Shabbat Shalom!.
NOAH (Bereishis ) "...From the the pure animals andfrom the animals that are not pure, from te birds, and from all that creeps upon the earth,two by two they came to Noah into the ark, male and female, as G-d had commanded Noah."
The story of Noah is one of the most widely known of the torah. During this time the world became so morally corrupt that Hashem concludes he must eradicate mankind and begin anew. Society broke down and anarchy reigned however, one man, “won G-ds favor” and that man was Noah. Noah, who was a “righteous and morally pure man in his generation.” was spared as well as his family. Noach, with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives with him went into the Ark because of the waters of the Flood. (Breishis 7:6)
G-d instructs Noah to build an ark which he built over a period of 120 years. It has been said that the reason it took so long was that Hashem specifically wanted to see if during this time people would be curious and speak with Noah about ultimately changing their ways , but after 120 years he came to realize
"… the inclination of the heart of man is evil from his youth" (Genesis 8:21)
we have learned that the inclination of man is toward that of being evil. Children are born self-centered out of necessity, however as we age we are expected to become more “other centered”. According to Rashi everyone was, taking and no one was giving to each other, communicating with each other and basically self-centered. How difficult it must have been for Noah to appear the fool who would do such a ridiculous thing.as building this huge ark to save his family from the coming flood. This was an enormous undertaking which required a great belief in G-d , being able to withstand a world which constantly berated and criticized him. How difficult it must be to insulate yourself to such an extent inorder not to come under the influence of a morally corrupt society.
As the torah is not just a storybook, there are major lessons to be learned. Sometimes doing the right thing when everyone else is doing the wrong is extremely difficult. Influencing the behavior of those around us, especially our children is ideally done by our actions, we are role models for society to follow. Unfortunately during the time of Noah the society was so corrupt that not even one person expressed the desire to join Noah. Hashem orders Noah to go to this extreme measure, to build this ark to isolate himself from the society which was rapidly “sinking”.
We need to be aware of who we surround ourselves with, our friends and spouses should bring out the best in us, to help and encourage us to act appropriately. Conversely we have the job of reaching out and extending ourselves to others, to influence others in a positive way and to stand up to opposition which is against torah values. My daughter Yiscah does this on a regular basis, and this parsha is dedicated to her as it is the only parsha in the torah which mentions her name- Yiscah. Just as Noah was considered a ”tzaddik in his time” so to we can be one in ours.
Shabbat Shalom,
Miriam
These recipes will not take as long as it took to build the ark, but they do require a little extra effort and they are well worth it.
Celery-Onion Vegetarian Soup
1 leek diced
1 celery stalk sliced
2 cloves minced garlic
1 carrot sliced
1 onion sliced
1 cup pearl barley (uncooked)
½ cup flour
3 qt's. Chicken broth
1 cup cream(non-dairy)
3 tbl. Margarine or butter
Sauté leek,carrot,celery,onion,garlic in margarine,cover and sweat until brown. Add barley,flour and chicken broth cover and simmer for 1 hour. S&P to taste. Fold in cream before serving. Serve warm.
Mediterranean Vegetable Salad
1 can baby artichokes
2tbl. Fresh lemon juice
1 1/2lbs. baby red potatoes, halved
1 large sweet onion, peeled and cut into wedges
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbl. Chopped garlic
¾ teasp. Salt
1/8 teasp. Black pepper
1 cup cherry tomatoes
½ cup chopped black olives
1 tbl. Capers
3tbl. Chopped fresh parsley
1 tbl. Herbes de Provence
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Toss artichokes with lemon juice,add potatoes,onions,olive oil,garlic,salt&pepper,and toss evenly to coat. Place in baking dish and bake for 45 minutes to one hour, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes. Cook 10-15minutes more until potatoes are tender. Remove from oven and let cool. Add olives and capers and toss with the parsley and herbes de Provence. Add additional olive oil to taste and extra seasoning if needed. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Shabbat Shalom!.
