Noach 5765

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Noach (Genesis 6:9-11:32 )

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GOOD MORNING!   When I was a child, my little brother, Ronny, asked my father to read a school report he had written about horses. Upon reading the essay, my father asked him, "Did you copy any of this from the encyclopedia? My brother was incredulous and asked my dad, "How did you know?" My father held back his smile and said, "Here is what gives it away ... where you write at the end in parentheses 'See also: circus, cowboys, rodeo.' " The following piece is not from the encyclopedia, it came anonymously via the Internet, though I edited it.

 

LESSONS FROM NOAH'S ARK

Don't miss the boat.
Build on high ground.
Two heads are better than one.
If you can't fight or flee - float!!
For safety's sake, travel in pairs.
Stay below deck during the storm.
Don't forget that we're all in the same boat.
Don't listen to critics - do what has to be done.
If you have to start over, have a friend by your side.
Plan ahead ... It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.
Take care of your animals as if they were the last ones on earth.
When things get really deep, don't sit there and complain - shovel!!!
Remember the woodpeckers. An inside threat is often bigger than the one outside.
Speed isn't always an advantage. The cheetahs were on board but ... so were the snails.
Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone might ask you to do something REALLY big.

 

And here is another "refrigerator piece" that I have been saving for you:

THE MOST AND THE GREATEST
The most destructive habit...................................Worry
The greatest joy............................................Giving
The greatest loss..................................Loss of respect
The most dangerous pariah...............................A gossiper
The world's most incredible computer.....................The brain
The worst thing to be without.................................Hope
The most satisfying work............................Helping others
The ugliest personality trait..........................Selfishness
The most endangered species......................Dedicated leaders
The deadliest weapon....................................The tongue
The two most power-filled words............................"I Can"
The greatest asset...........................................Faith
Our greatest natural resource............................Our youth
The greatest "shot in the arm".......................Encouragement
The greatest problem to overcome..............................Fear
The most worthless emotion...............................Self-pity
The most beautiful attire...................................SMILE!
The most prized possession...............................Integrity
The most effective sleeping pill.....................Peace of mind
The most crippling failure disease.........................Excuses
The most powerful force in life...............................Love
The most powerful channel of communication..................Prayer
The most contagious spirit..............................Enthusiasm

 

 

Torah Portion of the Week
Noach

The story of one righteous man in an evil generation. The Almighty commands Noah to build the ark on a hill far from the water. He builds it over a period of 120 years. People deride Noah and ask him, "Why are you building a boat on a hill?" Noah explains that there will be a flood if people do not correct their ways. We see from this the patience of the Almighty for people to correct their ways and the genius of arousing people's curiosity so that they will ask a question and hopefully hear the answer.

 

The generation does not do teshuva, returning from their evil ways, and God brings a flood for 40 days. They leave the ark 365 days later when the earth has once again become habitable. The Almighty makes a covenant and makes the rainbow the sign of the covenant that He will never destroy all of life again by water (hence, James Baldwin's book, The Fire Next Time).

When one sees a rainbow it is an omen to do teshuva - to recognize the mistakes you are making in life, regret them, correct them/make restitution, and ask for forgiveness from anyone you have wronged as well as from the Almighty.

Noah plants a vineyard, gets drunk and then occurs the mysterious incident in the tent after which Noah curses his grandson Canaan. The Torah portion concludes with the story of the Tower of Babel and then a genealogy from Shem to Abram.

Dvar Torah
based on Growth Through Torah by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin

 

The Torah states:

"One who spills the blood of a person shall have his own blood spilled by man, for in the image of the Almighty He has made man." (Genesis 9:6)

This verse is also cited as a source that we must not embarrass another human being. What is the connection between murder and embarrassment?

Rabbi Moshe Alshich explains that when a person is embarrassed, his blood flow changes - his face reddens. The Torah tells us in this verse that every person is created in the image of the Almighty. Therefore, every person must be shown great respect. An attack upon a human being - whether it be upon a person's body or upon his sense of self - contains an aspect of an attack on the Almighty.

When one is embarrassed, he is in great pain. The suffering can be even greater than from a physical wound. The harm, however, is much more than the present pain - the person suffers a loss of self-esteem. Humiliating someone can cause a person to fail to realize his true greatness. The ramifications of this are awesome. Make every effort possible to avoid embarrassing someone!

 

CANDLE LIGHTING - October 15:
(or go to http://www.aish.com/candlelighting)

Jerusalem  4:32
Guatemala 5:23  Hong Kong 5:40  Honolulu 5:47
J'Burg 5:56  London 5:48  Los Angeles 5:59
Melbourne 6:15  Miami 6:34  Moscow 5:12
New York 5:57  Singapore  6:36

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

You never get a second chance
to make a first impression.

In Loving Memory of
My Dear Mother
Chana Bat Yitchak Azik v'Rivka
on her fifth yarzheit
--  Irene Klein Cogan

 

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