Beth Elohim Messianic Synagogue

Weekly Parasha

 Parasha #2: B’resheet Noach (Noah)  Genesis 6::9-11:32

Halftarah: Yesha’yahu (Isaiah ) 52:13-55:5

B’rit Hadashah:Mattityahu (Matthew) 24:36-44; Luke 17:26-37; Acts 2:1`-16; 1 Kefa (Peter) 3:18-22; 2 Kefa (2 Peter) 2:5

 G-d chose Noah to survive the Flood because he was a righteous man. In Hebrew the word righteous can and is also translated as salvation. The two are synonymous with each other. As YHVH Elohim says it speaking of Noah: “I have seen you as a righteous man in this generation.” Noah in effect is redeemed or “saved.”

Some of the sages found fault with Noah. Why? Perhaps we can find a clue from a comparison of the two arks mentioned in Torah.

An ark rescued both Moshe and Noah, but their arks were different. Besides the difference in size, Noah’s ark had double insulation – “And you shall smear it from the inside and the outside with tar” – while Moshe’s Ark was insulated only from the outside.

What does this indicate according to the sages?

They say that both Noah and Moshe lived among people who needed their help. They were expected to help the sinners of their generation without being influenced by them.

Noah’s ark was protected from the elements inside and out, like a cocoon. And that was how Noah insulated himself, inside and out. He wasn’t influenced by those around him, neither did he strive to influence others. According to the sages he didn’t seem to care whether the rest of the world went “down the drain.’

Moshe on the other hand, was insulated from the outside, and was careful to not be influenced by evil around him, but he was able and willing to influence others. He reached out to those that needed help. Though this reasoning is fanciful in my determination it does lend itself to a teaching.

The sages say this teaches us that G-d expects us to do all we can to protect ourselves from the wicked influences but he expects us to out into the world and help those who need us.

The Torah is silent on how Noah conducted himself with others so we can’t be so arrogant in our evaluation of his character. Even so, the sages did in fact derive a good life lesson for us in this narrative. We should be conscious of others physical and spiritual needs, and whenever possible, answer the challenge in a righteous and loving manner.

Sages Wisdom: 

"And we will make a name for ourselves, so that we won’t be scattered across the land.” (11:4)

 The people at Babylon (Bavel) wanted to maintain their unity and solidarity. Doesn’t that sound like a noble idea? Aren’t we headlong into establishing a world economy, government, and political unity? What’s so wrong or ignoble about that?

 The Kli Yakar says that real unity is only noble when its purpose is to create a better world [only under the guidelines of G-d’s sovereignty and Torah]. When people unite for selfish or evil reasons, the unity is neither noble nor real because one political block, a person or persons are seeking power, fame and fortune. Their goals are never the same, so true unity can never be accomplished through human effort.

 Something to think about:

 1.        According to the Parasha 6:13, G-d destroyed the world because it was full of injustice. The Talmud Sanhedrin (108a) defines injustice as “theft.’ In theft a valid reason to destroy the entire world?

2.        Noah is given two different titles during the different stages of his life. At first he is called “a righteous man” (6:9). After he leaves the Ark, he is referred to as “a man of the earth” (9:20). Why the different descriptions? Has Noah fallen somehow?

3.        When we see a rainbow in the sky, our first impulse is to comment on its beauty. When we take into consideration the reason G-d gave us the rainbow, what, in fact, should our reaction be?

 Halftarah connection: Yesha'yahu  (54:1)

In the Parasha G-d floods the world, destroying almost all its inhabitants. The world is left barren and desolate, yet in a sense; G-d has prepared the world for new, worthier inhabitants to populate it.

In the Halftarah, the prophet Yesha'yahu (Isaiah) consoles the land of Israel because B’nai Yisrael are exiled throughout the world. Yeshayahu says, “for this is as the waters of Noah to me,” comparing the Exile to the Flood. The prophet tells the land that the Israel will return with renewed strength, better than they were before. The reason for the Exile was to destroy those who were not worthy to live on the land, and to allow those who would be worthy inhabitants to return.

Gematria:

What sins did Noah’s generation commit that would cause G-d to bring such a devastating flood?

By using Gematria, we see one example in the phrase, ki malah ha’aretz hamas mipnayhem, “for the world is full of evil doings,” (6:13). Its numeric vale is 735. The words for incest, giluy arayot, also add up to 735.

“But Noah and those who were with him in the ark, survives” (7:23). The numerical value of “But Noah,” Ach Noah is 79. The use of the extra word “But” indicates, according to the Rabbis, that perhaps Noah and his family were not the only humans who survived. According to the rabbis it seems the giant Og, whose name also has the numerical value of 79 somehow, survived. Perhaps another fanciful rendering of the rabbis. We shall see. Og will appear later in the Torah

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Davis    

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