Noah, Abraham, and God

Noah

Genesis 6:9-11:32

Précis: The story of Noah and Flood appear in this parasha. Noah, called by God, builds the Ark and collects the animals. Then it rains for forty days and nights. Noah and his family are saved and they leave the Ark, build an altar, and make sacrifices to God. God sets a rainbow as a promise not to destroy mankind again. Noah plants a vineyard, makes wine, and becomes drunk. An odd incident takes place with his sons. The story of the Tower of Babel is included, and the parasha ends with a genealogy of the ancient peoples of the Bible, ending with Abram.

Genesis 6:9 “...Noah was a righteous man; he was blameless in his age.” 

The Torah reading in this parasha is interesting in its portrayal of the human characters and perhaps troubling in its portrayal of God.

First, the text strikes a note of ambivalence: Noah is praised in our parasha as "a righteous man; blameless in his age." Is Noah really righteous, or just better than those in his wicked society? How would he measure up to other people in other societies? Second, the text tells us that Noah "walked with God" (as opposed to Abraham, who "walked before God"). What is the difference between the two characters? 

Noah is silent and does not complain about God’s plan, in stark contrast with Abraham at Sodom, when Abraham engages God in debate about the fate of the city. Here is the major difference between Noah and Abraham, hinted at in the text: Noah walks "with" God, and does not question Him. Abraham walks “before” God, the adverb indicating a degree of independence or even leadership, a difference emphasized by Abraham's argument about the fate of Sodom ("Will not the God of Justice act justly?" Gen 18:24). One human being simply follows orders; the other argues with God. 

While we might wonder at this difference, what are more problematic are the different portrayals of God in the two stories. In the story of the Flood, God simply declares that the earth is wicked and states His intent to destroy the world and start anew with Noah. When humans build a Tower, they are dispersed, again without a chance to atone for whatever sin they have committed.

In the story of Sodom, God engages in an investigative process ("I will go down and see for Myself" (Gen 18:20)), and then debates with Abraham about His plans before making a decision to destroy the city. Clearly, the God of Noah is not the same as the God of Abraham. Is this because Noah and Abraham occupy different levels of ethical awareness, or is it that God has “matured” in His understanding of human nature? If we are endowed with free will, do humans have the ability to “surprise” God (cf., omniscience vs. omnipotence)? What does it say about us, and what does that say about our conception of God? 

Those who believe that the text is best understood as a compilation by a Great Redactor believe that the different portrayals of God in the Flood and Sodom stories is because the tales have different, divergent, and contradictory sources. Those who read the text as a unified whole see a suggestion that there was growth and change in the relationship between human beings and the Creator, and that the nature of the relationship is dynamic.

Does this have relevance to us today? Perhaps. The text is a mirror of our understanding of God and God’s role in human affairs. History seems to indicate that we are really "on our own" and the God has removed Himself from us. In addition to being a sign that He will not destroy the world again, the rainbow could also be a sign of the withdrawal of His Presence from day to day human affairs. 

In a more practical manner, Abraham, who walks “before" God and shows God the “right” way to do things, is a role model for all of us who might help lead others: a human being who demands justice, even from God. 

A New Year Begins at the Beginning

With this week's d'var Torah, I start my 13th year of sending our such messages. It's been a very rewarding experience, not only for the study itself but also in learning from the wonderful comments I receive in return. While the focus was originally on how the weekly parasha could be interpreted to impact congregational management, I've expanded over time to talk about other issues, from relationships in families to our relationship with Israel and, on occasion, to political matters and current events as seen from what I can glean from the text. Thanks again for your comments and support. Shabbat Shalom to all.




Bereshit
Genesis 1:1 - 6:8

Précis: The first Book of the Torah, Bereshit (Genesis, literally “in the beginning” or “When God began to create”) begins with the familiar story of creation: the world is created in six days, with God resting on the Seventh. The story of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden is included in this weekly reading, as is the story of Cain and Abel. We begin again the annual reading of the Five Books of Moses immediately upon its conclusion. Why? With each passing year, our understanding changes as we experience more of what life has to offer. Yochanan Ben Bag Bag said, "Turn it, and turn it, for everything is in it. Reflect on it and grow old and gray with it. Don't turn from it, for you have no better standard of conduct." (Avot 5:25)


Genesis 3:11-12 - “And the Lord said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree that I commanded you should not eat of?’ And the man said: ‘The woman you have given me to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I did eat.’”

Adam, when confronted by God about his failure to follow the single prohibition that God had commanded him to observe, first attempts to place the blame on Eve, and then on God Himself. It’s human nature that when one errs, one may defend one’s actions, or blame another. Adam refuses to acknowledge his responsibility. It was because something God did. When Eve is confronted, she responds that the snake made her do it. Were they banished from the Garden (and consigned to a mortal existence) because they violated God’s prohibition, or because they refused to accept responsibility for their own actions? There is a midrash that it was only after Cain killed Abel that Adam learned of the possibility of repentance (t’shuvah), and bitterly complains that had he only known of the possibility of atonement, he could have done so and remained in the Garden.


The bottom line for Executive Directors (and everyone else, perhaps) may be as follows: admit your own mistakes and take responsibility for them. An attempt to blame another, be it a staff member or a volunteer or a family member, will inevitably result in the loss of your credibility. We all make mistakes; it's what makes us human. Striving for perfection cannot obscure the fact the errors happen. Our mandate is to take ownership of our mistakes and accept responsibility for them clearly and unequivocally, and then move on!