In memory of Sammy Harari: being Noah isn’t enough

Sammy Harari, a young father of three, served as my yeshiva’s counselor in 2011-2012. He was killed in action last week before the Simchat Torah holiday. Sammy was a true hero who maintained fidelity to Jewish tradition and, along with many others, made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the State of Israel. This piece is dedicated to his memory.

Understanding a small detail in the construction plans of Noah’s Ark may shed light on a significant element of Judaism.

Among the other directions, God tells Noah to add a “Tzohar” to the inside of the ark. “Make a ‘Tzohar’ for the ark and finish it with a cubit at the top, and place an opening for the ark in its side.” (Genesis 6:16). Most translate “Tzohar” as a window; however,  the Talmudic sage, Rabbi Yochanan, explains, “God told Noah to affix precious stones and gems to light up [the Ark] like afternoon.” (Sanhedrin 108b) Rabbi Yochanan’s interpretation begs the question – why did he deviate from what seems to be the most straightforward translation?

A parallel to this explanation in expanded form and in the mouths of other rabbis appears in the Midrash. “Rabbi Abba bar Kahana says [“Tzohar” means] ‘a window.’ Rabbi Levi says it means ‘precious stones.'” (Genesis Rabba ad loc #11) The rabbis in the Midrash present both interpretations of a window and precious illuminating gems. The disagreement on what brightened the ark seems more than just a confusion of proper Hebrew translation.

Rabbi Baruch Epstein (1860-1941), in his commentary Torah Temima, compares this disagreement and Rabbi Yochanan’s surprising interpretation to another famous argument Rashi quoted at the parashah’s beginning.

The Torah informs us that God chose Noah because of his righteousness. “Noah was a fully righteous person in his generation; Noah walked with God.” The rabbis debate the meaning of the phrase “righteous person in his generation.” (Genesis 4:9) The term seems to limit the objective quality of Noah’s actions; however, the rabbis disagree on the implications. Rabbi Yochanan said that Noah was considered righteous only in his generation. Noah wouldn’t have noticed if he had lived in another generation, such as with Abraham. Rabbi Shimon b. Lakish, known as Reish Lakish, disagreed. He suggested that the term “in his generation” means that the evil environment dragged Noah down. He was righteous despite his corrupt generation. Had Noah lived in the time of Abraham, the patriarchs would have helped him reach even greater holiness. (See Sanhedrin 108a)

Rabbi Yochana felt Noah’s actions did not live up to Abraham’s. When confronted with the divine plan to destroy the people of Sodom, Abraham argued with God: “Will the Judge of the world not act justly?”  (Genesis 18:25). Abraham saw the suffering of others and refused to sit unresponsive. Noah righteously followed every detail of the divine command but never once looked out at his fellow humans. Noah refrained from making an attempt to save the rest of humanity.

Rabbi Epstein suggests that Rabbi Yochanan’s interpretation of Noah was consistent. Noah followed all the laws to every detail, but in doing so, he refused to see the suffering around him. For Rabbi Yochanan, Noah chose not to see others, not to fight for others. Hence, he refused to look outside his Ark. The divine architecture of the literal ark functioned as a metaphor for Noah’s isolated view of the outside world. One can follow every divine command to the letter and yet allow that view to blind oneself from helping others.

In a fascinating passage, the Zohar, the primary book of Jewish mysticism, does not accept Abraham as the model of Jewish action either. According to the Zohar, both Noah and Abraham fell short. Noah was not willing to risk his own life arguing with God for the salvation of others. Abraham was willing to demand justice for those without sin but not for mercy.  Another biblical figure was willing to go further.

After the Jews sinned with the Golden Calf, God declared that He would wipe out all the Jews and make Moses the father of the new chosen people. Like Noah, Moses’s family would be the new first Jew and head of the entire nation. (Exodus 32:10) When confronted with the terror of divine genocide, Moses calls out, “Please bear the people’s sin, and if not, erase me from your book.” Moses willingly risks his life, reputation, and legacy to fight for those who sinned. The Zohar declares, “There has never been a leader who defended his generation like Moses. He is the trustworthy shepherd.” Leadership in the face of ultimate horror and adversity requires self-sacrifice. Moses’s fidelity to God shares no equal; however, his selfless action became the ultimate archetype of the Jewish response to catastrophe: to throw oneself into the jowls of the beast to protect those in need.

Many people of wide-ranging backgrounds at his funeral spoke of how Sammy was always prepared to help others. Despite being a 35-year-old father of three who carried the burden of serving in reserve duty as a combat soldier, he maintained his fidelity to Jewish tradition. He opened a window to look out at what Israel needed and balanced keeping other mitzvot while defending the Jewish people.

Five of our faculty and staff are currently serving in various units during this horrible war. They all demonstrate how one can balance Torah observance with helping the nation and fighting when necessary. As painful as it is, as hard as it is on their families and institutions,  this balance is achievable.

We need more people who act like Moses, keeping their faith in God and being prepared to defend the Jewish people. Sammy Harari z” l was one of those. May his memory be a blessing.