Hanna's Dvar Torah

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This week’s Torah portion Noach begins with the words: “This is the genealogy of Noe”. One would expect the rest of the sentence to list the names of Noe’s children. Instead, the Torah stops to describe Noe himself and tell us that he was a righteous person, and only then does it list the names of his children. Why this interruption and change from the original subject?

To answer this question, we first need to understand something else.

The Talmud declares that Lashon Hara (literally evil tongue, or gossip) metaphorically “kills” three people: the one speaking, the one listening and the one who is being discussed. We can understand why the speaker and his audience are punished, since Lashon Hara is such a terrible sin, but why should the poor victim who they spoke about suffer?

When we speak, we bring to light thoughts that were otherwise hidden. Generally, speech has the great power of revealing hidden things. When someone says bad things about someone else, he uncovers and strengthens these bad elements in him. Thus, the Lashon Hara has an effect on the victim who was being spoken about.

The same applies to positive words as well. When we speak about the good elements of someone, we help to reveal and strengthen them even more.

This is the reason the Torah stops to say something good about Noe, to strengthen his positive traits. Noe, who was the only righteous person in the world, needed a lot of strength in order not to get carried away like the rest of the people.

Let us follow this approach in our personal lives and our personal relationships. Let us discuss the good characteristics and the good actions of the others, and not the opposite. In this way, the world will be filled with better people and will be a kinder and safer place.

Shabbat Shalom,

Hanna

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Happy Birthday!

We have many new beginnings today. This week, we start the reading of the Torah from the beginning, after having completed it on Simchat Torah. It is also the beginning of the 6^th (!) year of my Parsha column. Finally, the portion of this week Bereshit starts with the Creation of the world, the beginning of everything.

The first thing that G-d created on the first day of the Creation was light. This is surprising. The light is not an independent creature. It is useful only when there is someone like a person, animal or plant that can benefit from it. Why then did G-d start the Creation with it? The light could have waited and be created along with the plants, on the third day.

This resembles an architect who builds a house. Before he begins, he prepares a plan and defines the goal, the destination. In the same way, G-d, at the beginning of the Creation, defined its goal and destination, the light, in the spiritual sense. When we illuminate an object, we reveal it. Metaphorically, when we illuminate something or someone, we reveal his capacities and his potential, the purpose of his existence.

Many people are satisfied with considering themselves good people, only because they live peacefully and do not hurt anyone. If G-d simply wanted us not to hurt anyone, He did not need to create us… If we were not born at all, we surely would not have disturbed anyone.

G-d expects from us the positive action of bringing light, of uncovering the good and the G-dliness in everything and everyone. It is not enough not to hurt, we need to help. It is not enough not to destroy, we need to build.

Like G-d at the beginning of Creation, let us dedicate a moment at the beginning of our creative day to remember the purpose and destination of our creation: to bring light. Let this thought lead and direct the rest of our day. Thus, our days will be brighter, and our world will be better, until Mashiach comes thanks to us and our actions.

Shabbat Shalom,

Hanna