2020/5781

In this week's Parashah, after the devastating flood, we learn of Hashem's promise to Himself and Noach that He will never again bring a flood like the one He just brought: “Ad Kol Yemei HaAretz Zera VeKatzir VeKor VeCham VeKayitz VeChoref VeYom VeLaila VeLo Yishbotu” - “So long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease” (BeReishit 8:22). On the surface, this Pasuk seems to state that as long as the earth does its job, which it previously failed to do, everything shall remain normal. Logically, if the only way for the earth to remain normal, and have things like the summer and the winter, it is only if people do their jobs. Since the flood was brought, we can understand that people were not doing their jobs. Therefore, this Pasuk seems to imply that, up until now, the earth was not functioning correctly.

Seforno subscribes to this approach. He writes that up until the flood, nature was not “normal”. In fact, the populated places on the earth had only one season: Spring. It was never too cold, nor too hot. He also writes that age expectancy was entirely different at the time. And while Sforno does not address how aging worked, he notes that, at the time, someone who died after (only) a hundred years was considered an adolescent. Rashi focuses on a different aspect of this. He writes that during the flood itself, the earth itself was so overwhelmed with extra water, that it could not operate normally. We learned previously that “VeArubot HaShamayim Niftachu”- “the floodgates of heaven were opened” (BeReishit 7:11). Because of the vast quantities of water on the planet, Rashi writes that night and day were indistinguishable. Therefore, according to both opinions, Hashem did need to specify that if the earth and the people in it did what they were supposed to, nature would function normally.

The Da`at Zekeinim writes that from Hashem's promise and on, the earth will become more or less predictable. Single annual seasons will no longer exist, but a gradual change in temperature and weather across the globe will replace them. Night and day will also be known and defined, give or take a few hours. He writes that the people of the world before the flood undoubtedly did not recognize their blessings. They did not realize that there could come a day when they would need to bundle up in coats and scarves, had they been alive.

In late February, if someone would have told me that I would not be able to see anyone's mouth in school, as it would be covered in a light blue mask, or that it would be significantly more difficult for teachers to teach, I would have called them crazy. Never in my life have I had to sit outside while visiting my grandparents. Never in my life have I been unable to shake someone's hand on Shabbat. This is what Parashat Noach teaches us. It forces us to realize what amazing things we have. It shows us the value in our blessings by how quickly it can all be taken from us, as we have seen from Covid-19.

But how do we prevent the key message of this week's Parashah from escaping our minds? How do we allow it to leave a lasting imprint on our daily lives? “Od Kol Yemei HaAretz” is very vague. But maybe it is just as simple as telling our families that we love them. Maybe it's just about saying thank you to Hashem once a day in our Shemoneh Esrei. Maybe it's just about privately taking a second to appreciate what we have.