From your Torah portion:
(ט) אֵ֚לֶּה תּוֹלְדֹ֣ת נֹ֔חַ נֹ֗חַ אִ֥ישׁ צַדִּ֛יק תָּמִ֥ים הָיָ֖ה בְּדֹֽרֹתָ֑יו אֶת־הָֽאֱלֹהִ֖ים הִֽתְהַלֶּךְ־נֹֽחַ׃
(9) This is the line of Noah.—Noah was a righteous man; he was blameless in his age; Noah walked with God.—
Noah is introduced at a time when the world is filled with corruption and violence. Despite the moral decay around him, he is described as righteous and blameless in his generation. Yet rabbinic commentary debates whether Noah’s goodness was truly exceptional or simply relative to the failings of his time. Was Noah a moral hero who stood against a corrupt world—or someone who did what was right, but only by comparison? This verse invites us to consider what it means to be good in a world that is not, and how we determine the standards for righteousness.
Some things to think about:
- What does it mean to be righteous in a society that is not? How much should our environment shape our moral choices?
- Are we responsible for standing up against injustice, or is it enough to maintain our own integrity?
- What does it mean to “walk with God” today? How can we stay grounded in our values when the world around us feels chaotic?
- In your own life, how do you decide what is right when others may be choosing differently?
- Can righteousness be measured in relative terms? How do we hold ourselves accountable to more than just comparison?
From your Torah portion:
(יב) וַיְהִ֥י הַגֶּ֖שֶׁם עַל־הָאָ֑רֶץ אַרְבָּעִ֣ים י֔וֹם וְאַרְבָּעִ֖ים לָֽיְלָה׃ (יג) בְּעֶ֨צֶם הַיּ֤וֹם הַזֶּה֙ בָּ֣א נֹ֔חַ וְשֵׁם־וְחָ֥ם וָיֶ֖פֶת בְּנֵי־נֹ֑חַ וְאֵ֣שֶׁת נֹ֗חַ וּשְׁלֹ֧שֶׁת נְשֵֽׁי־בָנָ֛יו אִתָּ֖ם אֶל־הַתֵּבָֽה׃ (יד) הֵ֜מָּה וְכׇל־הַֽחַיָּ֣ה לְמִינָ֗הּ וְכׇל־הַבְּהֵמָה֙ לְמִינָ֔הּ וְכׇל־הָרֶ֛מֶשׂ הָרֹמֵ֥שׂ עַל־הָאָ֖רֶץ לְמִינֵ֑הוּ וְכׇל־הָע֣וֹף לְמִינֵ֔הוּ כֹּ֖ל צִפּ֥וֹר כׇּל־כָּנָֽף׃ (טו) וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ אֶל־נֹ֖חַ אֶל־הַתֵּבָ֑ה שְׁנַ֤יִם שְׁנַ֙יִם֙ מִכׇּל־הַבָּשָׂ֔ר אֲשֶׁר־בּ֖וֹ ר֥וּחַ חַיִּֽים׃
(12) The rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. (13) That same day Noah and Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, went into the ark, with Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons— (14) they and all beasts of every kind, all cattle of every kind, all creatures of every kind that creep on the earth, and all birds of every kind, every bird, every winged thing. (15) They came to Noah into the ark, two each of all flesh in which there was breath of life.
As the floodwaters begin, Noah fulfills God’s command to preserve life by sheltering animals of every kind in the ark. This moment becomes a foundational image of human responsibility toward other living beings. The ark is not just a vessel for human survival; it’s a sanctuary for biodiversity. In today’s world, where many species are endangered or extinct, this passage invites reflection on our role as caretakers of creation.
Some things to think about:
- What responsibility do we have to protect animals and preserve biodiversity in our world?
- If we have the power to bring back extinct animals (like the woolly mammoth or the dire wolf), should we? What are the ethical implications of “playing God” in this way?
- How do our choices—individually and collectively—impact the survival of other species?
- What does it mean to create an “ark” today? What might it look like to protect life in the face of environmental crisis?
- How do we balance innovation and responsibility when it comes to technology and the natural world?
From your Torah portion:
(א) וַיְהִ֥י כׇל־הָאָ֖רֶץ שָׂפָ֣ה אֶחָ֑ת וּדְבָרִ֖ים אֲחָדִֽים׃ (ב) וַיְהִ֖י בְּנׇסְעָ֣ם מִקֶּ֑דֶם וַֽיִּמְצְא֥וּ בִקְעָ֛ה בְּאֶ֥רֶץ שִׁנְעָ֖ר וַיֵּ֥שְׁבוּ שָֽׁם׃ (ג) וַיֹּאמְר֞וּ אִ֣ישׁ אֶל־רֵעֵ֗הוּ הָ֚בָה נִלְבְּנָ֣ה לְבֵנִ֔ים וְנִשְׂרְפָ֖ה לִשְׂרֵפָ֑ה וַתְּהִ֨י לָהֶ֤ם הַלְּבֵנָה֙ לְאָ֔בֶן וְהַ֣חֵמָ֔ר הָיָ֥ה לָהֶ֖ם לַחֹֽמֶר׃ (ד) וַיֹּאמְר֞וּ הָ֣בָה ׀ נִבְנֶה־לָּ֣נוּ עִ֗יר וּמִגְדָּל֙ וְרֹאשׁ֣וֹ בַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וְנַֽעֲשֶׂה־לָּ֖נוּ שֵׁ֑ם פֶּן־נָפ֖וּץ עַל־פְּנֵ֥י כׇל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃
(1) Everyone on earth had the same language and the same words. (2) And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there. (3) They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them hard.”—Brick served them as stone, and bitumen served them as mortar.— (4) And they said, “Come, let us build us a city, and a tower with its top in the sky, to make a name for ourselves; else we shall be scattered all over the world.”
In the story of the Tower of Babel, humanity unites to build a towering structure. The text tells us their goal is to “make a name for ourselves” and avoid being scattered. But what are they really trying to achieve? The location (a valley, not a mountain) raises questions about whether their goal was spiritual elevation, social cohesion, or power and control. God's response interrupts their plan, but it’s not entirely clear if the problem was the tower itself or the motivations behind it.
Some things to think about:
- What does it mean to “make a name for ourselves”? Is this about legacy, ego, identity, or something else?
- Why might people choose to build upward from a valley? What does that symbolize?
- Was the tower a spiritual quest, a desire for control, or simply a fear of being scattered and forgotten?
- Do we sometimes assume that our ambitions are noble when they might be rooted in fear or pride?
- How can we tell the difference between working together for something meaningful and simply trying to prove something?