When you Choose Shabbat, you choose to learn that every Shabbat is different and special. This week I learned about Parashat Noah (נֹחַ), the second weekly Torah portion in the annual cycle of Torah readings. I learned that Noah was considered a righteous person “of his generation”. I also learned about the seven Noachide laws; (1) Do not deny G-d, (2) do not blaspheme G-d, (3) do not murder, (4) do not engage in incestuous or adulterous relationships, (5) do not steal, (6) do not eat of a live animal and (7) establish courts and a legal system to ensure law obedience.
According to Wikipedia, Noah, Genesis 6:9 through 11:32, contains 6,907 Hebrew letters, 1,861 words, 153 verses and makes up 230 lines of the Torah scroll, giving Noah the most verses of any weekly Torah portion in the Book of Genesis, but not the most letters or words. Parashat Miketz has the most letters, Parashat Vayeira has the most words, and Parashat Vayishlach has an equal number of verses as Parashat Noach.)
Rabbi Michael D Klein of Temple Torat Emet offers his insights on this week’s Torah reading, Noah, for Shabbat October 21,2023 aka the 6th of Cheshvan 5784:
“Just a few short generations after the story of Noah and the flood, the Torah relates how humanity once again degenerated into the morass of immorality and depravity. The Torah relates the story of the great hunter-king Nimrod. The sages relate that Nimrod, in addition to being a skilled hunter was also adept and influencing people with speech and thus became the most powerful ruler of his day; much like the modern influencers on social media.
He convinced his subjects that they could become as powerful as gods by building a tower up to the heavens and thus doing battle and defeating Hashem. What he did not tell his followers was that the materials and labor required for such a daunting task would result in the deaths of most of the laborers and that when people who were building died in the process, other workers would use their bodies as stairs to continue to build the tower. In other words, people were willing to blindly follow Nimrod into oblivion just for the chance of a moment of fame. G-d looked down upon this utter nonsense and punished Nimrod and his laborers by making their communications to each other unintelligible. What a fitting punishment to match the crime!
The sages teach in Mishna Avot that those who use their influence to further their own ends will lose their power and influence. We must realize that much of what is said on social media is created by people whose only goal is to further their own nefarious goals. The Torah teaches that anyone who uses prophecy to deny or challenge the existence of G-d and the Torah is identifiable as a false prophet. We must be cautious, in these dangerous times, and cling to the teachings of the Torah. We say each week “ Torati al Taazovu” – I give you good teachings-forsake not the Torah. May there be peace for Israel and may Hashem give strength and safety to our brave soldiers of the IDF and America to overcome the Nimrods of today and to bring the hostages safely home to their families. Amen.
Questions to Consider
- Who was Noah’s wife and what role did she play in the story of the flood?
- Why is Noah considered by G-d to be righteous in his generation?
- Why was Noah not counted as the first Jewish person?
- Why is Abraham considered more righteous than Noah?“
Rabbi Michael D. Klein attended Yeshiva College of South Florida and served as Torah Reader, Hebrew teacher, Chazzan and spiritual leader of various synagogues throughout South Florida. In January 2015 he became Ritual Director, Bnai/Bnot Mitzvah instructor and 7th grade Hebrew instructor for Temple Torat Emet of Boynton Beach. In October 2019 he was accepted into an accelerated track and received his shicha from Yeshiva Adath Wolkowisk and has been the Rabbinic leadership of Temple Torat Emet since August 2020. In September of 2022 he was appointed Rabbinic and Spiritual Advisor of the Florida Region of FJMC.
Choose Shabbat; choose to celebrate, to light candles, sing songs and learn a little Torah.
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