Page 38 - Jewish News_December-2020

38A December 2020 COMMENTARY

Where’s your umbrella?

By Rabbi Jonathan R. Katz, Community Chaplain
A an umbrella.” pelled him to. In other words, if Noah character flaws.
story is told of a severe drought
Judaism places great importance
possessed certain faith, he wouldn’t
However, even if these alleged
that particularly affected a
Jewish region of Poland in the
huge leap to assert Noah was deficient
But while offering prayers with sincer-
enter the ark. Surely, there’s got to be
1870s. For an extended period of time, on kavana, i.e., authentic intention. have waited for the rain to begin to failings had some validity, it is still a
the members of the five synagogues ity and conviction is important, is it the more to Rashi’s faith critique than this. in faith. After all, he’d unhesitantly
in the largest ultimate measure of true faith? What if Earlier in the Torah, Noah is char- heeded God’s command to build the
town prayed fer- the people had brought umbrellas and acterized as “a wholehearted, righteous ark, a task that took many decades to
vently for rain, it still didn’t rain? man in his generation who walked with complete. Furthermore, immediately
but to no avail. Intriguingly, two of the Torah’s God.” But, similar to Rashi, Jewish after leaving the ark, Noah built an
With little hope most notable figures were both accused sages managed to find fault with this altar to God who then established an
of precipitation of lacking faith. First, recall that rather praiseworthy description by suggesting everlasting covenant with him. n a recent Facebook post, a Jew-
on the horizon, than hearkening to God’s command- that Noah’s virtue only seemed remark- The Hebrew word for faith, emu- ish mother of two teens wrote this:
the community’s ment to speak to a rock to bring forth able because it stood in sharp contrast nah, is less about prayer and belief than I“It’s not often that you get to squash
rabbis decided to water, Moses struck it instead. The To- to the thorough vileness of the people it is about action. Sharing emunah’s your kids hopes and dreams multiple
Rabbi Jonathan R. Katz consult a reclu- rah later explains this absence of belief of his time. If he’d lived in another era, same linguistic root, the words ohman times in one year but hey, 2020… Their
sive, elderly Jewish sage who lived in is why Moses wasn’t permitted to enter Noah would not have been portrayed in (craftsman) and ohmanut (craftsman- bubble of kids to do things with has
a nearby village. the Promised Land. such exemplary terms. ship) imply that faith is reflected in grown smaller overnight and the anger
“Faith and unity are the things Though the authors of the Torah Perhaps Noah became the object what we do, not what we may say we is palpable in the air. Struggles with re-
missing in your approach,“ he informed may have had their reasons for not of scorn of commentators because of do or don’t believe in. As Rabbi Morris mote school and work are real… Tears
them. “You must impress the need not wanting Moses to cross into the land, what happened after the flood when he Joseph eloquently put it, “The divine of anger, frustration, guilt, grief and
to simply pray, but believe. If you are this seems like fairly flimsy grounds became drunk and passed out naked in test of a person’s worth is not his the- stress…” The post received dozens of
united and sincere, your prayers will be to base it on, considering Judaism’s his tent. When his youngest son, Ham, ology but his life.” Obviously, Noah sympathetic responses from other par-
answered and rain will come.” Subse- foremost prophet had demonstrated reported this to his brothers, they re- passed that test with flying colors. ents identifying with this mother’s pain
quently, the rabbis declared that all the extraordinary faith during the Exo- spectfully covered up their father with Before the start of the first game of and frustration.
men, women and children of the town dus and tumultuous 40 years of desert a garment. Noah then awoke and an- the season, a high school football coach Parenting in this time of COVID
would come together for a joint day of wandering. grily proclaimed that Ham’s son, Ca- asked a local priest to offer a prayer for is not for the faint of heart. As parents
worship. Noah’s faith was criticized as well. naan (and his descendants), would be his team’s success. The priest said he navigate through this uncharted ter-
At the appointed time, virtually With all the animals inside the ark and cursed and become servants to his un- would do so but also told the coach, ritory, there are more questions than
the entire populace gathered in a large the rain having fully begun, the Torah cles Shem and Japheth. “It helps to have a good quarterback.” answers. Is it safe for children to be
field whose crops had long withered. states: “Noah went in, and his sons, and Though a seemingly minor inci- In the case of an ark in the midst of back at school in person? Will par-
Ascending a makeshift bimah, the sage his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, dent, this episode was later utilized to the most formidable rainy season of ticipating in extracurricular activities
stared out at the immense crowd and into the ark, because of the waters of help justify Israel’s conquest of Canaan all time, that would certainly apply to expose them to a greater risk of being
then disappointedly shook his head. the flood.” This sounds like a rather an- depicted in the book of Joshua. Though Noah. infected? Will the mental health toll
“This will never work,” he announced odyne verse. But Rashi, our tradition’s a rather dubious way of indicting the Rabbi Jonathan R. Katz serves as the of isolation pose an even greater risk
to the rabbis. “There will be no rain.” most prominent biblical commentator, Canaanites and showing cause for Community Chaplain and Director of to their health? What about the more
“But Rebbe,” they implored, “ev- indicates this verse actually conveys their conquest, this is how foundation- JFCS’s Jewish Healing Program and vulnerable members of families? How
eryone is here and we are all united. how Noah exhibited “small” faith. al narratives often work. But, leaving the Director of Spiritual Services for can a sense of normalcy be maintained
Surely they have faith that rain will According to him, though Noah the sum and substance of these narra- Aviva - A Campus for Senior Life. His for children without dire consequenc-
fall. “No, they don’t really believe,” the knew the flood was coming, he wasn’t tives for discussion on another day, in positions are underwritten by The Jew- es for the weak, ill or elderly? These
Rebbe countered. “I scanned the entire a genuine believer because he only rabbinic estimation, Noah’s drunken- ish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee.
throng. Not one person has brought entered the ark when the waters com- ness and nudity pointed to significant

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