Reaching In and Out 

Noach is chosen by God to create mankind anew. That seems like quite an honor. When the Torah introduces us to Noach we are told that: נח איש צדיק תמים היה בדורותיו -- Noach was a tzaddik, perfect in his generation. That sounds like quite a compliment. The midrash states, however, that although some see it as a compliment, others interpret it as a veiled criticism of Noach; he was only considered to be good relative to the scoundrels of his time, but if he had lived in the time of Avraham, he would be nothing special.  What would motivate Chazal to view Noach as less than exemplary? Why doesn't everyone agree that this "chosen one" is indeed a real tzaddik?

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin offers a penetrating insight. Noach is being contrasted with Avraham as they represent two different schools of thought. When faced with the impending destruction of Sodom, Avraham challenged God to defend Sodom's residents. When Noach was faced with the impending destruction of the world, he dutifully accepted the fate and concerned himself with only his immediate family. The negative view of Noach in the midrash is promoting the model of Avraham, the idea of outreach to those outside of our immediate community. The positive view of Noach in the midrash is promoting the notion of in-reach, of battening down the hatches when faced by the challenge and threat of those outside of our community. As Rabbi Riskin writes, the key to creating a thriving Judaism is "balancing the tension between Noah's tight ship and Abraham's open tent." At WYHS we aim to deliver an education that promotes both of these models. We want our students to have a strong religious foundation and an identity that is sensitive to the immediate needs of our particular community while at the same time an openness to the broader community and the world at large. Thank you to the Highlites staff for putting together another stellar edition that will give you a good sense of how our students are developing both as Noachs and as Avrahams.

I look forward to seeing freshman parents this Motzei Shabbat for the Melave Malka at our home.  I also look forward to the first Neighborhood Conversation of the year that will be taking place this Tuesday evening in Hollywood at the home of Cheryl and Ari Pearl.