Noah
Judy Jacobson
Gen. 6:9 – 11:32. The Noah story: God saw that humans did nothing but evil, and decided to wipe out all beings created on earth … but Noah found favor with God. So God decided to start over again with Noah and his family, and samples of animals, birds, and “creeping things.” The Flood. God made a covenant with Noah, never again to destroy all living things. The rainbow as a sign. The Tower of Babel. The genealogy leading up to Abram (Abraham).
The story of Noah. Some questions: who is good and rewarded? Who is bad and punished? And why is this a favorite children’s story?
The story begins in last week’s reading. Noah is born, lives to 500 years old, begets sons. (The flood happens when Noah is 600 years old, the sons are adults, but no grandchildren yet).
At this time, humans are seen by God as entirely wicked, nothing but evil all the time. God regrets that he made humans and decides to blot out from the earth – the men, beasts, creeping things and birds… but “Noah found favor with God.”
Our reading begins: Noah was a righteous man and blameless in his age. He “walked with God.” But everyone and everything else was corrupt and filled with lawlessness.
God tells Noah to build an ark: God will bring a flood and everything on earth shall perish.
Some may remember the Bill Cosby sketch… Noah is an ordinary guy. He hears the voice of God, says, “who is this really?” He is told to build an ark, “what’s an ark?” God explains, Noah says (repeatedly) “Right.” … Noah has to explain to his neighbor why there’s an ark in his driveway. Etc. [even though Bill Cosby is no longer a folk hero, it’s a very funny bit, check out the sketch on YouTube].
Noah obeys. The Flood comes. Everything not in the ark perishes. Birds, cattle, beasts, and all mankind. The Flood ends, the inhabitants of the ark are saved.
Noah makes a sacrifice to God. God’s covenant with Noah:
Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth. RAINBOW SIGN.
What about the phrase – “No more water, the fire next time” – the origin of the title of the famous book by James Baldwin. From a spiritual, “Mary Don’t You Weep.”
Trace to a passage in the Christian Bible, 2 Peter 3:6 – Heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, the Day of Judgment and destruction of the godless … the heavens will be set ablaze, the elements will melt with fire.
Not our text or tradition.
So, some questions about the story:
Why the deaths of the innocents? Interpretation: humans so corrupted that everyone, every living being (not fish) is corrupted too. Really?
God gets angry. Remember that in the Exodus, God repeatedly gets so angry at the Israelites that He threatens to kill them all off and start over with Moses and his family--- But Moses is able to talk God out of it each time. Noah just obeys.
Comments?
Why is this tale of mass deaths – even of innocent babies and bunny rabbits and birds – a favorite of children’s stories and songs.
Raffi: Who built the ark? Noah, Noah.
Who built the ark? Brother Noah built the ark.
In came the animals two by two, hippopotamus and kangaroo…
Cuteness of the animals?
Comments?
I would answer that even with the deaths and destruction, Noah is a story of a fresh new start, where humans and the creatures of the world are saved in a sense, and the future is assured.
In the words of our Torah -
Never again will I doom the earth because of man – although the devising of a man’s mind are evil from his youth – nor will I ever again destroy every living being as I have done.
So long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night SHALL NOT CEASE.
In these difficult days, remember that the earth will endure, and be renewed.
And babies are born and raised with love. Including one little precious baby, Jon Li Hu-Jacobson [my grandson born 7/4/20]!
Shabbat Shalom!
Judy Jacobson
Gen. 6:9 – 11:32. The Noah story: God saw that humans did nothing but evil, and decided to wipe out all beings created on earth … but Noah found favor with God. So God decided to start over again with Noah and his family, and samples of animals, birds, and “creeping things.” The Flood. God made a covenant with Noah, never again to destroy all living things. The rainbow as a sign. The Tower of Babel. The genealogy leading up to Abram (Abraham).
The story of Noah. Some questions: who is good and rewarded? Who is bad and punished? And why is this a favorite children’s story?
The story begins in last week’s reading. Noah is born, lives to 500 years old, begets sons. (The flood happens when Noah is 600 years old, the sons are adults, but no grandchildren yet).
At this time, humans are seen by God as entirely wicked, nothing but evil all the time. God regrets that he made humans and decides to blot out from the earth – the men, beasts, creeping things and birds… but “Noah found favor with God.”
Our reading begins: Noah was a righteous man and blameless in his age. He “walked with God.” But everyone and everything else was corrupt and filled with lawlessness.
God tells Noah to build an ark: God will bring a flood and everything on earth shall perish.
Some may remember the Bill Cosby sketch… Noah is an ordinary guy. He hears the voice of God, says, “who is this really?” He is told to build an ark, “what’s an ark?” God explains, Noah says (repeatedly) “Right.” … Noah has to explain to his neighbor why there’s an ark in his driveway. Etc. [even though Bill Cosby is no longer a folk hero, it’s a very funny bit, check out the sketch on YouTube].
Noah obeys. The Flood comes. Everything not in the ark perishes. Birds, cattle, beasts, and all mankind. The Flood ends, the inhabitants of the ark are saved.
Noah makes a sacrifice to God. God’s covenant with Noah:
Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth. RAINBOW SIGN.
What about the phrase – “No more water, the fire next time” – the origin of the title of the famous book by James Baldwin. From a spiritual, “Mary Don’t You Weep.”
Trace to a passage in the Christian Bible, 2 Peter 3:6 – Heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, the Day of Judgment and destruction of the godless … the heavens will be set ablaze, the elements will melt with fire.
Not our text or tradition.
So, some questions about the story:
Why the deaths of the innocents? Interpretation: humans so corrupted that everyone, every living being (not fish) is corrupted too. Really?
God gets angry. Remember that in the Exodus, God repeatedly gets so angry at the Israelites that He threatens to kill them all off and start over with Moses and his family--- But Moses is able to talk God out of it each time. Noah just obeys.
Comments?
Why is this tale of mass deaths – even of innocent babies and bunny rabbits and birds – a favorite of children’s stories and songs.
Raffi: Who built the ark? Noah, Noah.
Who built the ark? Brother Noah built the ark.
In came the animals two by two, hippopotamus and kangaroo…
Cuteness of the animals?
Comments?
I would answer that even with the deaths and destruction, Noah is a story of a fresh new start, where humans and the creatures of the world are saved in a sense, and the future is assured.
In the words of our Torah -
Never again will I doom the earth because of man – although the devising of a man’s mind are evil from his youth – nor will I ever again destroy every living being as I have done.
So long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night SHALL NOT CEASE.
In these difficult days, remember that the earth will endure, and be renewed.
And babies are born and raised with love. Including one little precious baby, Jon Li Hu-Jacobson [my grandson born 7/4/20]!
Shabbat Shalom!