Parashat Noach 5782

by Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields

In both Parashat Noach and its Haftarah from Isaiah 54:1-55:5, God acts with justice and mercy. In the story of Noah, God destroys the world with the great flood, but God spares Noah and his family, and promises never to destroy the world again. Both the Torah and Haftarah Readings present complementary models of righteousness. Noah’s righteousness is based on personal purity and God-centered living. In Isaiah, we read about those who follow God by establishing their city through creating models of a community built on collective righteousness, and tzedakah, and doing acts of loving kindness.

In the story of Noah, water is the agent of destruction and wine is a vehicle of sin. In the Torah reading, water causes death, although typically water is needed to sustain life.  In Parashat Noach, wine is the vehicle of sin, although typically in Judaism wine is considered a source of joy. God forewarns Noah about the flood that will occur, and Noah survives to tell about the flood. In the Haftarah, water, wine, and milk are represented as life-giving liquids (Isaiah 55:1). Isaiah 54:15-16 states that Israel is in exile, but God predicts their imminent return to their land. Israel will live through the events and survive to witness and testify to God’s prediction and God’s control of the events. God exiles the Israelites and allows Jerusalem to be destroyed, but is now ready to return the people to a rebuilt city. In Isaiah 54:9-11, Israel is compared to Noah. Israel is about to return from exile and God has to comfort Israel and reassure her (Isaiah 54:4,5, 14). God promises in Isaiah 54:9, “For this to Me is like the waters of Noah: As I swore that the waters of Noah nevermore would flood the earth, so I swear that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you.” God’s promise to Noah in Genesis 8:21 says, “Never again will I doom the earth because of humankind… nor will I ever again destroy every living being, as I have done.” 

In Genesis 11:1- 9, we read the story of the Tower of Babel, in which different languages developed as a way to scatter the people. They will all understand that God is the only God. Even if everyone agreed that there is only one God, it would still be possible to worship that one God in different ways.