Spirituality

TORAH PORTION

Take Care
And Tikkun

Shabbat Noah, Genesis 6:9-11:32;
Isaiah 54:1-55:5.

community and to be concerned for
all people in the world.
But our tradition teaches that we
n the aftermath of the flood
should not do this at the expense
described in Parshat Noah, the
of taking care of ourselves and our
Torah tells us that God prom-
own needs. Each of us is entitled to
ised never to again bring a flood to
a life of joy, a life of personal fulfill-
destroy the earth. The reason for
ment and a life of comfort. To be
this is that God realizes that "the
inclination of a person's heart is evil concerned for ourselves and our
needs is not only permit-
from youth."
ted but required of us in
The rabbis taught that
Jewish tradition.
each of us has a yetzer
According to the Torah,
hatov and a yetzer hara, a
Noah tried neither to talk
good inclination and an
God out of bringing the
evil one, and that it is our
flood nor to reach out
responsibility to insure
to others to repent, and
that our good side has
he certainly should have
precedence over our evil
tried.
tendencies.
He should have given
The verse from this
Rabbi Robert
everything he could to
week's parshah could be
Dobrusin
save his fellow human
read as meaning that too
Special to the
beings; that would have
often we lose this battle
Jewish News
been the "good" and
and allow the evil incli-
"right" thing to do.
nation to take over our
But had he tried and failed or had
desire to do good.
God refused to consider changing
One would assume that we would
the plan for the flood, would it then
be better off without the evil incli-
have been wrong for Noah to save
nation altogether. But the midrash
himself and his family? Clearly, our
makes a fascinating point about the
tradition would say "no." Our tradi-
evil inclination.
tion would understand that some-
In Bereshit Rabbah, we read that
times making a choice in favor of
were it not for the evil inclination,
our own self and those who are clos-
no person would build a house, or
est to us is not "wrong," but merely
marry and raise a family.
is a matter of survival.
This is a puzzling text but the
We should never give up on fulfill-
implication seems to be that the evil
ing our commitments to others. But
inclination can be seen as the part
taking account of our own needs
of us which is concerned with our
and seeking to fulfill them is a
own needs as opposed to that part
Jewish obligation as well. Fl
of us which inspires us to do good
for others.
Robert Dobrusin is rabbi at Beth Israel
Seen in this way, the midrash
Congregation in Ann Arbor.
makes a critical statement.
We need to reach out beyond our-
selves to do good for others in the
world. We need to seek out every
Conversations
opportunity to repair the world, to
In Pirkei Avot we read: "If I am
clothe the naked, feed the hungry
not for myself, who will be for
and take care of those who are in
me, if I am only for myself, what
pain.
am I?" How do you understand
Jewish tradition demands of us
the order of these statements?
that we perform acts of tzedakah
Does either take precedence?
both within and beyond the Jewish

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