Noach: What Can We Learn Today from Noah’s Ark?

The State of Israel declared the 25^th day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei—3 days after the Simchat Torah holiday—as the second official day of mourning for the Hamas assault on Simchat Torah, 2023. As we all vividly recall, that holiday morning began with Hamas firing 2,500 rockets into south and central Israel, followed by the smashing through the border fence in 119 different locations and then the brutal slaughter of close to 1,200 Israelis and the taking of 251 hostages into the Gaza strip by roughly 3,800 Hamas terrorists. Hamas referred to this massacre as “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood”. This flood of terror then reignited waves of antisemitism worldwide.

How appropriate that this day of mourning for the Hamas “flood” coincides with the reading of the Parasha that describes the flood that took place at the time of Noah. Although in Noah’s time the flood was God’s response to humanity’s wickedness, lawlessness and corruption at the time whereas these evils are the source of the flood today, I believe we can learn an important lesson for today from Noah’s experience back then. What is it?

In reading the story of the flood, it is curious that the Torah dedicates three full verses to the details of the ark, including the materials to be used in its construction, its dimensions, and its general structure. Furthermore, the text makes a point of emphasizing the fact that Noah built the ark, brought all the pairs of animals, and then entered the ark along with his family, followed by the animals, just as God had instructed (Genesis 6:22 and 7:13–15). Finally, when the flood was over, God instructed Noah to leave the ark along with his family, and the animals (8:15–16), and Noah did as he was told (8:18). The question is why did the ark assume such an important role in this account of the flood?

To answer this question, let us compare Noah’s ark to the only other structure that the Torah insists be built in accordance with very particular and detailed instructions laid out by God – the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and its furnishings. Notice the following:

1. The dimensions – length, width, and height – are listed in both Noah’s ark (Genesis 6:15) and in the Mishkan’s ark (Exodus 25:10), table (Exodus 25:23), and altar (Exodus 27:1). The Hebrew root a-s-h ([עשה] to make), employed by the text to describe the construction of the ark, appears five times in the span of three verses (Genesis 6:14–16), and the same root appears countless times in the Mishkan narrative (see Exodus. 25:9–12, 17–19, 23–31, 37–40; 26:1, 4–7, 10–17).
2. Noah was told to “cover [v’khafarta (וְכָפַרְתָּ)]” the ark “inside and out [mi’bayit u’mi’hutz (מִבַּיִת וּמִחוּץ)] with pitch [ba’kofer (בַּכֹּפֶר)]” (Genesis 6:14), and the ark of the Mishkan is to be overlaid “inside and out [mi’bayit u’mi’hutz (מִבַּיִת וּמִחוּץ)]” (Exodus 25:11) with gold, and then enclosed by a “cover [kaporet (כַּפֹּרֶת)]” (Exodus 25:17).
3. Noah’s ark is to be built with three decks, and the Mishkan has three standards, or camps, the outermost one occupied by the twelve tribes, an inner one occupied by the tribe of Levi to the north, west, and south; Moses, Aaron, and the priests to the east; and then the Mishkan in the middle.
4. The text in both places highlights the fact that both edifices were built exactly in accordance with God’s instructions, and that both the flood and the construction of the Mishkan were completed on the first day of the first month (Genesis 8:13 and Exodus 40:17).
5. Both are mobile structures; the first moves through the water, and the second moves through the desert.

What, then, is the Torah trying to convey through this striking parallel between Noah’s ark and the Mishkan? As I suggest in my book, “In the Beginnings: Discovering the Two Worldviews Hidden within Genesis 1-11” (bit.ly/In-the-Beginnings), it may be that the ark represents for Noah what the Mishkan represented later for the people of Israel. Accompanied by God’s presence and guided by Him, the ark leads Noah safely through the flood waters to a new world, a new beginning, where he, his children and the animals will populate the earth in accordance with God’s command to Adam at the time of creation, and repeated to Noah after the flood. Similarly, accompanied by God’s presence and guided by Him, the Mishkan was to lead the people of Israel safely through the difficult conditions of the desert to the land of Israel, where they were told to settle, to establish a sovereign nation, and to serve God.

There is, however, an important difference between the two structures. Noah’s ark protected only him, his family and the animals that were aboard, but it did not provide any safety or security to those who were not. The Mishkan, however, was meant to radiate God’s presence outwards and to sanctify the entire Israelite camp, as the Torah says “And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8). In other words, Noah’s ark and the Mishkan represent two distinct ways of navigating floodwaters and other challenging circumstances. The first seeks to provide a safe haven and shelter from the dangers that lurk elsewhere, whereas the second seeks to eliminate such dangers by spreading holiness and light.

In addressing the floodwaters of terror and antisemitism today, I believe that both of these approaches are necessary. On the one hand, we need to adopt the ark paradigm and do what is necessary to protect ourselves from hostile surroundings even if that, at times, means we will become a more insular community or nation. On the other hand, we must also embrace the Mishkan paradigm by trying to eliminate evil through the spreading of holiness and goodness and, in doing so, creating a better world for both ourselves and for all of humanity.

Shabbat Shalom.