Page 2 - The Jewish Voice - November '21

Page 2, The Jewish Voice

From the rabbis

You Can’t Avoid Life’s the only person who was loyal to G-d and his moral code, to this world to be one in which we will struggle with all sorts
Pressures, But You Can Sail build a massive boat that would serve as a sanctuary to save of challenges. And just like a rip current that will take you
down if you fight it, the burdens we bear will break us if we
mankind, as well as the animals, from the Great Flood that
Through Them would rid the Earth of its sinful society. try to make them go away.
The only successful solution — built into the design of

We’re surprised that G-d chose to save Noah, his wife,

Riding the waves of life and their children with a boat when He could’ve chosen a this world’s creation — is to learn to ride the waves instead
of endlessly treading water.
much easier, efficient, and more cost-effective means of
By Rabbi Dovid Vigler doing so. Instead of tasking Noah with constructing this Noah’s “box,” the teivah, also means “the word.” The
Life can be stressful. boat over many decades, G-d could simply have given his Torah chooses this word to hint to us that just as Noah sailed
Anxiety levels are at all-time family a dry shelter in a cave, or perhaps a one-way ticket through the waters of the flood in his boat, our only hope is to
highs. Between the pandemic to the Holy Land, which the Great Flood didn’t reach. sail through our struggles with the power of the word — the
and the political scene, it’s It was the saintly Ba’al Shem Tov (August 1698-May words of Torah and prayer. The words of Torah study and
hardly surprising. 1760), the founder of the joyous chasidic movement, who prayer are the lifesaver that will keep us afloat as the world
Medicating the stress drew back the curtains surrounding this deep mystery and seems to crash down all around us.
will only anesthetize the thus infused our lives with hope forevermore. Don’t let the pressures of life weigh you down; we were
pain. Vacations, Netflix, and The key to the riddle lies in the peculiar name given to created to enjoy life, not just to endure it! If we can only
hobbies will distract us from Noah’s boat. At 450 feet, this was one impressive mega-yacht, have the wisdom to enter our ark — the safe haven of Torah
it, but is there anything we way ahead of its time. But despite its impressive dimensions, study — we will indeed sail our way through life.
can actually do to make it go it is referred to in the Torah as simply a teivah — a box! I speak from a deeply personal level. Raising 10
away? His explanation redefines the narrative from a story of children is no easy feat. Building a Jewish community is a
The Torah provides us with profound wisdom relevant ancient history to one of our personal lives. His-tory becomes monumental task with all sorts of unexpected challenges and
to precisely this problem, as we’re introduced to Noah, the my-story! This world is a dangerous place. (No one ever came curveballs. The time I dedicate each morning before dawn to
Zeidy who all humans have in common. out of it alive!) There are constant pressures, both external meditation and Torah study is what serves as my sanctuary
In the year 2105 BCE, just 10 generations after Adam and internal. It feels like we’re drowning in a Great Flood. for all the surprises that come my way each day.
and Eve, mankind had descended into such evil that G-d The Torah’s account of Noah’s Flood sets the stage for all
decided it was time to cleanse the world. He instructed Noah, of Noah’s descendants to accept the fact that G-d designed From the Rabbis on page 3

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