Parshat Noah

No one is going to clean up the mess for you anymore

These last few weeks have been trying. Many soldiers have fallen. Each one an entire world. Wives have been widowed and children orphaned. 

But what is the alternative? If it wasn’t clear to the vast majority of the nation, including our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora, it is clear now. Our enemies are dedicated to our destruction and to the destruction of the State of Israel (not too mention America, et. al.). 

Those who have gone out to defend the Nation of Israel are incredible. They are from all walks of life, ages spanning from their teens to their 50’s. Not only did they jump into the fray after the October 7th massacre but have continued to answer the call even after hundreds of days of reserve duty. It is inspiring and it reveals the true meaning of מסירות נפש (misirut nefesh, meaning total self-sacrifice) and כל ישראל ערבים זה בזה (Kol Yisrael arvim zeh le zeh, meaning All of Israel is responsible one for the other).

Because of this sacrifice and the cries of the families of the fallen, the topic of mandatory army service for the Haredi sector has been brought to the fore of public discourse.

The army has many people to call on in addition to the Haredim. There are those who were released from reserves because the army was downsizing over the last decade. They have not been called back. There are thousands of “draft dodgers” that have gotten out of service using all sorts of spurious excuses. The army has preferred to release them rather than try to deal with the issue. And of course the issue of the Haredi exemptions is real and needs to be addressed. Personally, I see their current stance as a remnant of the galut. 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva did not die in the Beit Midrash. They died on the battlefield warring against the Romans.

It is very easy, I think, to immediately fall into camps for and against one group or another. However, we must always remember, the war is not with those who do not serve right now for one reason or another. This is a major issue, one that is and needs to be argued and pushed and pressured through many different means. But we can never see it as a war with our brothers. This is not about a proportional death count but about כל ישראל ערבים זה בזה and מסירות נפש.

This issue is going to be won as the cries and words of the mothers and wives and orphans seep into all our hearts. Former Chief Rabbi and now Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem came to pay his respects to Rachel Goldberg after the loss of her husband, Rabbi Avi Goldberg who fell in Lebanon. She brought up the issue of the draft and said: "It's like on Friday, when all the children help tidy up and clean the house for Shabbat, everyone cleans. One person doesn’t sit at the table and pray that the house will be clean. Everyone has to clean. Everyone has to clean. And whoever doesn't, it's not educational to give him something in return. It's not educational, not Jewish and not moral" … What I'm saying is… you know the truth, remove that which covers your hearts, the walls we've built over fifty years. Remove it." (@aviadsanders)

This parsha reminds us that society is a delicate balance of control and freedom. Parshat Noah begins:

וַתִּשָּׁחֵ֥ת הָאָ֖רֶץ לִפְנֵ֣י הָֽאֱלֹהִ֑ים וַתִּמָּלֵ֥א הָאָ֖רֶץ חָמָֽס׃

The earth became corrupt before God; the earth was filled with violence (Hamas).

 וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֜ים לְנֹ֗חַ קֵ֤ץ כׇּל־בָּשָׂר֙ בָּ֣א לְפָנַ֔י כִּֽי־מָלְאָ֥ה הָאָ֛רֶץ חָמָ֖ס מִפְּנֵיהֶ֑ם וְהִנְנִ֥י מַשְׁחִיתָ֖ם אֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

God said to Noah, “I have decided to put an end to all flesh, for the earth is filled with Hamas (violence) because of them: I am about to destroy them with the earth. (Noah 6:11, 13)

The Flood released by Gd was the proverbial “start over”, washing away a failed society based on lawlessness and violence. Today, Gd does not solve our problems in such ways. Seas are not split, the Sun does not stand still. Our problems are solved today through our actions. That is what Gd demands of us. We are the vessels through which Gd’s will emanates. There is no easy way to suppress and destroy the violence being perpetrated against the Nation of Israel except to fight it tooth and nail. 

I think this reinforces Rachel Goldberg’s call. When things need to get cleaned up you cannot sit at the table and pray for it to happen. 

Remember, this violence is not just directed against the Jews and the People of Israel but against Christians and others. There is no reason we should fight this alone but we will if we have to.

Hebrew text from Sefaria / Image by Myriams-Fotos from Pixabay