Noah 5774
In the age old battle between creationists and evolutionists, literalists and non-literalists over the meaning of the early chapters of the book of Bereisheet (Genesis) the story of Noah and the flood has provided the backdrop for what seems to me to be a useless debate. Such questions as whether or not there was a real flood, whether or not the many flood stories from the ancient world substantiate the veracity of the Biblical account or undermine it are not in alignment with the real purpose of Torah study.
Jews study Torah to know what God expects of us and what life lessons can be learned from our recollections of our encounters with God. A lovely example from the wealth of Hasidic teachings based on Parashat Noah claims that the essence of the story of the flood is found in the language used in following verses:
“And God said to Noah: Come into the ark (bo … el ha-tevah), you and all your household, because I have seen you stand before me as a righteous person in this generation" (Bereisheet 7:1),
and
"Go forth from the ark (tze min ha-tevah) , you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives with you" (Bereisheet 8:16).
We understand “Come into the ark” and "go forth from the ark" literally as referring to Noah’s first entering the ark and eventually leaving the physical ark which God commanded him to build in order to save himself, his family and a remnant of the animals from the flood in order to guarantee the continuity of life on the earth.
But these words may also be interpreted in another way, as Hasidic tradition taught in the name of the Baal Shem Tov: the ark is not merely a physical vessel such as that which Noah built, but also the spiritual space which we are each of us commanded to construct for ourselves in all our generations, with all our strength and energy.
"It means that when it says ‘Come into the work, you and all your household, Come you and all your household into the ark... for tevah (ark) also means word. This implies that a person must delve into the meaning of every word of the words of the Torah and of the prayers with all one’s strength, energy and spiritual dedication." (Iturei Torah, Volume 1, p. 67)
How does one “go into the “tevah”? Just as Noah did. We build our own. The Torah that we learn and live by is the “tevah” that we build with all our strength and energy.
A story is told about an elderly carpenter who was ready to retire to Florida. He told his employer of his plans to leave the house-building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.
The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials.
It was an unfortunate way to end his career. When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the boss handed the front-door key to the carpenter.
"This is your house," he said, "my gift to you."
Can you imagine his shock and what he must have been thinking! If he had only known he was building his own home, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well. Whereas if he had realized that every project is a reflection of what one puts into it – the extent to which one sees it as one’s own “teva” and not someone else’s – oh how he would have done it differently.
Our lives are the result of our choices in the past and the choices we continue to make each day.
Culling such a lesson from the story of Noah is the reason that we read this parasha again and again and again.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Matt Futterman
Senior Educator
