Parashat Noach - The Righteous Man

 What kind of man was this week's cover star, Noach?  This is the question that I am posing today as the first verse in the Parasha appears to be very complimentary of our protagonist.

This is the story of Noach - Noach was a righteous man; a person of integrity in his generation; Noach walked with Gd.

Rashi, as usual, enables us to look beyond the simple translation to glance at another view of Noach and how the Rabbis understood the term 'in his generation':

Some of our Rabbis explain it (this word) to his credit: he was righteous even in his generation; it follows that had he lived in a generation of righteous people he would have been even more righteous owing to the force of good example.  Others, however, explain it to his discredit: in comparison with his own generation, he was accounted righteous, but had he lived in the generation of Abraham he would have been accounted as of no importance (cf.  Sanhedrin 108a).

Before the flood, it appears as though Noach could be described using Rashi's first citation.  This man appears to have such integrity, to the point that we are told he ‘Walked with Gd'.  The Lord chooses him to build an ark to save his family, along with his assorted non-human cargo.  Everyone and everything else (aside from the fish) perish in the ensuing flood, which takes over the world, from above and below.  I think that Noach would be deserving of being known as 'righteous'.  This fellow is a hero and we are here because of him!

Why would our commentators wish to sully his fine reputation as a saviour of humanity by questioning his actions?  Could Noach have acted any differently?

 

Rabbi Sacks ztl, notes in his superb book on the Parshiot (Covenant and Conversation - Genesis: The Book of Beginnings, 2009, 'Beyond Obedience'), that throughout the detailed instructions that Gd gives regarding the building of the Ark (Ikea should take note!), Noah's response is...silence.  He writes:

What does Noach say to Gd when the decree is issued that the world is about to perish? What does he say as the rain begins to fall?  The answer is nothing.  During the whole sequence of events, Noach is not reported as saying a single word.  Instead, we read, four times [verses such as] 'Noach did everything that Gd had commanded him'...Noach does as he is commanded.  What the story tells us is that obedience is not enough.

What did Noach eventually do when he left the ark?  He planted a vineyard, drank some of the wine he produced and became so drunk that he ended up lying naked in his tent.  His youngest son, Ham, then saw 'the nakedness of his father' (which Messechet Sandedrin 70a tells us means, according to some, that he committed an immoral act upon his father) and went to tell his brothers what he'd done.  It is to the credit of his brothers, Shem and Yafeth that a shred of dignity remained within the first generation that stepped out of the Ark.  Noach, the man who we are told ‘walked with Gd’, had been utterly debased and humiliated.

Following on from Rashi's comparison with Avraham, Rabbi Sacks wonders how this man would have acted, had he been in Noach's position:

What might an Abraham have said with the possibility of a flood?

[Genesis 18:24-25]
‘Then Avraham stepped forward and said, "Would You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked?  What if there are fifty righteous people?  What if there are ten? Far be it for You to do such a thing - to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous like the wicked.’ Avraham might have saved the world.  Noach only saved himself and his family.  Noah's end - drunk dishevelled, an embarrassment to his children - eloquently tells us that if you save yourself while doing nothing to save the world, you do not even save yourself.

Generations of children have been brought up to believe that Noach was a hero who saved all the animals from Gd's wrath.  Yes, he did, but only because he did nothing to plead for the survival of anyone or anything else.  Had Noach been an ‘Avraham’, perhaps the flood may not have happened, for there may have been fifty righteous people in the world, which hints to the first explanation that Rashi cites. Before we fully condemn his reputation to a watery grave (pun intended), let us look at Rashi’s final comment, regarding Noach walking with Gd. Perhaps, we can salvage his standing in society:

In the case of Avraham, the Scripture says,

[Genesis 24:40]
“[God] before whom I walked.”

Noach needed God’s support to uphold him in righteousness, Abraham drew his moral strength from himself and walked in his righteousness by his own effort (Bereshit Rabbah 30:10).

The man who stayed silent, when he could have spoken, was not the hero he could have been.  The greatness he could have achieved was denied by a significant flaw in his personality.  If he had been righteous of his own accord, he would have earned the respect due to him.  Instead, his achievements, as they were, lasted as long as the wooden structure that housed the Noahide family and their animal companions. To his credit, he did offer up a Thanksgiving Offering when he stepped out of the Ark, but aside from that noble gesture and Gd’s response, Noach’s last act focuses on the planting of the vineyard and its tragic consequences. Even his ‘righteousness’ is questionable. When Avraham's arrival is mentioned just before the end of the Parasha, it signifies the emergence of the Torah's first great individual.  His decisive actions and those of his wife take centre stage and usher in the extraordinary story of our nation - one which continues to the present day, for in the end, the righteous man was not Noach, but his 10^th generation descendant, Avraham Avinu.

