If you need help, please reach out!
This week's parasha.
After enduring the longest lockdown that the world has seen and facing a new reality, with restrictions and extreme changes to our social interactions, it is relatively easy to find a contemporary link between Noah’s ark and the flooded unrecognisable world that he would later discover.
In this famous biblical story, God warns Noah of an impending flood and commands him to build an ark and remain isolated there with his family, as he waited for the raging floodwaters to subside.
A critical point of the story comes when Noah and his family enter the ark. In the words of the Torah: “And Noah … came into the ark with him from before the waters of the flood” (Bereshit 7:7).
Expounding on this story, our sages explain that Noah only entered the ark once the flood commenced, which begs the question; wasn’t Noah “a righteous man” who should have been motivated to enter the ark by God’s divine command, rather than by the imminent threat of the actual floodwaters?
This question is strengthened by the rabbis in the Midrash who state: “Noah was lacking in faith (mechusar emunah). Were it not for the fact that the floodwaters reached his ankles, he would not have entered the ark!”
Emerging from the various commentaries we discover two entirely contrasting aspects to Noah’s personality. At face value, the Torah paints a picture of Noah being a man of strong faith, trusting in God all along, even during his most challenging moments. According to tradition, it took him 120 years to construct the ark, his faith however, remained steadfast even while being ridiculed and shunned by his contemporaries.
Conversely, he was a man of shaky faith. He wavered in his belief in God’s prediction that the flood would eventually materialise. As Rashi explains: “Ma’amin ve’eino ma’amin – Noah believed (and simultaneously) did not believe.”
How can we possibly resolve these seeming discrepancies? Is it reasonable to assume that a man who had invested all his time and energy in establishing his principles and faith would fail at the very last moment?
In a daring interpretation, Rav Levi Yitzchak of Barditchev, explains the term “ktanei amanah” (he was of little faith) not to mean that Noah had little faith in God. Quite the contrary, Noah’s faith in God was absolute and unwavering, as the Torah itself testifies at the onset of the story.
Rather Noah was faulted for he professed little faith in himself. He viewed himself as a small, insignificant human being. His lack of faith was not a religious problem, rather a deeply rooted psychological issue.
“Noah believed and did not believe”, he struggled both with believing in himself too much, and simultaneously not believing in himself enough.
After 120 years of building the ark, Noah still had to be driven into it, because of these two opposing thought processes. On the one hand, he assumed “I have been spared for so long; I will be spared longer. If I really am such a righteous man; then nothing can possibly happen to me now.”
But then there was the voice of the non-believer within him that said: “I am doomed with the rest of the world. There is nothing in me that is worthy of being saved while the rest of the world drowns in the raging waters”. So deep was his despair that he didn’t even attempt to plead with God for justice and compassion.
How often are we ourselves confronted with this very paradox? As we face life’s challenges – we “believe and don’t believe”.
We have too much confidence – and believe we can handle every problem ourselves; we view asking for help as a sign of weakness.
Yet when crisis hits and the situation deepens, we possess too little confidence that anyone in the world can possibly help us. We tend to view our predicament beyond resolve or salvation.
Unfortunately, just as Noah waited until the waters reached his ankles, so do we, oftentimes wait too long before reaching out and asking for help. At times, until the floodwaters reach not only our ankles but our very noses!
From the onset of this pandemic when lockdowns were still novel, family and friends would often reach out to each other to offer any means of support. Now, as we begin to emerge from the raging flood of uncertainty that has plagued Australia, let us learn from Noah’s challenges, and once again, make a conscious effort, to reach out and offer support to each other. Let us consciously believe in ourselves and in our capacity to be the beacon of light in another person’s life.
Most importantly, if you are struggling at the moment and need support, don’t struggle alone, and don’t wait until the hardships become insurmountable – please reach out.
“No man is an island”, wasn’t just a brilliant quote, it’s a sacred value, indeed one of the core foundations of our civilisation.
Menachem Sabbach is rabbi of the North Eastern Jewish Centre, a dayan of the Melbourne Beth Din and rabbinic coordinator, Kosher Australia.
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