NOAH'S WAY
October 11, 2002
Rabbi Edward Paul Cohn
Temple Sinai
New Orleans, Louisiana
Tomorrow evening, Jordan Saunders Moses will read one of the most unforgettable of all Biblical stories-the epic of Noah and the flood. Composers with their musical scores, artists with their palettes in hand, and the wordsmiths of poetic literature, both fiction and nonfiction, have struggled for centuries to portray this poignant chapter in the history of faith.
We are free to embrace Noah's story on two levels. First, there is the literal. We are aware of countless expeditions which have been made through the centuries which, in all seriousness, have been intent on actually locating the remains of that great Ark. Nestled, as tradition recounts, it is, on Mt. Ararat, this once-home to Noah and his menagerie has been the ardent magnet for archaeologists, Biblical scholars, at least one astronaut, and any number of fundamentalist adventurers. Some search for it in order to prove the "inerrant" truth of the Bible. Others are still fascinated by the possibility of uncovering this ancient wooden artifact of great historical and priceless material value.
II.
Were that all to be said of Noah and his Ark, I would sit down now and be satisfied with having told the story. But there is a second approach to Noah and his Ark: the poetic and symbolic approach. For example, the ancient rabbis amplified the Biblical account of Noah by relating that God had forthrightly announced the flood to Noah no less than 120 years before the first drop of rain was ever to fall. And, the sages say, Noah proceeded to plant a forest from which, in time, he would be able to build that great ship.
When Noah told the curious people what he was busy doing and, when he told them about the impending flood which would result if they failed to repent and lead righteous lives, do you know what their response was? They turned to only laugh and jeer at him. The years passed and the trees grew big and strong. But Noah continued to urge the people to repent, to clean up their act, and yet all they could do was to laugh and mock him, persisting in their evil and wicked ways.
The time came at last for Noah to begin to cut down the trees and build the Ark. He had his three sons to help him with his labors, believing firmly in God's word while their neighbors only scoffed and delighted in their wrongdoing. The Ark was now complete, and Noah and his family and the animals were all aboard. Seven more days God allowed as the final opportunity for the people to change their ways, but they still refused to listen to Noah.
According to the ancient Midrash, when the flood water began and as it rose higher and higher, the people gravitated around the Ark, and suddenly expressed fear and anguish. Perhaps now they began to believe finally in the message of Noah. But it was too late. Now God Himself had sealed the Ark's door, and the fate of the sinful people as well.
One righteous man in that generation, the one man who walked with God and who tried by word and example to lead others to righteousness, that man and his family were kept alive by God. And with him did God establish a covenant, sealed with the beautiful rainbow of hope which appeared up in the sky.
This is the second approach to the Noah story. The ancient Rabbis refused to take only the literal details as recorded in the Torah. And for them, as indeed for many of us as well, the story of Noah needs to be read on this symbolic level. The Ark becomes a symbol of safety in our world-this world which is racked by international tensions, Saddam Hussein, again! Can you believe it?
That rainbow which appeared in the sky at the story's happy ending was a sign of a new covenant made between God and the people of the world. It was God's way of reassuring us all that God would not bring on another catastrophic flood, or any other catastrophe, that would end all human life. The rainbow in the sky also reminded those people who disembarked from the Ark that, when at last there was dry land, it was now their obligation to create a society in which there would be in place laws of decency.
According to Jewish legend, these laws were known to the very first people, even in Adam's day. But in Adam's time there was no sign of the covenant and no obligation on the part of life to observe the laws established by God. Now, with the appearance of that rainbow in the sky, there is a legal relationship implied in the fulfillment of the ethical commandments which are known as the Noahite laws.
So you ask, hey, what were these laws of security that became established and effective for those who survived that trip on the Ark? Jewish tradition holds that these are the laws that must be observed, these minimal laws for all human beings in order to call themselves human:
Well, they found out, didn't they? But it was too late then! Seven universal precepts which urge us to consider other people with whom we share this planet, to discipline our desires and to behave in a responsible way before our God--these are the minimal laws by which all life was to be held accountable: The Noahite Commandments. But they didn't hold up, did they?
Later the 613 Mitzvat of Judaism came along with the Covenant between God and Abraham-but that's next Shabbos. This week it's Noah!
Now I don't know what's to become of this world and whether or not a war is in the near future-a war which might easily also engulf the State of Israel. I can tell you that I am worried and heartsick. By no means am I a pacifist, but I dearly hope and pray that, by wisdom matched by determination, warfare will be averted. And I hope that our President and Congress will not be too quick to arms, and that their obvious and justified intensity of purpose will match their statesmanship and intelligence quotients.
Do you know why Jewish tradition ultimately criticizes Noah? Yes, he was declared by Torah-
A righteous man in his generation.
But the rabbis said-Noah's generation was pretty pathetic actually and, by comparison, Abraham had it all over Noah. Why?
Because when God told Noah that the flood was coming and that all life would be snuffed out except those who were to share the Ark with him, Noah said-"Okay. So I'll get busy and build the Ark."
But when God told Abraham that He would destroy Sodom and Gomorrah-Abraham argued with God and bargained, and did everything he could to save them from destruction.
Suppose I can find even 10 righteous ones?
Will you spare them then?
In a world seemingly spiraling toward war and death, do we choose to be Noah or do we choose to be Abraham?
Ours is to work and labor for peace-to be the Rodfey Shalom-pursuers of peace. But also, if necessary, we are called to sacrifice for those sacred values and for that human dignity by which this world, and only by which this world, will be redeemed at last and the rainbow promise of Noah finally fulfilled.
Amen.