A Bima-Ready D’var Torah Every Week
1 Cheshvan 5779
Parashat Noach
What My Beagle Taught Me About Life
Torah Portion: Genesis 6:9-11:32
Haftarah Portion: Isaiah 54:1-55:5
"If a dog not naturally possessed of the devil will not come to you after he has
looked you in the face, you ought to go home and examine your conscience."
Woodrow Wilson[i]
Shalom!
Adults take every possible opportunity to impart important life lessons and values to their kids. Soccer is about far more than how well you can kick a ball or block a goal; it's about teamwork, being humble in victory, and gracious in defeat. Homework is about more than reinforcing algebra equations and state capitals; it's about getting a job done and putting in concerted time and effort. Having a paper route, mowing lawns, clearing leaves, and shoveling driveways mean a lot more than earning money; it's about giving your word to do something, and not quitting until the job is done. And then of course there are pets. What separates having pets from all these other endeavors? Having a dog, cat, rabbit, or a horse is not just about the friendship, laughter, and love that one of our four-footed companions can provide us; it's about taking charge and caring for a life, a living, breathing, creature. From feeding to walking, from house-breaking to grooming, that animal's health and well-being are now bound to that child. In the words of actor James Cromwell, "Pets are humanizing. They remind us we have an obligation and responsibility to preserve and nurture and care for all life."[ii]
In this week's parashah, Noach, God tells Noah shortly after he and his family have departed the ark, "The fear and the dread of you shall be upon all the beasts of the earth and upon all the birds of the sky" (Genesis 9:2). In other words, God reinforces the original intent of the man-animal relationship--"let them (humanity) have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth" (Genesis 1:26). With these passages, it is clear that this power dynamic of man over beast is based on fear.
For those of us who love animals, this is a hard pill to swallow. One of the definitive Rabbis of the Medieval era, Jacob ben Asher, comforts and consoles us with his comments on the verse: "This [fear and dread] was not natural, as the animals for the year they had been provided for by Noach and his family had already gotten used to man as their provider. They had become so familiar with man that to be in awe of him would be a new experience for them."[iii] For Jacob ben Asher, the animals on the ark are not afraid of Noah and his family; rather, they were dependent on these humans. They were comfortable with these people and accustomed to their everyday presence just as our pets are to us. It seems that, on the ark, love and familiarity are more natural than fear. Therefore, was this blessing even necessary? Hadn't Noah already established rule over the animals, not by whip, chain, or intimidation, but through constant care and devotion?
It is said that the quality of a person can best be represented by how they raise and tend to their animals. Rabbi Simeon ben Lakish wrote that anyone "who breeds a wild dog in his house keeps kindness away."[iv] In modern society, we directly correlate an animal's behavior and personality with how it is nurtured and reared by its owner. Maybe this is why the titan of modern philosophy Immanuel Kant proclaimed, "We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."[v]
As we nurture our children, we encourage them to be agents of kindness and mercy, compassion and love, patience and care, not when they arrive at adulthood, but starting at an early age. There is perhaps no better setting, no more apt arena, no more suitable classroom in which to learn and reinforce these fundamental life lessons, morals, and principles than by caring for a pet.
Over the past number of years, many Rabbis have begun blessing their congregants' animals around the Shabbat when Parashat Noach is read. We bless these creatures because quite frankly, it's the least we can do. After all, they've blessed us by making us better people. Ironic isn't it, how it takes a pet to make us more human.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Aaron Rozovsky
Director of Rabbinic Services
Please share this message with family and friends and when your congregation gathers for services we invite you to read this Taste of Torah from the bima. As always, please be in touch. We would particularly appreciate hearing about simchahs, (moments of joy) like births, birthdays, engagements, anniversaries, graduations as well as illnesses or other challenges in your family or community.
[i] The Epworth Herald (Vol 20). July 17, 1909. 169.
[ii] Fraser, Nora. "James Cromwell: Compassionate Crusader". The Pet Press. http://www.thepetpress-la.com/james-cromwell.html
[iii] Jacob ben Asher. Tur HaAroch. (courtesy of sefaria.org)(translation by Rav Eliyahu Munk)
[iv] Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Shabbat 63a
[v] Kant, Immanuel. Lectures on Ethics. (courtesy http://faculty.smu.edu/jkazez/animal%20rights/IMMANUEL%20KANT.htm)
© 2018 Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life
looked you in the face, you ought to go home and examine your conscience."
