Noach
Message to an Uncertain World
Dear Friend,
When I think of Noah, I picture him building his ark, plank by plank, day after day, for decades. Despite the scoffing and jeering of passersby, certain that Noah was delusional and no mass destruction would befall them, he persevered.
As difficult and demoralizing as that must have been, he had hope. Hope that someone, anyone, would take him seriously, and adjust their behavior accordingly.
After witnessing the destruction of the entire known world and almost all its inhabitants, most people would have felt hopeless and downtrodden, ready to give up. Noah and his family, however, did what is virtually impossible—they started afresh. They drummed up enough hope and belief in the future—a better future—to begin rebuilding, day by day, person by person.
Our world can be a chaotic and scary place. Natural disasters are striking with increased frequency and ferocity, wars rage across multiple regions, the US faces an uncertain political future, and that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface.
It’s easy to feel hopeless. It’s normal. Expected. But if Noah could rebuild after seeing his entire world wiped out, surely we can keep working, minute by minute, day by day, to make the world a better, safer, holier place.
Miriam Szokovski
on behalf of the Chabad.org
Editorial Team
Having witnessed extreme depravity and immorality, Noah had come face to face with the consequences of sin.
The haftarah begins: “Sing, barren one who has not given birth.” Who is the “barren one”?
A condensation of the weekly Torah portion alongside select commentaries culled from the Midrash, Talmud, Chassidic masters, and the broad corpus of Jewish scholarship.
Zac, I know you are a very good boy, but have you ever been naughty?
Unlike some other mythical creatures found in fantasy books, there is reference to the phoenix in ancient Jewish sources.
A new study found that while acetaminophen dulls your own pain, it also dulls your empathy to the trials and tribulations of others.
While it’s commendable to work on developing our positive quality traits, it’s also important to our self-worth to recognize that we are whole and worthy beings with all sorts of emotions.
Some days, I feel like I am nursing her all the time, and doubt and fear creep into the back of my mind
Winter 1945. The Death March. For those who weren’t there, no words can truly describe it, and for those who were there, no words are needed.
"I entered into a dilemma, since both these options seemed righteous and correct. I couldn't decide between them, so I locked my door in order to contemplate the matter and reach a decision."
In the ark, Noah focused entirely on serving his Creator. After the great flood, G-d commanded Noah, “Go out from the Teivah—the ark.” He was commanded to leave this ideal environment and reenter the world.
Ever wonder what a rainbow really is? Here's what the rainbow teaches us about making our world a better, more colorful place.
A man of many responsibilities, he stressed kindness, education and charity.
World Series an opportunity to inspire mitzvahs and teach some timeless lessons.
Our world is a world where a rainbow could be.
At first, there was a world that only received and returned no dividends. Its inhabitants took no ownership. They lived with their Creator’s benevolence, they did what they did with no need for excuses, and eventually died as they died. And that was it.
With the Flood, this...
