10/16/2026
This Week's Parasha: Parashat Noach, פָּרָשַׁת נֹחַ
The world has become filled with violence and corruption, and HaShem tells Noach, a righteous man in his generation, to build an ark to protect his family and representatives of the animals from the coming flood.
Rain falls for forty days and nights, and the waters cover the earth. After the flood, Noach and his family leave the ark and begin rebuilding their lives. HaShem makes a covenant promising never again to destroy all life through a flood, with the rainbow as its sign.
Later, the parasha tells the story of the Tower of Babel, when people attempt to build a great tower reaching toward heaven. HaShem confuses their languages, and they become scattered across the earth.
A Thought for the Week
One thing that I find interesting about Noach is that HaShem didn't simply rescue him from the flood. He told him to build an ark, and that required Noach to do something himself.
Imagine being told to prepare for something that nobody around you seems to understand. Noach had to continue working, day after day, without knowing exactly how everything would unfold.
I think we can learn something important from this. There are times when we pray for HaShem to help us, but we also need to ask ourselves what we can do with the abilities and opportunities He has already given us.
Sometimes the next step is very clear, and sometimes we only know what we can do today. We don't always need to understand how everything will turn out before we begin doing our part.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rav Dror
