This page is dedicated to categorizing and slightly expanding the blurbs of each article on the parsha. Instead of presenting here per how things were written chronologically (in the order of the years each was written), the goal is to divide in the order of the narrative's subject matter.
Prelude to the Parsha
Envisioning a New World - Why would God destroy the (and therefore create a new) world if He just created the world in the previous Parsha? There is more to "they were sinning" than meets the eye.
Noach's Personality
Proverbial Noach - How We Are to Live Our Lives - A verse in Mishlei expounded upon in the Midrash is the source for encouragement that we are (hopefully) doing our best. With God's help our best should be more than adequate in His eyes
The ONLY Tzaddik in His Generation - No matter how we look at Rashi's comment about Noach, he was undeniably unique in his time
Love CAN Overcome Differences (In families where someone goes OTD + For Israel and Its Neighbors) - Why did Noach's family merit to be saved on the Ark?
In Defense of Noach - A unique insight into Noach's character from Kli Yakar points to a quality none of us would likely consider important if we knew what Noach knew about the coming flood
Building the Ark
Light Comes From Different Sources - (post October 7) what does it mean to envision a light in the darkness of a flood, and the darkness of an Ark? How does one prepare to take on the darkness one foresees?
Different Meanings of "Tzohar" - Going through many commentaries, we see that Tzohar is an instruction for Noach to remember that illumination is needed when it will be dark. While illumination from one man might be a fallback positions, for each person to bring illumination to the table is the real goal of people living together
On the Ark/During the Flood
Human Goals... Are they for the birds? - The differences between the raven and the dove say much about... the human condition
Aftermath of the Flood
Canaan Son of Cham - The lone child conceived during the flood bears the guilt of his father. But really the way he is viewed is to punish his father. This is why parents have a responsibility to their children to have an upstanding reputation
Lessons of the Flood
120 Years For Teshuvah (and no more!) - This explores why the maximum number of years people might live today is 120. In order for the world to never be destroyed again, people can't go more than 120 years without doing Teshuvah...
"Noach's Waters"?? - Why are the waters attributed to Noach by the prophet Yeshayahu? Shouldn't they be credited to those responsible for bringing the flood, such as the sinners destroyed by its waters?
Noach Contemplates the New World Before Him - Whenever we begin a new cycle of the Torah, or any new undertaking with a fresh set of eyes, we have to plan for the highest level of accomplishment we can hope to achieve
The Torah Approves of Capital Punishment for Murderers - Especially terrorists. It is immoral to let those with innocent blood on their hands continue to live (what happens in a war zone is a very different story. While civilian life might be a "war zone" in the eyes of a terrorist, this does not justify what terrorists do)
Tower of Bavel
Disperson of bavel - Rabbi Mordechai Breuer - Among other teachings, the most important lesson from the people involved in the making of the tower is to remember that human achievement is only worth anything in the long run if God's position is honored by the humans involved in any enterprise. Otherwise, the output can be destructive to the individuals and the society they try to build
Achdus - The Ups and Downs of "Unity" - Conformity does not work for everyone. Uniformity has its merits and demerits. There is much merit to individuals gathering for shared purposes. But to make everyone the same destroys humanity
Looking Out For Myself - lessons from the thought process of Dor Hapalaga - We can challenge ourselves to raise the bar above "being united" as an end goal. Each individual can take more upon oneself to not only say the values of the community are shared, but to set a personal example
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