The story of Noah is a favourite children’s story. Illustrators have a great time with it, drawing waves, the ark, and frolicking animals. It is presented as a joyful story, but it is a serious one.
Noah lived in the tenth generation after the creation of the world. His father named him Noah נח, from the verb ינחם, comfort or console. Noah was called a righteous man, and at the beginning of this week’s parasha it says that Noah walked with God. During Noah’s time people behaved sinfully. Upset with the vile behaviour on earth God decided to destroy the world and restart life on earth with Noah’s family and representatives of each type of animal that roamed the earth.
After the flood, families grew. The population increased. People still had free will and freedom of choice. Evil again began to imbed itself. This week’s Torah reading ends with the story about the Tower of Babel.
Our religion is family and community-based. The stories in Genesis chart the growing pains of family and community. Noah may not have been an orator or a community leader but he knew what was moral and what was not and ran his household in that way. That is why God saw him as the progenitor of the new nation. Noah’s standards of behaviour were passed down through the generations to Abraham, also a man who walked with God. Abraham cared about his wife, sons, and the strangers passing by his tent.
When we read the delightful Noah’s Ark books to our children and grandchildren, we leave out the dark parts. But Noah faced that darkness, lived through it, and exposed the light enough for Abraham to take on the next chapter of our legacy.
This is a devastating time. On October 7, 2023, HAMAS terrorists swarmed southern Israeli communities, killing as many Jews as possible. There are too many painful and horrific stories to count. There is deep pain in Israel and in our diaspora communities. We have banded together to support each other. Communities in and outside of Israel are collecting food, money, toiletries, and clothing for displaced and evacuated families. Millions of dollars have been collected to buy medical equipment and ambulances. Hot meals, socks, and underwear are being delivered to soldiers on duty and at their bases. The volunteerism and outpouring of compassion is beyond description.
We see this unity in the time of crisis. It is a quality we must retain. God flooded the world Noah lived in because of the evil He saw. God hoped the new world would be kind and honest and that people would help each other. I hope the evil unleashed on Israel on October 7 is destroyed, and the unity and compassion we see among Jews will continue.
The above photo was taken by a soldier in Israel after a rainfall. There is a rainbow In the lower sky just above the tank. Above the rainbow are clouds forming a blue Magen David (Star of David.) On the right side of the photograph, the clouds form an Israeli flag. The picture has not been photoshopped. It’s real. It is a reminder that Israel will live. Good and truth will prevail. Prayers and good deeds will help us overcome the evil attacking our country Israel, and our Jewish people.
עם ישראל חי
Have a Shabbat Shalom. May we have peace.
Laya
For good entertainment, watch the following link for a great gospel Noah song sung by the Jubalaires. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CLFwW85O20
ILLUMINATIONS, An Exploration of Haftarah through Art and History is a collection of all the haftarah pictures you have seen on my blog. The book boasts 82 full-colour pictures. A rich commentary accompanies each painting. To order a book or a haftarah print, go to https://www.haftarah-illuminations.ca/
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