CHANGE MAKERS
“…Noach was a righteous man, flawless in his generation, and Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). With these credentials, why wasn’t Noach tapped to be the progenitor of God’s chosen nation? The Alshich notes that Noach walked with God, but wasn’t so connected to the rest of humanity. If we compare him to Abraham, we […]
Hacking the Haftorah: BEREISHIS
This series explores the connection between the weekly Torah portion (Parashat HaShavuah) and its Haftorah. The Five Books of Moses are read publicly in synagogues each Shabbat morning and completed over the course of a year. There is an ancient custom to follow this with a portion from the writings of the Prophets. The most […]
Light up your words
“…A window you shall make for the ark.” (Genesis 6:16) The Hebrew word for window is ‘tzohar’, which can also mean illumination or light. The word for ark is ‘teivah’, which can also mean word. Based on this, the Baal Shem Tov derives a teaching about prayer: You shall illuminate your words! Polish them with […]
Noah and the Paradox of Bad Press
“These are the generations of Noah – Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his generation…” (Genesis 6:9). The text could have just told us Noah was righteous. What is added by telling us he was righteous “in his generation”? In his commentary to this verse, Rashi (11th century, France) says that some of our […]
Noah Illuminated
“Make a tzohar for the ark…” (Genesis 6:16). Rashi* cites two views regarding what the tzohar was. One understanding is that it was a window that functioned as a skylight for the ark. The other view is that it was a luminous stone. Previously, Rashi presented two views of what was meant by the qualifier […]
THE SEVEN LAWS OF NOAH – TORAH FOR NON-JEWS
Judaism teaches that “the righteous of all peoples have a share in the World to Come”. Non-Jews do not have to become Jews to become righteous. They only have to embrace the Seven Laws of Noah. According to Torah tradition, God gave Noah and his family seven commandments to observe when he saved them from […]