The deluge that destroyed the world in the time of Noah caused a major upheaval in the physical makeup of the world. The geological and archeological evidence of this change has baffled many a scientist—so much so that even skeptical scientists argue that some fossilized discoveries may be attributed to the flood.
Not only did the flood leave its indelible mark on the contours of the planet, but, the Torah tells us, it changed the very physics of the world.
Hashem was deeply saddened by the immorality that had pervaded His world and to insure that it would not happen again, He did not simply destroy the world but changed its structure. After Noah and his family left the confines of their protective ark, they entered a new world order.
Noah had a very difficult year in the ark. He had to provide for and tend to the ark’s menagerie. Each animal required its own diet and each had its own schedule. “During the 12 months that Noah was in the ark, he did not sleep,” the Midrash tells us. Noah’s natural environment was suspended for that time.
In fact, but for three exceptions, everyone’s nature changed while in the ark. Only the dog, the raven, and Cham, Noah’s son, functioned normally in the ark.
What motivated them to be different? Why couldn’t they suspend their personal needs during this time of universal tragedy?
The answer is found in their very nature. Dogs are selfish and uncaring. They must be well trained before they can become man’s best friend. The raven is known for its cruelty. When Noah released the raven to see the conditions outside the ark, it came upon a human corpse on top of a mountain. After satisfying itself, the raven returned to Noah with no information for the inhabitants of the ark.
Cham submitted to his baser instincts. He totally ignored the suffering around him and allowed himself the pleasures of his indulgences. This selfishness did not go unnoticed by Hashem. Cham and his descendants were punished.
Are we so uncaring that the experiences of the world around us go unnoticed? Are we oblivious? Can we continue to go about our lives without seeing and learning important lessons about compassion, morality and decency?
We must emulate the good we see and eliminate the bad. The spiritual nature of the world was changed after the flood’s destruction. It is up to us to sustain the world by avoiding the mistakes of the past.
Parashat Lech-Lecha
Towards the end of Parashat Lech-Lecha, G-d informs Abraham that he and Sarah will have a son, Isaac. Abraham was nearing his hundredth year at the time, and Sarah was approaching 90; the two had been married for 75 childless years, and Sarah was physically incapable of having children. Abraham already had a son, Ishmael, born 13 years earlier, after Sarah had urged him to marry her maidservant Hagar, so that he could father a child.
Abraham’s reaction to the divine promise was to proclaim, “If only Ishmael would live before You!” Abraham seems to be saying that he would be happy to see Ishmael as the one who perpetuates his special relationship with G-d.
G-d rejects Abraham’s proposal, telling him that only Isaac could be his true heir, and only Isaac could father the people with whom G-d would enter into a covenant.
G-d’s insistence on Isaac as the progenitor of His chosen people tells us something very fundamental about the nature of our relationship with Him. Ishmael and Isaac differed in two significant respects: Ishmael came into the world by natural means, while Isaac’s birth was a supernatural event. Ishmael was circumcised at the age of 13, the age of daat (awareness), whereas Isaac entered into the covenant of circumcision as an eight day-old infant—an age at which a person is not even aware of what is taking place, much less of its significance. In other words, Ishmael represented a rational relationship with G-d, one that was based upon a person’s nature and understanding, but G-d insisted that His covenant with Abraham be perpetuated specifically through Isaac and Isaac’s descendants—a people whose commitment to Him would transcend the natural and the rational.
Parashat Vayera
Why do certain nations thrive, while others disappear? Historians will tell you about political, economic and military factors.
However, our Torah informs us that ethical factors are far more consequential. Powerful nations fall if they are immoral, while weak ones succeed if they maintain moral excellence.
Abraham and Sarah had a child, through whom they became the ancestors of Klal Yisrael (the people of Israel). Meanwhile, the mighty city of Sodom was destroyed. Why did this happen?
The Torah points to hospitality: Abraham invited nomads, who turned out to be angels, into his home and was told of his future as the father of the Jewish people. Lot, too, invited angels into his home and was saved from destruction, but the people of Sodom, who sought to abuse Lot’s guests, were destroyed. Even Lot’s wife, who was halfhearted in her hospitality, did not survive.
The citizens of Sodom not only acted violently toward strangers; they also expressed contempt for justice. Abraham, on the other hand, demonstrated his just behavior by arguing with G-d over His decision to destroy Sodom.
Hospitality and justice elevated Abraham and Sarah to the beginnings of a great nation, while intolerance destroyed Sodom. It is not strength, not might, but G-d’s spirit, that lifts and lowers nations. The moral and spiritual course chosen by a people determine its future.
Parashat Chayei Sara
Parashat Chayei Sara tells us of three significant events: the death of Sarah, finding a wife for Isaac, and the death of Abraham. Each of these events is deserving of study and comment: We are taught how Abraham dealt with the burial of his beloved wife and how he prepared for his own death.
The Torah tells us: “Abraham breathed his last and died well up in years, old and satisfied.” He was able to die content, knowing that he had made arrangements for Isaac, and that he had made peace with Ishmael.
Even though Abraham was grief-stricken by the loss of Sarah, he was determined to find a suitable wife for Isaac. He gave this responsibility to his servant, Eliezer, assuring him that G-d would guide him. And so Eliezer asked G-d for a sign that would indicate when the right woman appeared. He took 10 of Abraham’s camels and went to the town of Haran to wait by a well, where the women of the town would come to draw water. Eliezer planned to ask for water for only himself and not the camels. The woman worthy of becoming Isaac’s wife would also offer water to the camels.
Eliezer was looking for a woman of outstanding character, great kindness and sensitivity. He was not interested in finding a wealthy girl, nor did he make great beauty one of the criteria. He was determined to find a woman with a big heart to be the matriarch of Israel.
Rebecca came to the well, and according to the Midrash, after giving Eliezer water, she went to draw water for the camels. Her acts of supreme kindness were enough to satisfy Eliezer that she was meant to be the mother of the people of Israel.
The word hesed, which means kindness, is repeated throughout this portion. We should all rededicate ourselves to being kinder to our family, friends, strangers, and especially each other. Let’s practice “random acts of kindness,” without being asked and expecting nothing in return.
