Parashat Noach 5786

by Rabbi Margie Cella

Ten generations after Adam and Eve, we are introduced to their descendant Noah. The world had become corrupt and filled with violence. God decided to send a flood to destroy the earth, saving Noah and his family as a remnant to begin again. Noah built an ark, a floating boat, according to God’s specifications, then gathered one pair of each unclean animal and seven pairs of each clean animal to be kept alive on the ark to repopulate the earth after the flood. Noah did everything exactly as God had told him to do.

The Torah tells us two things about Noah: he was righteous and pure in his generation; and he walked with God [Genesis 6:9]. Both of these traits complement each other. Resh Lakish says that if Noah could be righteous in his generation, which was totally lawless, how much more so would he have been righteous living in a time with others who also walked with God? It’s easier to be faithful to the commandments and to live a Torah-observant life when we share those values with other like-minded people.

Today we live in a world that can seem chaotic and lawless. It is easy to become discouraged and disheartened by the events we witness daily. It is so important to have a community that we can lean on. In Women’s League we have such a community. Coming together on Zoom to study at Makom B’Yachad, learn Hebrew, attend bat mitzvah classes, or many of the other educational programs we offer, reminds us that we are part of a large, global, Jewish community.

Oseh Shalom, Maker of Peace, may we lift each other up and keep each other strong. May we walk together with You, just as Noah did in his generation.