Parshat Noach
In his book, Awakening the Spark Within, (which this author assisted in writing) Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh analyzes God’s command to Noah to leave the ark after the waters of the flood subsided. Rabbi Ginsburgh proposes that God’s command was not just on the physical level, but also entailed leaving behind his pre-Flood consciousness and being prepared to truly begin again. Noah and his family quite literally saw a new world, like only Adam and Eve had before them.
Everything in the Torah relates to us on an internal and individual level, as well as on the communal, national and global levels in each generation. In Awakening the Spark Within a comparison is made with the post-Holocaust era. Only three years after the end of World War II, the most systematic genocide ever attempted, the State of Israel was reborn after 2,000 years. For nearly 1,000 years in Europe, Jews had lived in a constant state of existential fear due to the Crusades, the Inquisition, constant expulsions, forced ghettos, pogroms and then ultimately, the Holocaust. The rebirth of Israel demanded a new attitude and a new consciousness, free of constant fear and paranoia. Seventy-five years later, Israel has risen from the ashes of the Holocaust to be a dynamic, optimistic, start-up nation whose advances in agriculture, refugee absorption, medical and communications technology, water reclamation and more is the envy of much of the world. All of this can only be accomplished with a forward-thinking society that not only guards and honors its past but forges new pathways into the future.
The same idea applies in a host of situations to individuals as well. Entering a new relationship, moving places of residence, changing jobs or professions all entail the need to free oneself from past routines and preconceived notions in order to succeed in a new environment and situation.
There is no doubt that the pandemic of Covid-19 can be compared in a sense to Noah and the isolation he and his family experienced while in the ark. Whole countries were shut down for weeks at a time, and life as we knew it became like a distant dream. Individuals all over the world have experienced prolonged isolation; cut off from family and friends, work and entertainment, and any semblance of what used to be deemed “normal life.” Yet, this also affords individuals and the world an opportunity to recalculate and process what lessons we can learn and how we can prepare ourselves for a new reality.
A beautiful example of this idea is brought by Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, the sixth leader of the Lubavitch/Chabad movement. He explains that the Jewish law which prohibits carrying from one domain to another on Shabbat (unless there is an eruv, a predesignated area which allows such carrying) also applies to time. Although on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we reflect deeply on our past and especially those areas that we need to rectify, he warned against “carrying” one year’s sins or negative attitudes into a new year. To do so would begin the new year on the wrong foot. Similarly, God was commanding Noah to leave behind an old-world view and embrace a new world with a new level of consciousness.
This idea of renewal and new beginnings is enshrined in Chassidic teachings. Since God renews the work of creation daily, Chassidic teachings emphasize the possibility and the importance of renewing oneself constantly and avoiding the traps of rote patterns of thought and conduct. Even those areas where we must maintain a certain routine, whether in prayer, work or daily tasks, we still have the opportunity to approach each and every day with enthusiasm and renewed intentions.
The Jewish calendar and the cycles of Shabbat and holidays engrave this concept into our lifecycle. Every year on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, we celebrate not with wild parties, but with introspection, commitment and sincerity to rectify all that we can from the previous year and to do our best to improve ourselves and the world around us. Although the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are called the Days of Awe, still there is an underlying feeling of gratitude and joy in being alive. This climaxes in the holiday of Sukkot.
The Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar; thus, each month has its own particular energy and opportunities for spiritual growth. In fact, each New Moon, or Rosh Chodesh (literally, head of the month) is an auspicious time for connecting to, and even harnessing, the moon’s power of renewal. On a weekly level, there is of course Shabbat, which after six days of work, allows us to enter into a higher dimension of spiritual consciousness where we rest and allow ourselves to receive the gifts of creation, rather than being active creators.
Even on a daily level, we are urged, through our prayers and blessings to be aware that this day has never come before and will never come again, thus we should take full advantage of using the time wisely and to approach each day with a sense of newness and excitement. This type of daily, weekly, monthly and yearly renewal in truth takes much intellectual, emotional and spiritual work to realize. The achievement of such a lifestyle is not a one-time decision, and it does not guarantee automatic continuation. It is a constant challenge and occasionally a battle to remain hopeful and excited about life. But when considering the alternatives of a rote existence of subtle boredom – or worse – a life of victimhood and apathy, the effort to find newness even in routine is well worth it.
According to Jewish tradition, there is an expected change in consciousness awaiting all mankind – the Messianic era. The cycle of history that we are currently living in will last for 6000 years followed by the era of Mashiach. At this writing, according to the Jewish calendar, we are in the year 5782, meaning we are approaching the year 6000. Many people understand that this is why the Jewish people are returning to Israel now. As we approach the seventh millennium events foreseen by the great Jewish prophets are unfolding. For those who know the Hebrew Bible and its prophetic declarations, virtually everything is happening or has happened. Moses, the greatest prophet of them all, reveals in the Book of Deuteronomy, exactly how Jewish history would play itself out: the Jewish people would settle in the Land of Israel and then because of our own deeds, would be exiled to the far reaches of the earth. It would be a long and difficult exile, but at the End of Days, we would be brought back to Israel to rebuild the cities, replant the land and the city of Jerusalem would become the spiritual capital of the world again. All of this is happening – exactly as predicted. It is quite astounding.
The transition from an old-world consciousness to a higher, more expansive awareness is the very definition of the Messianic era for which we long. There are many teachings regarding Mashiach, the most important is the role of inspiring all peoples to let go of jealousy, hatred and war, and embrace a new Divinely-focused perspective where world peace, cooperation and harmony become the norm. Just as God commanded and encouraged Noah to face a new world with an open mind and heart, so too are we encouraged to embrace a new way of seeing the world by integrating and sharing a future consciousness in the present moment.
