Leaving the Ark: Lessons from Noach and Women’s League

By Julia Loeb, WLCJ International President

In my experience, there are two types of people on an airplane. When the plane lands and the seatbelt sign turns off, some people wait patiently in their seats for the crowd to disperse, even if they’re sitting on the aisle. Then they gather their belongings and casually walk off the plane. Others, however, have their hands on the seatbelt buckle, ready to spring up, grab their luggage, and stand in the aisle—even before the door opens. For better or worse, I’m in the latter group. After a long flight, I can’t wait to stretch my legs and get off that packed airplane as quickly as possible.

So, if I were stuck in a smelly ark filled with animals for months, I’d be eager to leave as soon as the rain stopped, and the waters subsided. But not Noach. Even after the ark came to rest on the mountain, he waited for the waters to recede even more. He waited 40 days to open a window! He sent out a raven, then a dove, which eventually returned with an olive leaf, a sign of new life. Yet he still waited. Seven days later, he sent out another dove, which didn’t come back, signaling that the land was drying. But Noach remained on the ark. Finally, almost two months after the land was completely dry (as described in Genesis 8:14), God intervened, telling Noach, “Come out of the ark,” along with his family and the animals. Only then did Noach find the courage to step out.

Perhaps Noach felt safe inside the ark, hesitant about the unknown challenges awaiting him in a transformed world. When I get off an airplane, I know where I’m going and how to get there. But Noach had no roadmap; he had no idea what to expect or how to start rebuilding. So, he stayed on the ark until he was commanded to move forward.

Facing new challenges can be daunting, even when you’re not tasked with rebuilding civilization in a foreign land. I remember the first time a Sisterhood leader asked me to lead services at our Sisterhood Shabbat. My initial reaction was, “No, thank you! I don’t know how to do that, and I could never stand up in front of a group.” But my Sisterhood mentors reassured me, saying, “Don’t worry, we’ll teach you and support you.” With their encouragement, I was able to do it. The same pattern repeated as I learned to read Torah and took on leadership roles within my Sisterhood, the region, and eventually at the international level of Women’s League. Each time I doubted my abilities, a small voice within me would say, “What if I could do this? What would I gain, and what could I offer others?”

The motto of Women’s League is “engage, enrich, and empower.” Through education, mentorship, and community, so much becomes possible. From my earliest days in Sisterhood to today, I have seen these values in action, empowering me and countless other women to leave our metaphorical arks and tackle new challenges. I hope that, with the support of your Women’s League sisters, you too feel encouraged to “step off your ark” and try something new this year.

Shabbat Shalom!

Julia Loeb
WLCJ International President
jloeb@wlcj.org