In this week’s Parsha we hear of Noah’s famous ordeal and the Haftarah, from Isaiah, concludes with the promise that not only will we be spared from apocalyptic floods (not sure if that includes a flood of zombies, for all you Walking Dead fans) and that the tents of Israel are about to see quite the baby boom. It’s a reaffirmation of the covenant, a promise of better things to come, and a little trust rebuilding between the chosen people and God.

Chances are we’ve heard the story of Noah since we were kids—a story even our non-Jewish friends know well. From the cutesy nursery room wallpaper borders of fluffy animals two-by-two to the movie Evan Almighty, it’s probably pretty hard to think of this vignette in a fresh way.

But somewhere in between our seeds inheriting the nations and the promising not to flood us again, there is a [Read more…]