Sicha, Noach 5745
A. Noah — Against the Current
In this week’s Torah reading, we read about the tremendous spiritual decline of the generation of the Flood and its corruption. Nevertheless, Noah remained “a righteous and wholehearted man” and was not influenced by his surroundings. He built the Ark despite the threats of the people of his generation, who tried to prevent him from entering it, thinking that this would stop the Flood. G-d protected Noah and brought him into the Ark “in the very midst of this day”—openly and in full view of everyone, so that no one could harm him.
B. He Saved the World
Noah did not withdraw from society; rather, he actively worked for the benefit of the world. For the 120 years during which he built the Ark, he rebuked the people of his generation and tried to inspire them to repent. Hope was not lost until the very last moment—even when the rain began to fall, it would have become “rain of blessing” had they only repented. When they refused, Noah took upon himself the task of preserving the existence of the world by bringing every type of animal into the Ark.
C. A Glimpse of the Garden of Eden
Inside the Ark, a miracle took place that completely defied the laws of nature: thousands of animals, including predators and their prey, lived together in close quarters for an entire year without harming one another. This complete peace was made possible by a special “Divine light” that illuminated the Ark, effectively providing a “taste” of the perfect reality of the Messianic era, about which it is said, “And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb.
D. Takeaways
According to the Baal Shem Tov, the command “Come into the Ark” is a call to us to enter the “arks”—the words of Torah and prayer. This is the way for every Jew and their family to be saved from the “waters of the Flood”—the distractions, troubles, and challenges of this world.
In addition, we learn here an important principle for life: a person should focus on their spiritual mission and make only the minimum natural effort that is required, like “knocking on the window” in the Baal Shem Tov’s parable. If a person does this, G-d will take care of completing the process and bringing the success and livelihood on their own.
