FLOOD? TOWER? WHAT IS THIS – TAROT??
This week’s Torah portion Noach is one of only three named for a non-Jewish protagonist (the others are Yitro and Balak) and it contains stories of mythic proportions: the warning of the Flood, the actual water, the recovery after the Flood to name a few. These are all motifs found in other cultures creation myths, but as this is our story of how we came to be a people. The very idea that our story begins with the creation of all humanity is telling – there were ancient rabbinic discussions as to what we can learn from this. Despite having experienced conquest, exile and enslavement as a people, we chose to emphasize our shared humanity, our mistakes in judgment, and thus our shared responsibility not to repeat our mistakes, i.e., to recognize God’s power rather than to assume “we got this”. Let’s face it, we’ve reached the seventh chapter of Genesis and there’s been manipulation, deceit and murder already, so we can only go up from there, no?
So God decides to do a “hard re-set”, to wipe the slate clean and start again. For now, we’ll skip the details of the Flood, but if you read Genesis chapter 9 you will find more horrific evidence of human behavior. I have a particular interest in that chapter and will discuss that, time permitting, tomorrow at Torah Study.
The story of the Tower of Babel is a puzzle. It presents as an explanation of why there are different languages in the world. It is understood by the Sages of Blessed Memory as a cautionary tale. They saw that valuing personal reputation over the communal good could only be destructive of communal cohesion. A midrash relates that as the tower grew taller the people bringing up bricks sometimes fell to their deaths yet the builders mourned the bricks lost, but not the person. This set of values is utterly rejected by Jewish tradition. But it does touch on something very deep.
I have a Jewish friend who reads Tarot cards. She explained that people often seek explanations of what they experience, and the cards are a vehicle to give individuals insight into what may lie underneath the surface of their questions. The card of the Tower reminds us that sometimes you have to face the storm and accept that life is not always beautiful. What value reigns supreme in our lives – Helpfulness? Generosity? Respect for others? I think that we need to step back sometimes and look at what we have built and reflect what that says about our inner world. This week is a good time to take that opportunity, and for inspiration I give you this quote:
“Chaos in the world brings uneasiness, but it allows the opportunity for creativity and growth.” – Tom Barrett
Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Leah Benamy
