After the flood: A blueprint for rebuilding a broken world

Genesis 6:9 – 11:32

When the flood waters recede and Noah and his family emerge from the ark, a brand new drama unfolds: Now what?

Everything that ever was is gone. All life, all nature, all industry, all society — it’s all gone. So, now what to do?

Three important things take place in succession, and we can learn from each of them.

1. Noah brings a thanksgiving offering to G-d. He does not allow himself to wallow in survivor’s guilt. He doesn’t allow himself to go down the rabbit hole of, “Why did I survive when so many others did not?” He survived. He is here, and he knows he is here for a reason. He thanks G-d for the gift of life and shows his appreciation with a gift.

2. G-d gives Noah permission and a mandate to repopulate the world. By commanding Noah and his children to “Be fruitful and multiply,” G-d is urging them to rebuild what was destroyed. Though the destruction may be discouraging, and one might wonder what the point could be in rebuilding if everything might be destroyed again, G-d tells them to rebuild.

3. G-d brings out the rainbow, and with it, declares for all the world to hear, “Never again.” G-d swears that the flood shall never again be visited upon the world, and that what happened once will never happen again.

To summarize: Noah says, “Thank you!”; G-d says, “Rebuild!”; and then G-d declares, “Never again!”

We find ourselves in a similar period today. A destruction of a different kind has come to an end, please G-d. Jewish history is no stranger to periods of destruction and the calm at the end. But we must be careful to follow the formula laid out, by Divine Providence, in this week’s Parshah.

First, we must be thankful. Without getting bogged down in philosophical entanglements about what happened and why, we must be grateful for our lives and be prepared to do good with life. So first of all, “Baruch Hashem.”

Second, we must focus on remembering what we lost and what needs rebuilding. We must not focus on the destruction and the tragedy. We are not a tragic people; we are a holy people. We are relentlessly devoted to rebuilding, as we have done over and over again, countlessly over the course of history. We remain dedicated to our Divine mission, regardless of how many times we get shoved off course — we always come back. Rebuild! That is our slogan. By marrying, building large, happy families and homes filled with proud Jewish spirit and timeless traditions, we rebuild what has been lost.

And finally, “Never Again!” is our prayer and G-d’s blessing. It is not a plan of action. Those who hurt us before pay no heed to our cries of “Never Again!” The world pays no heed. That much is clear. Our hopes for the future lie in G-d’s hands, and in our commitment to the Torah’s values and their dissemination throughout society. Simply declaring, “Never Again” — while surely an admirable prayer — is not a plan. Rebuilding is a plan, and with G-d’s help, it will indeed never happen again.

Moshiach will come, the sun will shine, one giant, final rainbow will spread beautifully across the world, and our tears will be dried forever. PJC

Rabbi Moishe Mayir Vogel is executive director of The Aleph Institute – North East Region. This column is a service of the Vaad Harabonim of Greater Pittsburgh.