Parshat Noach: Genesis 6:1 -11:26 By: Rabbi Denise L. Eger

With the election looming before us and all eyes cast upon what the direction of our nation will be, it is good to read the story of Noah once again. The second torah portion in Genesis is more than a story about the animals marching two by two into the ark of familiar childhood pictures. It is a story that offers us hope. It offers us hope because even in the face of cruelty and lawlessness and violence that seem to rule the planet the Divine Holy One finds a spark of righteousness in the person of Noah. In the end the promise of the rainbow filled the sky!

Noah is described as “blameless in his age”. He stands out as one who goes against the tide of corruption and brutality that marked his generation. The text says Noah was someone who walked with God. The sense of this is that Noah lived a moral life, a holy life especially in comparison with those around him. This spark of righteousness and justice helps Noah proceed to save the remnant of life, his family and the animals even in the face of a world gone mad. Noah listens to the call of God. Noah and his family and animals of every kind are saved and become the remnant to renew and replenish the planet.
This is not an easy task in any era or time. To walk with God as Noah did or to walk before God as Abraham did (Genesis 17:1) or to walk after Torah as described in Deuteronomy puts a person on the path of living a moral and enlightened spiritual life according to the teaching of the great Rav Kook.

In our own day and time it too seems as if there is enough cruelty and brutality to go around. How can we put ourselves on the path of living a moral and enlightened spiritual life so that we too can walk with God and walk after Torah? How can we rise beyond the violence that haunts our world—crime and war and abuse? How can we fan the spark of righteousness in our selves and in others?

It isn’t easy to march to the drum of holiness and morality. Especially when there are so many that drape themselves in the Bible and claim that their way is the only way.

In particular Proposition 8 on the California Ballot is a perfect example. Because those that placed Proposition 8 on the ballot are examples of the cruelty and brutality of our age. They think they are righteous in their generation but in truth they foster hatred, hurtfulness and seek to create a theocracy of our secular state. Proposition 8, which would eliminate fundamental rights of citizens, is holding our community hostage. The perpetrators of Proposition 8 claim they are the moral ones and wrap themselves in the so-called mantle of the Bible. But in truth they are living examples of misguided readings of the message of love and hope in the Bible. Have they forgotten the passage that urges us to “Love your neighbor as your self” (Lev. 19:18)?

Like Noah who walked with God and wasn’t afraid to go against the grain of his era—so too we must defeat Proposition 8 and stop the voices of hatred and discrimination that seek to drown out the truth with their lies. Like Noah in whom God found the spark of righteousness and holiness, we too must seek out the holiness in all of God creatures and yes, in gay men and lesbians. For that spark of holiness will help heal and transform our world for good.

Whenever I stand with a gay or lesbian couple or a straight couple at the wedding canopy- I can feel the divine sparks of light that they bring together to heal the world and create their family. We as a society must encourage that union of the divine sparks of love and passion and compassion by opposing such a cruel and terroristic proposition such as Proposition 8 that would eliminate the fundamental right to marry in our state Constitution. Proposition 8 is nothing more than domestic terrorism. We must oppose it with every effort of our breath. And oppose those who would foster such cruelty. Proposition 8 is unfair, unnecessary and wrong.

The call of holiness—the walk with God calls upon us in these final days before the election to do everything to defeat this unfair, cruel and hateful proposition. Volunteer in the remaining days of the campaign. Take off on election day and help defeat Proposition 8. You can sign up by clicking on www.noonprop8.com/actions/gotv.

And when we do Vote No on Prop 8 and defeat these forces of cruelty and hatred—the rainbow of hope will appear for us and it did for Noah in his day!

Posted by Jimmy at October 27, 2008 11:50 AM