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| Noach from Chabad.org |
If you were hoping I was going to talk about the flood (well, maybe I will a little), I'm sorry to disappoint. If you want me to talk about the ark, you too will be disappointed. I'm not going to expound on the strangeness of the tower of Babel, I'm not going to quote any verses, or talk about the validity of the stories contained in Noach. I want to talk about a theme we find within. One that reaches far outside this weeks studies. I want to talk about the beauty of destruction.
Some may find it morbid or questionable that I am suggesting that destruction could be considered beautiful; especially at this time when there has been so much loss due to natural disasters. I believe that destruction is important for growth, and these stories from Noach are perfect examples of why.
When we come upon the story of the great flood, we find God unhappy with the humans inhabiting the world he created. At the end of Bereshit we see that God isn't just unhappy, but that he actually regrets making man. Ouch. His solution to sooth His saddened heart is to flood the earth and destroy everything he created. And, minus a few people (Noah and his family), and a few animals (2 by 2 was it?) that is exactly what happens. Total annihilation of the people, the flora, and the fauna of the planet.
Destruction. Total and complete. Or is it? It is clear that once the waters receded that plants grew. The animals thrived, and too the people. Things are different in this new world. If you read closely there are many parallels to the creation story here. God creates a new covenant with Noach. He blesses him and his family. It is as if Noah is the new Adam. All people will spring forth from his line. It is a new beginning.
Without the destruction there is no new start, no growth. We see this in nature very prominently. Forest fires clear old under growth. Foreign species of plants and animals over take new areas, often destroying the current system. It is, if I can borrow a line from Disney, the circle of life. Things die away to give birth to the new. It can be painful, but it is beautiful nonetheless.
Imagine a blank canvas. White. Pristine. The moment the first stroke is made by the painter it too is destroyed. We don't call it that though. We call it art. In order to make something new we have to sacrifice something that already exists. To create beauty we much let go of what is. But what was before is never really gone. It lives on in the new creation. It is still there, but just in another form. The canvas is the base of the art. The new growth after the flood can only happen if the old transforms into rich soil that supports it.
In our lives people come and go. We grow and learn new lessons. Our childhood is "destroyed" as we become adults. All that came before this moment helped to create what we are now. It is not truly gone, for without it we would not be here now. It has simply metamorphosed. What was before is always with us. Destruction is beautiful because it creates the here and now. The constant renewing of ourselves and the world.
