Noach 1
Cheshvan 5768 / October 13, 2007
First there was “Bruce
Almighty,” with Jim Carrey getting to play the role of God, subbing for Morgan
Freeman, and now we have “Evan Almighty” wherein Morgan Freeman keeps the divine
role to himself, but Steve Carell
gets to play Noah. The film depicts the dilemma of a newly minted congressman
who is being pestered by God to build an ark. Instead of seeing references to
John 3:15—those New Testament references which keep appearing at ball games; by
the way, what does Christological salvation have to do with the fortunes of a
given team?--, Evan keeps on seeing reminders of Genesis chapter 6, verse 14,
abbreviated as 614. From a Jewish perspective, that is an intriguing number;
one more than the standard 613 mitzvot, commandments.
Is building an ark in our age, the 614th commandment? In the light
of Spencer’s D’var Torah it just might be. Ultimately,
as you may know from either having seen the film or read the reviews, he builds
the ark, courtesy of lumber deliveries from 1-800- Go-4 Wood. a play on the gopher wood of the Bible.
The movie is
amusing, albeit in a painfully funny way. He is plagued by pairs of many an
animal, including a variety of birds invading his congressional office, just as
he is about to meet with senior members of Congress and again when he is at a
committee meeting. And this obsessively neat person ends up looking the part of
Noah, with long beard, long hair and antiquated attire. As to why he couldn’t
go to Home Depot for power tools and why God insisted that he look like a
refugee from a hippy version of a Bible movie is unclear. Similarly as to why
he waits until half way through the movie and part way through building the ark
to share his encounter with God with his family is also unclear.
The movie has God
hinting at another great flood—due on September 22nd--; though the
Biblical story---in the section we didn’t read this year—has God assuring Noah
and his family that never again will He bring a massive flood upon the face of
the earth. It is odd that our New York Noah doesn’t ask God about this apparent
contradiction. Further, whereas in the Bible God tells Noah why he has to build
an ark, namely, to cleanse the iniquitous world, God is reticent in this movie
as to motive, other than some hints about over-development. In Bill Cosby’s
riff on the story, there is curiosity on Noah’s part as to why he has to build
an ark. But here obedience is placed above inquiry.
Not a great movie;
but worth the rental price. On a serious level, the film challenges us as we
wonder how we hear the voice of God in our lives, how we can sense the presence
of God in our lives. Congressman Baxter has God in the guise Morgan Freeman
showing up and conversing with him, as it were in the flesh. Would we build an
ark if we had a divine encounter, especially if meant total ridicule from
friends and family? Would our family and friends have us consult a good
psychiatrist if we decided that we needed to build a boat with primitive tools,
and make it longer than a football field? We don’t have the luxury of face to
face visits with God. Indeed, the Biblical tradition declares that none can
view God directly and survive. And later rabbinic tradition declared that
prophecy in the post-Biblical period is given over to children and fools.
This view that
discerning the divine will is outside of heaven, but in human hands is
exemplified by the well-known Talmudic tale of Rabbi Eliezer
and the Sages who debated about the ritual purity of a certain kind of oven.
Ultimately the matter was put to a vote and Rabbi Eliezer
lost. Usually that would be that: majority rules. But in this instance Rabbi Eliezer was insistent that he was correct and so he had a
series of miracles performed, including a tree that moved and a stream that
flowed backwards; all to no avail. Desperate, he called upon Heaven itself to
testify on his behalf. And soon a Bat Kol, a heavenly
voice, was heard proclaiming that the law was per Rabbi Eliezer.
That should have been the end of the discussion: the rabbinic conclusion should
have been trumped. But it wasn’t. Rather, the Rabbis responded by citing
Scripture, a verse from the end of Deuteronomy: “Lo BaShamayim
He; the Torah is no longer in Heaven. In effect, the Rabbis in quoting
God’s own words—a brazen act of chutzpah--were asserting that Human beings are
now the arbiters of what the text and Tradition means: Heaven had its turn; now
it is up to us to discern the will of God. And the end of part one of the
story—there is a part two which rarely is heard, about what happens to Rabbi Eliezer and those around him, not a pretty story (but one
for another day)--, has a wonderful postscript: Elijah reports that God
applauded the audacity of His children and besting Him, with God proclaiming “Nitzchunee Banay, Nitzchunee Banay, my children
have triumphed over me, my children have triumphed over me.”.
Ultimately we lead
our lives not on the basis of voices from heaven; rather on the basis of our
encounter with the text. It is an organic text; still living, still breathing,
responding sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, to the currents of our society.
Our own encounter
with the text leads us in this age to conclusions similar to Spencer’s, namely
that we need to be better guardians of this earth. We do not require a visit
from God whether in the guise of Morgan Freeman or George Burns to remind us of
our obligations. Back in chapter 2 of Genesis, Man is created and placed in
To do God’s work we
need not wear sackcloth, nor build an ark, nor claim to have a face to face
encounter with the Almighty. Rather, we can reach into the depths of the
Tradition which calls out to us, if we but hear it, and remember that we are
the guardians of the earth. In the time
of Noah it was a heavenly flood that destroyed a corrupt world. Can we avoid a
new devastation, even without a Noah to save the remnants?
Shabbat shalom.