Want to build an Ark? I Noah guy.
Well, we’re right back at the beginning with the famous story of Russell Crowe, er, Noah’s Ark. It’s a wild ride (mind all the puns) marked by leads of corruption in this newly created world that needs to undergo a “cleansing,” or mass tragic flood that wipes out most of the population with the exception of Noah, lots of animals and his family. There is certainly more to this story but I’d like to take a moment to focus on what happens next. Noah releases birds to determine if the land is drying up following the 40 days and 40 nights of flooding. He sends a series of bird missions. First is a raven who refuses to go beyond circling the Ark, then comes a dove which, after returning with an olive branch, leaves the Ark entirely; from the latter, Noah knows that it is now safe to remove his seatbelt and leave the Ark. But here’s what follows: G-d commands Noah to leave the Ark. Wait, what? Noah busies himself with all this bird business when all along he just needed to await the all clear from G-d Himself? Why waste his time? He was about to restart society! Can’t he map this out and make better use of these moments to meditate or just do something besides sending birds to determine how close they are to the end?
The answer is timeless. Yes, Noah needed to wait until G-d gave him the go-ahead. But until then, it wasn’t enough to just sit back and pray for the day to come; he needed to actually DO something. He needed to make moves to try and bring that moment closer. He needed to show G-d he was eager and not complacent, and that’s what matters. I think as we find ourselves in this strange place post/mid/quasi pandemic, we can apply this lesson. Are we waiting for the “two bell signal” as it does on an airplane, when we can go about our business? Or are we doing something, anything, in the interim to ensure we are ushering in the “new normal” in the most productive way possible. Let’s learn from Noah. Let’s make those moves with intentionality and hope, and may we witness the same growth and rebirth that he did. Good Shabbos!
