After the flood, Noach sends a dove to see if the waters have cleared. At first the dove does not find any sanctuary and returns to the ark. The Midrash explains that the Jewish People are likened to a dove. Just as the dove from Noah’s Ark at first found no rest, so too the Jewish People find no rest in exile. Unfolding events in Israel have left the Jewish People particularly restless and anxious.
Though we are blessed to witness Jewish sovereignty over our Jewish homeland, current events remind us that the Geulah Sheleimah, complete redemption, has yet to arrive. These days Geulah seems very far off.
Our Torah reading depicts a drastic transformation in Noach’s character- for the worse. At first Noach is described as an ish tzadik, a righteous man, who courageously opposed the corrupt values and lifestyle of his contemporaries and charted his own path of piety and morality.
By the time we arrive at the latter part of the parsha, however, something has changed. This downward slide begins when he plants a vineyard after the flood, and hits bottom when he becomes intoxicated and humiliates himself in the presence of his sons. What happened? Why the drastic change for the worse?
Rav Aharon Lichtenstein zatzal suggested that Noach’s negative transformation resulted from the absence of pressure and the resolution of any crises. Very often, the assault on a value or idea fuels the flames of devotion among the faithful. Opposition and pressure imposed by external threats, can ignite a passionate response to defend that which is attacked. Noach’s righteousness may have been the product of the world’s opposition, his response to an external force that declared war on decency and morality. After the flood, however, Noach had no opposition. He was left to contemplate himself, his own weaknesses and drives.
When confronted with crisis and pressure, like when Israel is under attack, we, like Noach, are at our best; we remember to put aside our differences and work for a common cause. Like Noach, a new challenge arises after the crisis is resolved: maintaining that spirit of cooperation, mutual respect and achdut in the absence of any pressing forcing us to do so.
I hope that our actions on behalf of Israel are effective and impactful. I hope that our tefillot on behalf of the State and citizens of Israel are accepted and that evil is eradicated in a way that is maximally safe and peaceful. I hope that this Shabbat inspires us to continue talking and working together on behalf of all noble causes, now and even after the threat has been resolved, that help Israel the Jewish People and the entire world.
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