Woodrow Wilson[i]
Shalom!
Adults take every possible opportunity to impart important life lessons and values to their kids. Soccer is about far more than how well you can kick a ball or block a goal; it's about teamwork, being humble in victory, and gracious in defeat. Homework is about more than reinforcing algebra equations and state capitals; it's about getting a job done and putting in concerted time and effort. Having a paper route, mowing lawns, clearing leaves, and shoveling driveways mean a lot more than earning money; it's about giving your word to do something, and not quitting until the job is done. And then of course there are pets. What separates having pets from all these other endeavors? Having a dog, cat, rabbit, or a horse is not just about the friendship, laughter, and love that one of our four-footed companions can provide us; it's about taking charge and caring for a life, a living, breathing, creature. From feeding to walking, from house-breaking to grooming, that animal's health and well-being are now bound to that child. In the words of actor James Cromwell, "Pets are humanizing. They remind us we have an obligation and responsibility to preserve and nurture and care for all life."[ii]
In this week's parashah, Noach, God tells Noah shortly after he and his family have departed the ark, "The fear and the dread of you shall be upon all the beasts of the earth and upon all the birds of the sky" (Genesis 9:2). In other words, God reinforces the original intent of the man-animal relationship--"let them (humanity) have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth" (Genesis 1:26). With these passages, it is clear that this power dynamic of man over beast is based on fear.
For those of us who love animals, this is a hard pill to swallow. One of the definitive Rabbis of the Medieval era, Jacob ben Asher, comforts and consoles us with his comments on the verse: "This [fear and dread] was not natural, as the animals for the year they had been provided for by Noach and his family had already gotten used to man as their provider. They had become so familiar with man that to be in awe of him would be a new experience for them."[iii] For Jacob ben Asher, the animals on the ark are not afraid of Noah and his family; rather, they were dependent on these humans. They were comfortable with these people and accustomed to their everyday presence just as our pets are to us. It seems that, on the ark, love and familiarity are more natural than fear. Therefore, was this blessing even necessary? Hadn't Noah already established rule over the animals, not by whip, chain, or intimidation, but through constant care and devotion?
It is said that the quality of a person can best be represented by how they raise and tend to their animals. Rabbi Simeon ben Lakish wrote that anyone "who breeds a wild dog in his house keeps kindness away."[iv] In modern society, we directly correlate an animal's behavior and personality with how it is nurtured and reared by its owner. Maybe this is why the titan of modern philosophy Immanuel Kant proclaimed, "We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."[v]
As we nurture our children, we encourage them to be agents of kindness and mercy, compassion and love, patience and care, not when they arrive at adulthood, but starting at an early age. There is perhaps no better setting, no more apt arena, no more suitable classroom in which to learn and reinforce these fundamental life lessons, morals, and principles than by caring for a pet.
Over the past number of years, many Rabbis have begun blessing their congregants' animals around the Shabbat when Parashat Noach is read. We bless these creatures because quite frankly, it's the least we can do. After all, they've blessed us by making us better people. Ironic isn't it, how it takes a pet to make us more human.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Aaron Rozovsky
Director of Rabbinic Services
Please share this message with family and friends and when your congregation gathers for services we invite you to read this Taste of Torah from the bima. As always, please be in touch. We would particularly appreciate hearing about simchahs, (moments of joy) like births, birthdays, engagements, anniversaries, graduations as well as illnesses or other challenges in your family or community.
[i] The Epworth Herald (Vol 20). July 17, 1909. 169.
[ii] Fraser, Nora. "James Cromwell: Compassionate Crusader". The Pet Press. http://www.thepetpress-la.com/james-cromwell.html
[iii] Jacob ben Asher. Tur HaAroch. (courtesy of sefaria.org)(translation by Rav Eliyahu Munk)
[iv] Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Shabbat 63a
[v] Kant, Immanuel. Lectures on Ethics. (courtesy http://faculty.smu.edu/jkazez/animal%20rights/IMMANUEL%20KANT.htm)
© 2018 Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life
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