalities.
However, if they will look at themselves as one unit there can be peace and harmony despite the differences between them. This is basic for the existence of the world and for the welfare of individuals. For this reason the rainbow is the symbol of the covenant between the Almighty and the earth.
Whenever you see a rainbow, or a picture of a rainbow, let it be a reminder to work towards harmony with other people even if there are major differences between you. While differences in interests and personality might make it difficult for you to become close friends with a specific person, you can still have a harmonious and peaceful relationship with that person.
Services and Midrash
A reminder that we'll gather together in November on the 18th and 19th.
Thank you for reading and Shabbat Shalom.
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