OCTOBER 23-24, 2009

THE PARSHA PAGE NOACH

Oops- Samuel Thompson Parsha Points
Noah and the Ark:
» Noah builds an ark and collects
two of every species
» God destroys all life on earth
in a flood, while Noah, his family,
and the animals are saved
» After the flood, God promises
through a rainbow covenant to
never again destroy humanity

Tower of Babel:
» Noah's descendents try to
defy God by building a tower to
reach the heavens to prove their
invincibility
» God thwarts their plans by
confusing their languages and
dividing them into 70 nations

when the rain stopped

You feel like you’ve been waiting
"Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood with rooms in it, and make it for the storms to end
safe from the water inside and out." (Bereshit 6:14) at least forty years now.
•  
You are trying to remember
SOME LIGHT TORAH ~ The Power of Potential- Eliana Light when skies held bouquets of birds,
After the flood, the people project and spread out all skills for destruction, so God not seas of screaming gray.
of ‘Earth Mach Two’ decide over the world. It seems confounded their speech  
to build a giant tower in the that God wanted to crush and put them in different You are trying to remember how
middle of their city. They this operation to prevent countries. Now, thanks to the it feels
want to “make a name for the people of Earth from internet, instant translators, when grass tickles your sole,
themselves,” to show their working together, but that and globalization, the world
not just stiff blisters.
might and strength. God gets is not the case. God realized is smaller than ever. It does
suspicious of this Earthly the power of humanity—the not matter that we do not  
arrogance and decides to potential that people have to speak the same language. It is I promise you
put a stop to it, because if create. easier than ever to galvanize this storm will stop
they could accomplish this, The Tower of Babel was a huge group of people. Now like so many have before.
“nothing that they propose to an example of people we have the potential to work  
do will be out of their reach.” working together for less- together again. Will we use You have a dove
So God causes them to speak than-noble means. God our powers for good? hatching in your stomach
different languages, and the did not want to take the — Correction: Eliana Light is a
that dreams of flying.
people get so confused that chance that people would member of the Class of 2013, not
they abandon their building use their communication 2012. —Jason Henry Simon-Birenbaum

‫ו׳ חשון תש״ע‬

‫נח‬
A publication of Hillel at Brandeis
Editors: Chaya Bender, Brian Blumenthal
Contributors: Eliana Light, Jason Henry Simon-Birenbaum, Samuel Thompson