Noach: Animals and Gentiles. Rabbi Tuvia Bolton, Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim, Kfar Chabad, Israel

3pm – 4:30 Chumash, Mishna, Law.

8:15 a.m. – (Israeli time) Chassidut.  9:00 am - Sicha of the Rebbe.

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This week's Torah reading 'Noach' tells probably the strangest story ever: G-d drowned the entire human, animal and bird population of the world (save a few that got into the ark) because they got Him angry! 

Strange because it apparently has no practical message; G-d promised it would never happen again, no Torah, Commandments or even Jews! Noah and family were not Jews, indeed, there were no Jews! The first Jew, Abraham, was born over three hundred years after the flood! 

The Torah could have just mentioned the Flood in few words. Why a complete section in such great detail? 

Even more remarkable is the fact that the Zohar (a basic work of Jewish Mysticism) and other 'Midrashim' find here secret references to Moshiach and the future redemption he will bring. 

For instance: Noah being repeated twice in the first sentence hints at how Moshiach will comfort all mankind. 

The flood itself hints at how the Moshiach will flood the world with the awareness of G-d. (Isiah 11) 

The peace between the animals in Noah's Ark is a foretaste of the when the wolf will lie with the lamb. (ibid)

The Dove that Noah sent out, the rainbow that appeared after the flood, the covenant G-d made not to destroy the world, the new world that Noah established.... all hint at the same thing; Moshiach. 

This is also not understood. 

It is a basic principle of the Torah that Moshiach will be Jewish and the future redemption depends solely on the Jewish people. 

So why do all these 'hints' of Moshiach appear in a totally 'non-Jewish' Torah reading? 

Here is a story that will help us to understand. 

Rabbi Benyamin Klein was one of the Lubavitcher Rebbe's personal secretaries and has many fascinating stories to tell. Here is one of them that he told at a wedding years ago. 

A Jewish professor who lived in England (the person who originally told the story did not remember his name or personal details) often was invited to lecture in the U.S.A.. Being very dedicated to the Lubavitcher Rebbe (he had met him several times when the Rebbe was alive) he had a custom to visit the Rebbe's grave (called the 'Ohel') in the Montifiori Cemetery every time he was in New York. 

Once when he was invited to lecture there. They sent a driver to pick him up from the airport and after the lecture he told the driver that on the way back to the airport he wanted to stop in at the 'Ohel' for just a few minutes to pray. 

The driver began asking questions and as it turns out he was Jewish. He said that he was sure that both he and his wife were Jews and their parents were Jews but they personally had never done anything Jewish but he wanted to know about the Ohel; how much it cost to get in and if it was too late to get him a ticket. When he heard that it was open 24 hours a day to everyone, for free, and anyone could enter he announced that he was going. 

He parked the car; the professor gave him a Yarmulke and together they entered the cemetery and then to the room that surrounded the grave. 

They stood there for a moment, the professor picked up a book of Psalm and began reading while the taxi-driver closed his and then burst into uncontrollable crying. His body was shaking as he held his face in his hands and wept and wept at first quietly and then aloud like a child. 

The professor was astounded but he managed to ignore the sobbing for a few moments and pray. When he finished, he tapped the driver on the shoulder and they both returned to the taxi. 

The driver wiped his eyes, blew his nose and started the car. "What was that?" asked the professor. "What happened? What is wrong? Why were you weeping." 

"Our dog!" He was barely able to speak. "Our dog, Freddy is having an operation!" his eyes were all red and puffy and he choked up, almost began crying again. 

"Your what?" asked the professor incredulously. "Your DOG?! Are you kidding?!" he said, staring at the driver him to see if it was really true while covering his mouth so he wouldn't see the smirk. "Are you kidding? I don't believe it!!" 

'Yes" the driver said sadly as he started driving. "A few years ago the doctors told me and my wife that we can't have children so we adopted a dog. Such a special, wonderful dog! He is everything to us. But last week he had a stroke!" He was in tears again. "And the vet said that there's no chance he will ever be well. Best he can do is try to save his life by an operation, and he has doubts if even that will work. The operation is tomorrow and me and my wife are going crazy! That's what I prayed for; that the operation would succeed." 

The professor was trying to empathize but he wasn't doing a good job, especially when he said, "Listen my friend, if worse comes to worse you can always buy another dog" and the driver began whimpering so heavily he had to pull over to the side of the road and stop. 

