Rabbi Hillel Skolnik’s Torah Spark for Noach 5776

15 Oct Rabbi Hillel Skolnik’s Torah Spark for Noach 5776

This Shabbat we read from Parashat Noach which tells the famous story of the flood that God sent to destroy the evil in the world, saving only Noach, his wife, his three sons and their wives. By the end of the story the world as Noach knew it no longer existed and God promised never again to send a flood to destroy the world, leaving the rainbow as a sign of that promise. It is hard to look at our world today and argue that the effort to eliminate evil was successful. While ultimately God did destroy the world that had been created and uproot the evil of the time, violence and hate quickly made their way back into the world and continue to exist to this very moment. Our eyes are always set on Israel, as they should be, and the senseless acts of hatred taking place there this week are beyond our comprehension. It is my hope that in reading this parasha this week that we remember why God sent the flood in the first place – because the world had become so full of immorality and senseless violence. As our world becomes even more flooded with immorality and senseless violence let us remember that the Earth does not need to be destroyed once again, but it does need to be saved.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Hillel Skolnik

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