One of the most difficult concepts in the Torah is that of the mamzer or child of an adulterous or incestuous union. This child, through no fault of its own but because of the way it was conceived, is forbidden to marry in a normal way. This seems unfair. Why should the child suffer for the sins of the parents? An answer may possibly be found in a strange rabbinic comment on this week’s Parshah. The original deluge of the flood lasted for forty days and nights. The Rabbis said that this corresponded to the forty days it takes for the foetus to form (prior to that, according to Jewish law, the foetus is regarded as merely water). Since by engaging in adultery and incest they forced G-d to make the foetuses of mamzerim so they were punished with a forty day downpour. This extraordinary comment contains within it a deep philosophical and theological truth about G-d’s relationship with the world and with nature. G-d created a natural world with its own rules and laws. He also implanted in that universe a moral law, which later took form in the Torah. He, however, gave to humans the ability to effect both nature and the moral structure of the world and made them interrelated. By their moral choices, human beings impact on the natural world. Humans have freedom to effect nature and society but their choices also have consequences. G-d interferes neither in the freedom of humans nor in the consequences of their actions. Thus, pre-deluvian humanity’s sexual license led to mamzerim. G-d did not interfere with this choice or its outcome. Similarly a couple living with adultery have to live with the consequence of a mamzer. Even though this is an injustice to the child, G-d has given to humans the freedom to commit adultery and does not interfere with the consequences of that freedom. The ultimate consequence of the behaviour of people before the flood was global destruction. By making the comment they did, the rabbis were pointing out that just as G-d allowed the creation of foetuses through adultery, He allowed the ultimate consequences of such behaviour, societal breakdown and natural catastrophe. This is an important lesson for our time. We should not believe we can behave how we want and G-d will save us from our own folly. If we continue to impact negatively on the planet we will face the catastrophic consequences of our actions. As the generation of the flood discovered, the freedom G-d has given us also encompasses the freedom to engineer our own destruction.

 ALIYAH BY ALIYAH SYNOPSIS

Parshat Noach

·               has  153  verses;

·               is the  2nd  in Genesis,  2nd  in the Torah

PAST PARSHAH PUZZLE

Eleven times worse.

Cain avenged 7 times; Lemech 77.

PARSHAH PUZZLE

Uncovered under cover.

WEEKLY HALAKHA