Shalom and Bracha!
This Shabbat we take out two Torah scrolls. In
the first we read the portion of Noach, the narrative of the
great flood. Because of the depravity of humankind, Hashem
decreed that the entire human race was to be destroyed through a
great flood. The overwhelming majority of the animal kingdom was
destroyed as well. Noach and his immediate family, together with
representatives of each species, were spared by entering an ark
and remaining there for a full year. The flood began on the
seventeenth of Cheshvan, and continued for forty days and
nights. The waters rose fifteen cubits above the mountains and
raged for one hundred and fifty days. It took an entire solar
year from when the waters began until they receded and the earth
dried.
At first glance, the flood is difficult to
understand. Why did the flood continue for forty days? Surely
the wicked could have been eradicated in one day? Further, why
did Noach have to remain in the ark for a year? Within the
boundaries of nature, a flood of such magnitude wouldn’t recede
in thousands of years. Miraculously, it could clear in a day.
Why, then, did it take exactly a year?
The flood was more than just a means to destroy
the wicked. It served to purify the world. Since the world was
created in order that man should perfect it through divine
service, the sins of Noach’s generation and those that preceded
it defiled the earth itself. This is why the upper crust of the
earth was destroyed, as Rashi comments. The flood served to
purify the earth. The number forty represents the size of a
Mikveh, and therefore it rained for forty days and nights. This
is also why the flood began on the seventeenth, the numerical
value of Tov, which means good in Hebrew. The number fifteen is
the name of Hashem: Ten is Yud and five is Hey. Yud and Hey form
the name of Hashem. The fifteen cubits represented Hashem’s
presence above the earth and the hundred fifty days represent
the fifteen permeating all ten aspects of creation. Rashi
explains at great length that the ark was submerged eleven
cubits. This is because impurity is connected with the number
eleven and submerging the eleven cubits represents subjugation
of the impure.
The ark was also not only a refuge, but an
elevating experience. In order to enter the newly purified
earth, Noach and the animals needed to be raised to a higher
level. The spirituality of the ark paralleled the Messianic era.
One of the prophecies concerning Moshiach is that “The wolf will
dwell with the lamb … because the world will be filled with the
knowledge of Hashem as the waters fill the ocean.” Throughout
the entire year, wild and domestic animals coexisted in a small
space without injuring each other. This was due to the intense
divine revelation in the ark. It lasted for an entire year, in
order that this sanctity should permeate Noach and the animals
throughout each of the seasons. This is the reason Noach had to
force the animals to leave after the ark rested, as mentioned in
Rashi. This is a lesson that unity prepares us for the coming of
Moshiach.
The word ark in Hebrew is Teiva, which also means
word. The Baal Shem Tov explained that the command to Noach
“enter the Teiva” is relevant to each one of us. When we feel
surrounded and overwhelmed by the world around us, we must enter
the words of Torah and the words of prayer. Not only must we
study and pray, but also we must immerse ourselves in the depth
of the words. The deeper we immerse ourselves in the words of
Torah and prayer, the greater their effect. If we immerse
ourselves sufficiently, not only will they serve as a refuge,
but also they will bring us to the ultimate heights.
In the second scroll we read the offerings of
Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh. Shabbat represents sanctity decreed
from above, whereas Rosh Chodesh is sanctity through human
effort. Together they form a perfect bond with Hashem.
The Rebbe explains that the flood was a precursor
for the knowledge of Hashem filling the world as the
waters fill the ocean, which will occur with the coming of
Moshiach. May our increase in acts of good and kindness
immediately allow us to see true world peace, “The wolf dwelling
with the lamb,” not only in a limited place and time, but
forever.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Biggs
Dedicated to my dear friend Morris Sabbagh on the
occasion of his birthday wishing him a wonderful year.
A Project of Chabad of Great Neck
400 East Shore Rd. Great Neck NY 11024
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