Shavua Tov.

Parashat Bereshit - Version 1.0

 Dedicated to my grandfather R’ Yechezkel Shraga ben R’ Moshe zl, whose Yartzheit is today

I wrote this Drasha on Isru Chag, the day following Simchat Torah. 

A new year has begun and we are returning, as I wrote last year, ‘to our roots’.

You might be interested to note some technical details about the production of this sermon.  I am using Windows 10 Version 22H2 which is the brand-spanking-new update to the Operating System.  The edition of Microsoft Word I am utilising is Version 2209 which is the very latest one available to the non-beta-testing public. 

Do you remember the early versions of Windows and Word?

They were very different, weren’t they?  I still recall my first computer which my parents purchased for me to complete assignments for my Undergraduate Degree at the start of the 1990s.  It ran Windows 3.1 alongside the Disk Operating System (otherwise known as DOS).  It was only with the introduction of Windows 95, if you recall, that the entire operating system became functional in a way that we recognise it today.

Word, as part of the Microsoft Office suite, also went through numerous iterations and had I been writing this Drasha two decades ago, I would have probably been using Word ‘97, which is markedly different from the application I have before me.

The software manufacturers keep on trying to convince us that we need to upgrade our systems to benefit even more from their creations.  Not only that, we find ourselves eventually having no choice but to conform, as our computers and tablets become gradually unusable as the newer offerings take over the consumer market.  The relatively recent introduction of Windows 11 is a case in point.  I know for a fact that my current laptop is unable to run it, due to the operating system’s requirements and specifications.

In case you’re not familiar with all of this technical gobbledygook, I’ll cite the case of audio formats (in an abridged format)

·         Vinyl records

·         Reel to reel magnetic tapes

·         Compact cassettes (or ‘tapes’ as we call them)

·         8-track

·         Micro and Mini cassettes

·         Laserdiscs (does anyone remember those?)

·         Compact Disks (CDs)

·         Digital Audio Tapes (DAT)

·         Minidisks

·         And now, MP3 files which aren’t’ even physical entities!

You could theoretically listen to the same recording on each of these media… if you can find the devices to play them!

I have nothing against technology and the quest by its innovators to constantly modernise our world and bring us the ‘perfect sound’ as the marketing managers would have us believe.  To an extent, they are not entirely wrong.  If you compare the quality of recording on a 33^1/3 vinyl disk with the latest remastered (and sometimes remixed) version on CD, you will definitely notice the difference – particularly on the best sound system available.  My other job is teaching IT whose curriculum is constantly changing and evolving.  I joke that the textbooks that our students are using are probably out-of-date by the time they make the transition from an electronic file to the hard copy we hold in our hands!

It appears that each new version, whether it be software or hardware, or the latest TV set (Sky Glass anyone?) and so on...only whets our insatiable appetite to demand more.

Not forgetting the famous quote from ‘Oliver Twist’:

He rose from the table; and advancing to the master, basin and spoon in hand, said: somewhat alarmed at his own temerity: “Please, sir, I want some more.”

And we know the result!

So, here’s the thing.

In the Ark sit a number of Torah scrolls.  If you open them up, you’ll be greeted with exactly the same text as the one that is printed in your Chumashim.  In fact, were you to lay your hands on the Codex Leningradensis or the ‘Leningrad Book’ which was written in Cairo in either 1008 or 1009, you would be holding the oldest complete Hebrew manuscript in existence.  A codex is a bound book as opposed to a scroll like Megillat Esther.

Not version 2209, 11 or 360 (as in Xbox) – version 1.0!

Every year, we literally rewind our Torah scrolls to the very first word – ‘Bereshit’, in the very first column of the very first parchment leaf in our Sifrei Torah.  We open our Chumashim, which although they may be a later edition than the original, still contain the same Hebrew text and we start again from the beginning.  Reading the identical words that we heard a year ago (barring the initial recitals on Simchat Torah).

Next week, Apple Records are going to be releasing yet another version of The Beatles classic ‘Revolver’ album which has been remastered and remixed by Giles Martin, son of the late George.  I’ve heard the first track, ‘Taxman’ and it sounds fab! The vocals are clear and the instrumentation is so meticulously rendered that you could almost be sitting in the recording studio with John, Paul, George and Ringo.  It is a marvel of modern sound engineering.  Yet, something is not quite right.

A few years ago, Apple achieved the same feat with the famous Red and Blue albums (1962-1966 and 1967-1970) which were originally released in 1973.