When they got to the airport the professor gave the driver a nice tip together with his calling card and said. "Listen, please excuse me if I said anything wrong. I'm really interested to know what happens to your dog. Here is my number. Please call me collect after the operation. Okay? You won't forget?" and wished him the best. The driver thanked him for everything and they parted. 

But a year passed, he didn't call and the entire incident was forgotten - almost. 

One year later the professor received a collect call from New York and, not recognizing the caller and not expecting any collect calls, he didn't accept. But after the same person called five times, he decided to accept the charges. 

It was the taxi driver. 

"Hello professor. How are you? Remember me?" 

"Ahhh! Of course! The taxi driver! Thank G-d, I'm doing fine my friend. It's been a long time. Sorry I didn't accept charges, I forgot you completely. Tell me! How was the operation on your dog?" 

"Thank G-d, Thank G-d. It was a miracle!! A real miracle. In fact, our Freddy is healthier than ever!! You should see him!! You have no idea how grateful we are to you and the Rebbe. Even the veterinarian said it was a miracle!!" 

"Well, that is really good news. I'm so happy for you." Said the professor. "But, tell me, why didn't you call immediately? Why did you wait so long? It's been a year!" 

"Well," the driver answered. "I saw back then that you really didn't understand about my dog so I figured that I wouldn't waste your money calling you collect or waste your time by calling direct. I figured that I had bothered you enough." 

"Too bad" replied the professor. "I certainly would have liked to have heard the good news back then and I'm happy to hear it now" He hesitated a second and continued. "But, if you didn't call back then, then why are you calling now? A year later?" 

The driver answered. "Ahh, that's the point. 

"See, after Freddy got better my wife and I were so happy that we went back to the 'Ohel' to say thanks, and there we asked one of the Chassidim what should we do to show our gratitude, how much money we should give or something else. He said that what the Rebbe wants is for every Jew to do the commandments and he suggested that we take on at least one commandment. 

"So we spoke for a while, he made a few suggestions and finally we decided that I would put on Tefillin every day and my wife would keep family purity, you know, going to the Mikva and all that. The Chassid even set up a time for him and his wife to come to our house and teach us. 

"That was months ago professor, and that is why I'm calling. I figured that maybe you don't understand dogs but I knew you would appreciate this.

"Thanks to you and the Rebbe!!! Today was the Bris of our son!! We had a baby boy!! " 

Rabbi Klein finished the story by saying that today the taxi-driver and his wife are observant Jews. 

With this we can answer our questions.

As we see from our dog story, G-d loves all His Creations. That is why He commanded Noah to save the animals. 

And if G-d cares for the animals how much more so He loves all humanity. Indeed, our Torah reading teaches that every human is created in G-d's image (9:6) 

Even more, the fact that this story is in the Torah reminds us that all non-Jews are "Bnei Noah" direct descendants of Noah. And they have inherited from him the power to defy and improve the entire world as he did.

That is why this story of Noah is found in the Jewish Torah, because it is an obligation for the Jews to bring all the gentiles to observe the Seven Noahide Commandments (Rambam, Hil Melachim 8:10) as they are explained in the Torah. 

(See the following essay for details):  https://www.ohrtmimim.org/Seven_Noahide_Laws#SevenNoahideLaws-Introduction

That is why the Zohar finds so many hints here to Moshiach, because only the Moshiach will succeed in doing it (ibid 11:4) 

And it can happen NOW. The Lubavitcher Rebbe in a speech (Purim 5747) said that up to now it was dangerous to teach a non-Jew these Noahide Commandments. But now, in our generation, it is different. Today, not only do the gentiles want to learn and they will be grateful when we teach them (in a pleasant and friendly way), even more - they will be disappointed if we withhold this from them.

That is the practical message of this week's portion:

It is easier than we think to change the world. We have the ability to bring billions of people to serve only the Creator (Zephaniah 3:9) ; The world is ready and waiting.

And not much is lacking; we are standing on the merits of thousands of years of Jewish yearning, suffering, Torah and mitzvot.

 Now it could be that even one more good deed, word or even thought …. can bring.... 

Moshiach NOW!!

Rabbi Tuvia Bolton

Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim

Kfar Chabad, Israel www.ohrtmimim.org

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