TORAH PORTION I JEWELRY APPRAISALS At Very Reasonable Prices Call For An Appointment teillW6 fi established 1919 ‘ Li The Symbol Of Hope For A Better World RABBI RICHARD C. HERTZ Special to The Jewish News I once saw an unusual painting in the famed Tate Museum of London called "Hope," by G.F. Watts. Hope is depicted as a woman with a bandage over her eyes, sitting bowed in what looks like an empty universe, try- ing to make music on one string of a broken lyre. It is an exquisite painting that could well be used as a trademark of the "Hope Ship," which goes tounderdeveloped coun- tries, full of doctors, dentists, nurses and medicine. But there is a more ancient symbol of Hope recorded in Genesis. At the end of the catastrophe of the Flood, a rainbow of hope is seen shin- ing across the sky. Noah and his family, with all their animals, two by two, had escaped the great Flood because he had built an ark, Shabbat Noah: Genesis 6:9-11:32, Isaiah 66:1-24 lived in it for 40 days and 40 nights, until the dove brought back the olive branch in- dicating that the waters had receded and the flood was over. The ark was a gigantic zoo, with little partitions for some 2,00& animals, many of whom went into hibernation during the long floating period of the flood. The ark had three - levels. The top level had the living quarters for Noah and his family. The second level housed the animals. The third deck down was the hold for food and storage. The ark had tremendous cubic space and was highly floatable, able to withstand the flood waters churning about. The dimensions of the ark were specified: 300 cubits long, a beam of 50 cubits and a height of 30 cubits, without a rudder, without oars and designed not to go any place, only to keep afloat. That meant the ark's tonnage was over 40,000 tons — quite a good-sized modern passenger ship. " The tradition of a great flood that engulfed much of the ancient world is preserv- ed in the memories of many ancient peoples. We know from archaeology that around Dr. Hertz is Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Beth El. 3,800 BCE a great flood engulfed the ancient world. Other literatures, like the Babylonian, record a flood story, but the meaning of the Bible's flood story is not meant to document any scien- tific phenomenon. Rather, the Bible's interest focuses on the ethical and religious value of the great Deluge as a Divine judgment upon an age in which might was right and human depravity degraded the dignity of man. The deification of power and pleasure, the selfishness that drove men to sin, were marks of that age. Among these men of violence, the Bible says, one man alone walked with God: Noah. He had tried to warn his people that injustice could not be tolerated. No one listened. When the Deluge came, the Bible tells its story to stress the eternal truth that the basis of human socie- ty must be justice. Any socie- ty devoid of justice deserves to perish. Noah alone was saved because he was worthy of God's approval. Noah saw an entire generation of iniquity swept away. He lived to see the rainbow of promise, the first rainbow that was to mark the beginning of a new and better world. Buy why Noah? The rabbis questioned his ethics, his morality, his faith. Genesis says, "Noah was a righteous man in his generation." In his generation, most men were wicked. By comparison to them, he may have seemed righteous, but not by com- parison to really decent, honorable men. The Bible says, "Noah walked with God." That seem- ed like a compliment. But don't righteous men walk with their fellow men? Today we hear on TV about men who claim to walk with God but whose self-righteousness and holier-than-thou attitude give them away. A good com- munity is made up of all kinds of people, not just those who think of themselves as righteous and everyone else a sinner. Why didn't Noah question God's decree to destroy everyone in a flood? A truly righteous man might have questioned such a decree. Abraham questioned. When told that Sodom and Gomor- rah would be destroyed, Abraham challenged God. He pleaded for the cities, even for the sake of a handful of good people who might be found in those cities. When the flood was- over, FINN JEWELERS 30400 Telegraph Road Suite 134 Birmingham, MI 48010 Birmingham, (313) 642-5575 GEM/DIAMOND SPECIALIST AWARDED CERTIFICATE BY GIA IN GRADING AND EVALUATION Daily 10:00-5:30 Thurs. 10:00-8:30 Sat. 10: 00-5:00 B'nai B'rith Women's Council of Metropolitan Detroit takes pleasure in inviting you to its Special Gifts Luncheon HONORING Florine Mark as Woman of the Year 1987 Tuesday, November 3rd 11:30 a.m. 29901 Middlebelt Road Farmington Hills Contribution: $100 minimum per person to B'nai B'rith Women Youth and Services Appeal Lucille Gersten, President Rhea Rowe, Special Gifts Chairman . Evelyn Levine, Luncheon Chairman Soralee Broida, Services Appeal Chairman Congregation B'nai Moshe cordially invites you to attend Shabbas "Lunch with Rabbi Allan Meyerowitz" a series of provocative, probing, challenging lectures and discussions October 24 — Surrogate Mother: Is One Jewish Mother Enough? November 14 — On The Brink of Nuclear Holocaust --The Jewish Response. December 12 — AIDS in The Jewish Community: Denial or Self-Help? January 23 — Abortion and Federations: Do We Fund Our Own Destruction? February 13 — Black-Jewish Relations: Can We Get Past Jesse Jackson? March 5 — Suicide and Euthanasia — When Is Life No Longer Life? June 11 — Violence and Sex In America: Whichs Is More Devastating? Call Congregation B'nai Moshe office 548.9000 for reservations. Soon to begin at Congregation B'nai Moshe: Torah for Tots Shabbas Family Service The Torah Club JOIN US FOR THE FUN!!