Parshat Noach 5778-The Rainbow, the Vine and the Tower-eternal messages

(based on a shiur given by Rabbi I. Bernstein zal in London in 1992)

יג  אֶת-קַשְׁתִּי, נָתַתִּי בֶּעָנָן; וְהָיְתָה לְאוֹת בְּרִית, בֵּינִי וּבֵין הָאָרֶץ.

13 I have set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth.

יד  וְהָיָה, בְּעַנְנִי עָנָן עַל-הָאָרֶץ, וְנִרְאֲתָה הַקֶּשֶׁת, בֶּעָנָן.

14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring clouds over the earth, and the bow is seen in the cloud,

טו  וְזָכַרְתִּי אֶת-בְּרִיתִי, אֲשֶׁר בֵּינִי וּבֵינֵיכֶם, וּבֵין כָּל-נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה, בְּכָל-בָּשָׂר; וְלֹא-יִהְיֶה עוֹד הַמַּיִם לְמַבּוּל, לְשַׁחֵת כָּל-בָּשָׂר.

15 that I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

Rav Meir Shapiro (Rav of Lublin, d.1934) asks a very incisive question. Is the rainbow just to be understood as the sign that there will never be another flood(as explained by the Meforshim, it is like a bow which is supporting the sky, to stop the flood from ever descending again), or is there a deeper message from this symbol for Noach and those who came after him?

Rav Shapiro answers with a remarkable observation. Noach was building the ark for 120 years. During this time he must have given hundreds of speeches imploring his fellow human beings to do teshuva and not risk total destruction. It is clear that his speeches had zero effect on the world,(‘grounds for dismissal', as Rabbi Bernstein put it) as we do not read of a mass teshuva, unlike Nineveh, in the story of Jonah, many years later. The reason for this lack of response is that Noach’s heart was not in his work and he was not convincing anyone of the impending doom (see Rashi on ch.7 v.7 where it says clearly that Noach was of those of ‘little faith’ as he had to be persuaded to enter the ark only at the last minute). The reason must be that Noach had decided that his generation was a ‘lost cause’ and was not worth saving.

The rainbow becomes a rebuke to Noach. The rainbow shows that a magnificent light can penetrate even the most severe darkness. This is a message to Noach that he should not have given up on anyone. “The Ba’al Teshuva stands in a place where even the greatest Zaddikim do not stand.”

This is a message which is also relevant for us in these times of great assimilation and disappearance of many of our young Jews to the prevailing culture of the world around us. We must not give up on anyone and every Jew has a potential to have his/her ‘pintele Yid’ become ignited and burn and this is our task in the world.

A further observation is made by Rabbi Simcha Wasserman (d.1993: Lithuania and USA) in discussing the drunkenness of Noach after the flood is over. We are told that Noach planted a vine. The Midrash comments that he should have planted wheat. What is the message of this Midrash and what is it coming to teach us?

Rabbi Wasserman explains that the vine produces wine, which is consumed when people come together and it is a social drink. The sort of gathering may very be looking at the past and reliving the ‘good old days’ over a cup of wine. The wheat planting represents an act for the future, whereby the growth of the new crop is a statement of confidence in the future and what it has in store for us. Rabbi Wasserman(whose father,R’Elchonon was murdered by the Nazis in 1941 HYD) adds that this is a strong message for us. Many Jews find their identity in discussing and reliving the past Jewish life. Many people find this expression in the study of Yiddish literature and the culture of the ‘alter Heim’. However this can be a very sterile exercise, in terms of securing a strong Jewish future. For this, we need to ‘plant wheat’ and look towards the new growth and expansion of Jewish life, as we are also witnessing in our Jewish world in the 21st century.

A final thought,linked to the Tower of Bavel story(ch.11) is expressed by Nechama Liebowitz zal. She notes that the Tower represented the ‘cutting edge’ of technology at that time, as they were using bricks, which were not used before. This was a revolution in building construction and ensured steadiness and durability of the buildings being constructed. She comments that this is the first of many examples in history when technology becomes a ‘2 edged sword’. As with the internet today, the technology can enhance our lives immeasurably or it can become a source of destruction and corruption. It is up to us as to how we use the new discovery and clearly the builders of the Tower failed in this regard.

With these 3 insights we can see how the parsha of Noach is so relevant to our 21st century world. Never give up on any Jew and make Judaism vibrant for the future are  messages which resonate clearly. Also, to make use of new technology in a responsible and life enhancing manner is a challenge which is still with us in our advanced age of scientific discovery.

We may not have yet connected with the masses of Jews but with every seed we sow, a new plant appears, which can blossom into a beautiful flower or tree, giving support and strength to those around them. This is a constant task, as is the harnessing of technology for positive purposes, and all these ideas will hopefully contribute to the hastening of the Messianic process which we are living through at this time.

Shabbat Shalom and Chodesh Tov.      Rabbi Ian Shaffer       SCW/ Cherry Hill NJ