Parashat Noach: For The Many
Dedicated to the
memory of Yaakov Aharon ben Moshe, Jake Marlowe - may Hashem avenge his murder.
I'd like
to ask a very simple question regarding this week's protagonist, Noach. In his act of saving his family (and a
shipload of animals) from the flood that wiped out every living creature (aside
from the fish), would you consider him to be courageous?
There is
a fascinating Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 36.3) which compares Noach with Moshe
Rabbeinu:
“Noach, man of the soil,
began, and he planted a vineyard” (Genesis 9:20).
“Noach, man of the soil, began
[vayaḥel]”
– he became profaned and unholy [ḥulin]. Why? “And
he planted a vineyard.” Should he not have planted something else, that was
constructive, a fig tree branch or an olive tree branch? Instead, “he planted a vineyard.”
‘Man of the soil’ – There
were three people who were enthusiastic about the soil but ultimately nothing
constructive came from them. They are:
Cain, Noach, and Uziyahu. Cain – “Cain
was a tiller of the soil” (Genesis 4:2); Noach – “a man of the soil”; Uziyahu –
“he had farmers and vine growers in the mountains and on the fertile lands, as
he was a lover of the soil” (II Chronicles 26:10).
The underlying question is:
In what sense was Noach a ‘man of the soil’? – He remade the surface of the
soil; He began to re-cultivate the soil after it had been devastated by the
Flood. because of him the soil was
watered; It was on his behalf that rain fell upon the parched soil after the
Flood (see Bereshit Rabba 33:7). He
filled the entire surface of the soil. His
descendants populated the world.
‘Man of the soil’ – He was a
farmer, [called “man of the soil”] after his farming activities.
Rabbi Berekhya said: Moses
was more beloved than Noach. Noach,
after he was called ‘a righteous man’ (Genesis 6:9), was called ‘a man of the
soil.’
He was diminished in stature
when he became older. But Moses, after
he was called “an Egyptian man” (Exodus 2:19) was called “the man of God”
(Deuteronomy 33:1).
On the
face of it, we can't dismiss Noach's role in reclaiming man's mastery over the
earth after it had been subsumed by the flood.
More importantly, he singlehandedly (albeit on Gd's command) ensured
that every single person alive today can trace their ancestry back to him. We can trace our roots back to Noach and
Naama (her lineage is mentioned in last week's Parasha) through their three
sons and daughters-in-law. Jews and
Arabs are called Semites which underscores the fact that we are direct
descendants of his son, Shem (although anti-Semitism is unique to the Jewish
people, but that's a different discussion).
It is
safe to say that Noach, as a person is extremely significant in the history of
mankind.
But,
returning to my original question, is that enough to guarantee his validity as
a man of note?
There is
a famous Rashi on the first pasuk of the Parasha:
These are the generations of Noach: Noach was a just
man and perfect in his generations, and Noach walked with Gd.
Generations — 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).
The
Gemara (in tandem with the Midrash) is quite scathing about Noach's reputation
and if you bring both comments together, you have the description of a man who
fell short of his potential when compared to giants such as Avraham and Moshe.
At this
stage, it is unclear as to what he did wrong (setting aside the fact that he
could have planted something more useful to humanity than a vine). He saved his family and ensured that we still
have the descendants of countless animals and other creatures to visit in our
local zoos (and are able to benefit from their output, including their meat).
Rabbi
Sacks (OBM) points out (Covenant and Conversation: A Drama in Four Acts, 2019)
that although Noach is a righteous man, he is no hero. He saves no-one but himself and his family. He takes no responsibility for anyone else.
At no
point in the story do we read about Noach pleading with Gd to save his fellow
humans in the same way that Avraham does when it comes to the inhabitants of Sodom. Where is there a description of how he asked
Gd to destroy him instead of others in the vein of Moshe following the sin of
the Golden Calf?
Rabbi
Sacks writes that ‘One cannot be a sole survivor and still survive…we have to
do what we can to save others, not just ourselves. Noach failed the test of collective
responsibility.’