A friend of mine bought the two sets (as did I, of course!) and when he’d listened to them, he told me something I’ve never forgotten:

“The sound is extraordinary.  The vocals are clear and the instruments are pitch perfect.  The one problem is that it doesn’t sound like The Beatles and the songs don’t sound like they used to on Vinyl.  They lack the warmth that those original albums had.”

My friend was making a valid point.  In our quest to always improve on almost everything, we have forsaken our ability to appreciate the original product.  The very imperfections of those records made them so special.  Does a Yamaha electronic piano sound better than a Bösendorfer Grand?  In terms of the pitch-perfect accuracy of the sound that emanates from the synthesiser’s speaker, the answer is probably ‘yes’.  Given the opportunity to play the former over the latter, I would have no hesitation in opting for the Bösendorfer precisely because of its immutable pedigree.  In the same way that I would choose a Stradivarius violin over any modern electronic clone.

The Torah has never needed to be re-written or updated.  Version 1.0 is a classic that could not be improved upon.  Many have commentated and others have provided translations into a myriad of tongues, but its innate beauty lies in the very language it employs, which comes directly from Gd Himself.  A Divine Gift does not need returning to the great Amazon in the sky!

Is Windows 11 better than 10?  Possibly.  Is it better than Vista?  Absolutely!  However, if Microsoft had ‘called it a day’ with Windows 7, would anyone have complained?  I doubt it.

Let us appreciate and value the Torah in all its ‘Version 1.0’ glory and perhaps look around us and wonder how much of the updated copies of the things we buy, we really need.  It’s nice to feel that we’re ahead of the pack by having the latest technology, but do we really give ourselves a chance to appreciate it?

Bereshit reminds us that Adam and Eve’s role was not to shop around for the latest deals on the finest technology on comparison websites.  All they had to do was take care of the Garden of Eden.  Had they done so, I believe that our lives would have been more fulfilling and meaningful.  Version 1.0 can often be timeless.

Could you ever improve on Casablanca or Gone with The Wind?

Shavuah Tov

YOM KIPPUR – כעם אחד בלב אחד (ONE NATION WITH ONE MIND)

 On Yom Kippur, exactly forty-nine years ago, corresponding with the Gregorian date of 6^th October, an event took place that would forever become ingrained in Jewish history.  At exactly 2.00 pm local time, the armies of Egypt and Syria launched devastating surprise attacks on the State of Israel.  Thus, was born the Yom Kippur War.  When it ended, three weeks later, 2,691 Israelis had been killed, the second highest number of deaths after the War of Independence.  On the Arab side, the body count from the war lay at 19,000¹

One of my earliest childhood memories was catching a sight of our boys on the Golan Heights in the midst of the war, in glorious black and white, on our not particularly glorious ancient television set.  I remember the expression of worry and fear on the faces of my parents as my mother carried me upstairs to my bedroom.  One doesn’t forget moments like that.  Whilst trawling through my parents’ books recently, following the sale of our family home last September, I came across a fascinating book entitled ‘Purnell’s History of the World Wars Special – Weapons of the 1973 Israeli Arab War’ published by Marshall Cavendish shortly after the cessation of hostilities.  Besides the fact that it only cost 55p, I was astounded to read a comparison of the weaponry available to both sides.  The chart was entitled: ‘The relative strengths at the start of the 1973 war’ and I would like to share the information with you²:

1.    Army: Egypt and Syria combined had 380,000 men; Israel had 275,000

2.    Tanks: Egypt and Syria 3,220; Israel 1,700

3.    Guns (excluding anti-tank guns and mortars): Egypt and Syria approx. 1,600; Israel approx. 1,100

4.    Surface to Air (SAM) Missiles: Egypt and Syria 850; Israel 60

5.    Combat Aircraft: Egypt and Syria 920; Israel 490

6.    Helicopters: Egypt and Syria 240; Israel 70.

In every category, Israel was outmanned and outgunned by the enemy. 

If you have seen the recent heart-breaking Israeli TV series ‘Valley of Tears’ on E4, you will understand all too well the terrifying spectacle encountered by the beleaguered Israeli troops on the Golan when their fortifications were overrun by the Syrian tank crews.

I could dwell on the significance of the number ‘49’ in Judaism (for example the forty-nine days of the Omer between Pesach and Shavuot; the forty-nine-year cycle of seven Shmittah years (one of which we are just coming to the end of) and the forty-nine levels of immorality that the Israelites were heading towards had they not been taken out of Egypt) but these are topics for an entirely different sermon!

