|
 |
|
|
Shabbat Shalom: Parshat Noah Genesis 6:9-11:32
By Shlomo Riskin
Efrat, Israel - Our Torah portion of Noah opens with the flood (Hebrew,
mabul) and symmetrically concludes with the Tower of Babel (Migdal Babel – two Hebrew words which seem to be able to be contracted into
MaBel), two world disasters which bear striking resemblance to the major catastrophes which mark our civilization during these past eight decades and up until this very day. After the advent of Adam, the first human being, “who was created in the image of G-d” (Genesis 1:27), there were ten generations until the birth of Noah.
During this period we are told that “the multitudes of humanity acted in a secular and profane manner
('he'hel' from 'hullin')…… and the sons of the powerful men (or of the demigods) seized whichever women they chose…. The giants
(nefilim) roamed the earth at that time, and G-d saw that the evil of humanity was great on earth, and that the creation of the thoughts of their hearts was only bad all day. And G-d regretted that he had made the human being on earth…, and G-d said, ‘I shall wipe out the humans I have created from off the face of the earth’…" (Genesis 6:2-7). And a few verses into the opening portion of Noah, the text continues along the same theme: “And the earth was corrupt before G-d, and the earth was filled with violence
(hamas – Genesis 6:11).
The picture which emerges is that of godlessness (“corrupt before G-d”) which leads to lawlessness (“violence”), and anarchy which breeds giants, children of “the lords” or the “demi-gods,” who seize whatever goods or good-looking people they wish, a situation of “whoever is more powerful, triumphs”
(Kol d’alim gevar), a society of “might makes right.” The giants and
demi-gods are reminiscent of the Aryan ubermenschen, the Nazi “supermen” who believed it was their right to rule the world. The ancient society evoked by the Biblical text is remarkably similar to the society of Nazi Germany which – as a fascist, totalitarian state – enslaved and murdered those non-Aryans they considered inferior, especially the Jews. Fortunately, Nazi Fascism was swept away by the mabul – flood of the Second World War.
The Torah portion of Bereishit concludes, “And Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8). The hope appears to be that Noah will establish a new post –flood society. Tragically, however, the following ten generations are characterized by a further degeneration, descending to its nadir with the Tower of Babel – but this time a different form of depravity than we have seen previously.
“And the entire earth was of one language and of one word” (Genesis 11:1) – with the Midrash Rabbah explaining the Hebrew phrase “d’varim a'hadim” to mean “they spoke sharp words
(e'had means one, and 'had means sharp) against ‘the Lord our G-d (s) the Lord is one.’” I would submit that our watchword of faith, “Hear Oh Israel, the Lord our God (s) the Lord is one” is a ringing declaration in favor of religious pluralism. Y-H-W-H is the unique, Jewish concept of one G-d, and
E-lohim is a plural noun standing for the sum total of all the different names by which the one G-d is called. The prophet Micah expresses his vision of the end of the days, when all the nations will rush to the Holy Temple “to learn (from Jacob’s ways and walk (in Jacob’s) paths … to beat their swords into ploughshares, their spears into pruning hooks, nation will not lift up sword against nation and humanity will not learn war anymore; all the nations will walk, each individual in the name of his god
(Elohav), and we will walk in the name of the Lord our G-d forever” (Micah 4:1-5).
Micah is saying that while the Jewish mission is to teach ethical monotheism to the world, - that our G-d is a G-d of justice, compassion and peace – it is not necessary for everyone to accept the 613 commands of the Torah; such a commitment is for Israel alone. The other nations must only accept the seven Noahide laws of morality, the absolute prohibition against murder, sexual immorality, theft and the cruel and licentious activities associated with idolatry (see
Maimonides, Laws of Kings, 8,10). Once they accept these fundamental ethical teachings, it does not matter by what name they call their god or which particular rituals they may choose to perform. As long as the Gentile is moral, any name he refers to for G-d is a manifestation of the one true and absolute Lord of the Universe. “Hear, Oh Israel, the Lord our G-d (gods) the Lord is one.”
This depraved generation speaks out against such an open-minded religious position, teaches the
midrash: “And they said, ‘Let us build for ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, so that we can make for ourselves a name, lest we be scattered over the face of the entire earth” (Genesis 11:4) Here again the Midrash Rabba teaches: “Who rules in the heavenly spheres is not up for individual choice.” We down below must establish the only acceptable god, whose rule will extend from heaven to earth, and who will bestow His exclusive name upon the centralized totalitarian regime which will enforce not only unity but also uniformity of fanatical religious observance over world citizenry.
This is a striking parallel to Islamic Fundamentalism, which has turned Allah into Satan and seeks to enforce the Moslem religion over the entire world through the sword of Jihad. The symbol of this philosophy is a zigurrat tower, a grandiose building; as the midrash emphasizes, human life meant nothing, the bricks and mortars meant everything. These fanatics have no compunctions about sending out their youth as suicidal homicide bombers targeting innocent women and children as long as it is for the greater glory of Allah-Satan!
Between the scourge of fascist secularism and the threat of Islamic fundamentalism – between the flood and the tower – is the prohibition against murder: “One who sheds human blood will have his blood shed by humans, since in the image of G-d did He make the human being” (Genesis 9:10). And the sign (or criterion) by which G-d will preserve the world is the rainbow: seven magnificent and variegated colors which are all refractions of white, perhaps symbolizing the different names and rituals which are all expressions of the one Lord. This is the most fundamental teaching of Judaism: “G-d created the human being as a single Adam to teach that he who destroys a single life destroys an entire world….; and it is a testimony to the greatness of G-d that when a human king mints many coins from one model, all the coins are identical, whereas the Holy One Blessed be He minted many people from one Adam and not one of them is similar to his counterpart”
(Mishnah, Sanhedrin 4,3). Our Torah is the very antithesis of Moslem fundamentalism, preaching peace and unity rather than war and uniformity.
Shabbat Shalom.
Return to Ohr Torah Stone
|