After he survived
the flood, he ends up naked, drunk and then sexually abused by one of his sons. A sad and ignoble end to a man who could have
achieved so much more. Compare the story of his life with that of his descendant
Moshe who rose from being the Prince of Egypt to the position of our greatest
leader – a man whom Gd would speak to ‘face-to-face as one person speaks to
his friend (Shemot 33,11).
Returning
to my original question, it doesn’t take much to demonstrate that Noach was
anything but courageous.
I suspect
that, like you, the terrible situation in Israel occupies my mind throughout my
waking hours. The last thing I do before
going to sleep is to check my phone for any updates. Bleary eyed, first thing in the morning, I
scrabble for my glasses to see if there have been any developments overnight.
Over the
last week, the horror of what transpired on the Shabbat of Shmini Arzeret was
at the forefront of my thoughts. No
doubt you read about Jake Marlowe, (may his memory be a blessing) the 26-year-old
former JFS student who was killed at the festival whilst working as a security
guard. To our family, Jake was more than
just a name. He was in the same year as
one of my stepdaughters and he was also second cousin to a very dear
schoolfriend who made Aliyah many years ago.
My friend
wrote to me and asked if he could stay with us so that he could attend Jake’s
Levaya. At the time, we did not know
when this would take place. I didn’t
even ask Stephnie before responding and we spent nearly a week together
catching up on old times and mourning his cousin’s passing. He knew Jake and had the highest respect for
him. He also told me how Jake had
rescued several other people from the party on his motorised buggy, under fire
and ultimately at the cost of his own life.
He was courageous beyond description and the very epitome of Rabbi
Sacks’ dictum that ‘we must save others, not just ourselves’. Jake’s love of his fellow Jews was limitless. He demonstrated this by paying the ultimate
price. He died ‘al kiddush Hashem -
sanctifying Gd’s name.
More and
more stories like Jake’s are coming to light.
How kibbutzniks who were vastly outnumbered fought to protect their families,
friends and homes against a horde of sadistic barbaric savages whose evil
actions rendered them, as I heard it put by the Home Secretary Suella
Braverman, a ‘stain on humanity’. How young soldiers were massacred trying to
protect civilians and women, children and the elderly were snatched away from
their families, many of whom were tortured and killed. The list of atrocities is endless.
Jake and
the other fallen heroes of Israel, both male and female represent the very
finest example of what it means to be, not only courageous but righteous, not
only in their generations but for all time.
They are our Joshua, Deborah, King David and Judah Maccabee rolled into
one. They passed Rabbi Sacks’ test of
collective responsibility with flying colours and paid with their lives.
As for
Noach, we look at him in the shadow of what has happened with more questions
than answers.
Why
didn’t he speak up?
Why
didn’t he try to save those who might have adapted their behaviour to show
kindness to others?
Why did
he just focus on his own family?
Why?
The
United Synagogue has dedicated yesterday, today and tomorrow as the ‘Weekend of
Kindness’ where we, the Jewish people are being asked to bring more light into
the world. It doesn’t take much
to show kindness to others and there is a host of ways in which we can do this
such as:
- Sending a voice message of
support to friends and family in Israel.
- Making a meal for someone who
needs the support.
- Thanking our local security
guard for keeping us safe.
- Visiting someone elderly or
ill.
- Donating food to your local
food bank.
- Helping carry someone’s
shopping to their car.
- Holding the door open for a
stranger.
- Donating blood.
- Adding yourself to a bone
marrow registry and take part in a bone marrow drive.
- Making a conscious effort to recycle.
You can read other ideas on the US website (https://theus.org.uk/article/weekend-kindness).
It
doesn’t take much to show our love ‘for the many’ both inside and outside the
community who will appreciate what we do.
We can show the world how
extraordinary a nation we are, whilst also defending Israel from the lies that
are populating social networking platforms and the media. We owe it to our people and our Medinah.
We need to show the world that we are not ‘Noach’.
Instead, we are Avraham and we are Moshe.
And…
We are Jake.
Shabbat
Shalom
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