Returning to the Yom Kippur war, the Egyptians and Syrians believed that by launching their surprise attacks on the holiest day of our calendar, the northern and southern borders would be lightly manned (as they indeed were) due to the troops taking leave to spend time with their families and/or attend synagogue services.  What they hadn’t counted on, was a perceived weakness that turned into our greatest strength.  As hundreds of thousands of soldiers were gathered in the numerous shuls across the country, it was very easy to locate and mobilise them in huge numbers in a record amount of time.

In the Sefer Shemot (Exodus), we are told in Chapter 19, verse 1 that the Bnei Yisrael entered the Sinai Wilderness on the first day of the third month following their departure from Egypt. It was Rosh Chodesh Sivan, less than a week before they would receive the Torah.

Verse 2 tells us:

Setting out from Refidim, they had arrived at the Sinai Desert, encamping in the wilderness, and there Israel camped, facing the mountain.

On the face of it, these words do not seem out of the ordinary, except for an interesting discrepancy in the Hebrew.  The original verse states “Vayavo’uh midbar Sinai (and they had arrived at the Sinai desert), Vayachanu Bamidbar (encamping in the wilderness)…”

However, the next phrase reads “Vayichan sham Yisrael (and there Israel camped)”. The word “Vayichan” refers to a single person camping.  Surely, the verse should have used the same plural suffix of ‘vayachanu’ as was evidenced previously.

Rashi picks up on this and states:

“The singular Vayichan is to be interpreted as ‘one man with one heart (or one mind)’ or in Hebrew כאיש אחד בלב אחד  but all the other encampments were with complaints and with strife”

In other words, The Bnei Yisrael were united in their understanding of the significance of what was about to happen.  It was as though they became a single entity.  A beautiful symphony instead of a collection of random notes.

Our Rabbis used this to interpolate the idea through utilising a process called Parshanut which is a type of Biblical Exegesis. Just as Rashi referred to the notion of ‘one man with one heart’ we, the Jewish people, can if we wish to, act as ‘one nation with one heart – Am Echad Be’Lev Echad’ – And this is exactly what occurred forty-nine years ago.

For had the Egyptian and Syrian operations been launched on any other day, the Israelis would not have been able to respond to the threat in such a rapid and effective manner.  It was a case that the significance and importance of Yom Kippur in the hearts and minds of our people literally enabled them to work together as ‘one people with one mind’ in the joint cause of protecting the State of Israel.

This idea is reflected in the tefillot, the prayers, particularly in the Selichot that we recite from the start of the month of Ellul (if you are Sephardi) or the week before Rosh Hashanah as we do, culminating in the Neilah Service.

From the outset of Yom Kippur, we recited both the Ashamnu and Al Cheit supplications continuously towards the end of each service.  You may have noticed that all of these are conjugated in the plural tense:

Ashamnu – We have trespassed…

Bagadnu – We have dealt treacherously…

Gazalnu – We have robbed…

When it comes to the Al Cheit prayers, the same format applies, where all the verses are prefaced with:

Al Cheit She’chatanu lefanecha – For the sin wherein we have sinned…

If you look through the machzor and siddur, you will see that our prayers are always in the plural tense, on Yom Kippur and in each Amidah because we are one nation.  When we let ourselves down, we also let our people down and crucially, we let Gd down. We hold very dearly the concept of ‘kol Yisrael areivim ze la’ze’ – all of Israel, in other words, all Jews are responsible for one another.  Just as we celebrate together in the happier times, we also join together when things are not so rosy.  One nation with one heart.

Forty-nine years ago, in complete unity, we approached Hashem and He responded to our heartfelt prayers. Despite the terrible human sacrifice, His presence, via the extraordinary operations of the IDF, delivered a victory to our people that could not have been envisaged in those terrible early days of the war, when Jews around the world feared that Israel would be no more. Only the Hand of Gd could have engineered such an outcome.

Within five years, the enemy that had been Egypt put forth a hand of peace. Within fifty, Israel has peace agreements with nearly all the Arab nations, barring Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, some North African countries and a sprinkling of Gulf States.  The relationship between Israel and Saudi Arabia is so warm that I don’t think their hand of friendship will be held back for too long.

The power that Yom Kippur has in bringing us together, despite our differences, is truly remarkable.  May our prayers together bring about a year of peace throughout the world, particularly in Ukraine where we have seen how another nation has united to fight a seemingly implacable foe.

Wishing you a Shana Tova. May we all be inscribed in the book of life, good health and peace.

Amen.

_________________________________________________________________________

¹ _{the numbers quoted on both sides are not whole definitive according to other sources and are approximations.}

² _{the exact amount is disputed and these too are approximations.}