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This week we read of G-d’s ultimate Divine retribution: His flood drowned every living thing on earth!
G-d did it because everyone ignored the Seven Noahide Commandments and filled the world with stealing, idolatry, incest, blasphemy and injustice. So they deserved it!
The word ‘Torah’ means practical ‘teaching’. The Torah is designed to teach humanity what G-d expects from each of us. But here seems to be an exception. What can we learn from the flood?
First; G-d Himself promised that it will never happen again so it’s not practical.
Second, today the world is pretty much the same as it was before the flood so, seemingly, nothing was really accomplished.
Third; why a flood? G-d certainly have found an easier way to kill everyone.

Perhaps this can be answered by another story.

In Russia just after the revolution, there was a young Chabad Chassid (Another version; it was a professor) that became infatuated with first the ideals of secularism then Communism.  He cast off the bonds of Judaism and his life became filled with new meaning and excitement. He was a Marxist; free, happy, devoid of morals and devoted to freeing the world from the oppression of capitalism …. and religion.
His father begged him to change his ways or at least to go see the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rebbe Shalom Dovber (called the ‘Rebbe RshaB’), even for a few minutes. At first the young man scoffed at these old-world suggestions but after his father begged and repeated he finally agreed to go to the Rebbe on the condition that two of his non-Jewish comrades join him.
Several days later he and friends entered the Rebbe’s office half drunk and giggling. But when they stood face to face before the Holy man it had had a sobering effect on them.
A strange silence filled the room as the Rebbe looked at them, and then at our hero and said in Russian “Oun? Niet! Oun? Niet! Oun? Niet!” (‘Him? NO! …. Him? No! ….. Him? No!!’) And then looked down as to say the meeting was ended.
The young men turned to each other incredulously; quickly backed out of the room closed the door behind them and burst into uncontrollable laughter repeating mockingly, “Oun? Niet! Oun? Niet!!”.
Two years passed and our young hero rose higher and higher in ranks of the Party and sunk deeper and deeper into a life of decadence and freedom. Everything was wonderful, a bold future was spread out before him and he felt like he was conquering the world, he hardly found time to sleep.
Until one black day his balloon was abruptly punctured. He received an official letter in the post.  He opened it to see an invitation to appear at police headquarters for… political interrogation.
It was no mistake. He checked five times. The letter was addressed to him. His name was on the envelope and on the invitation. He was on the wanted list! He had seen it happen to others but never believed that such a loyal member as himself would be accused. It was all so sudden, his head was spinning, it became hard to breathe, he opened the front of his shirt and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
He paced back and forth in his room like a trapped animal, he had to act fast, before they came for him, no one and nothing could help him now. He had no choice but to run, if there were police waiting outside his door and they stopped him, he would say that he is on his way to the police station. He didn’t even pack a suitcase; he didn’t want to make it look like he wasn’t trying an escape. He took the letter and left his house. He was now a fugitive.
For months he wandered from town to town like a hunted animal sleeping in alleyways and deserted buildings. His whole appearance changed, he was now thin, disheveled and bearded and the fire of Communism had left his eyes. He never stayed in one place too long and often he found himself sneaking into synagogues where he could get at least get a piece of bread and a bench to sleep on. The sound of the Jewish prayers and Torah learning began thawing out something warm and real inside of him but he had to keep moving.
One day, when he was sitting in the corner of an old restaurant looking down at his cup of tea, he noticed two policemen standing outside looking through the window in his direction. One was holding a photo and the other was glancing at it and then at him. He tried to turn his face from them, but from the corner of his eye he saw how they shook their heads and entered, hands on their pistols as they approached where he was sitting.
He was trying not to look up but it was obvious that he reached the end of the line, if he tried to run, they would shoot him. He closed his eyes and quietly said to himself, “G-d please help me.”
Suddenly the door burst open and a high-ranking police officer entered screaming at the two policemen that were about to arrest him, “You lazy bums! Where have you been for the last hour?! I’ve been searching the entire block! Have you been drinking!!?? Have you been drinking on the job??? I’ll have you beaten for this!!”
“No no, commander!!” they tried to protest as they held up the picture for him to see, pointing first at it and then at the dirty bearded man seated before them looking down at his cup. “Look! It’s him! He’s a criminal! Look!!”
The commander snatched the picture from their hands, took one look at our ex-Chassid and shouted “Oun? Niet!” then another two looks and shouted again even louder, ” Oun? Niet! Oun? Niet!!” and dragged the two policemen out of the inn with blows and screaming.
It was a miracle! And the Rebbe had foreseen it, or perhaps he caused it, in any case our hero immediately traveled to Lubavitch and became a Chabad Chassid again, but this time with a completely joyous heart.

This answers our question about what the flood teaches us.

Like the generation that brought the flood, the Communists disobeyed all the seven Noahide commandments and like a terrible flood, destroyed everything in their path.
But these very evil waters, also woke up many Jewish souls. Like in our story, the same evil Communism that caused our hero to leave Torah eventually strengthened his connection to Gd.

This is especially relevant today;

G-d purposely made this world into a very confusing flood of uncertainty, temptations and frustrations. But the reason He did so was to elevate us and the world by defying and purifying it.
And to help us G-d always provides a ‘Noach’; a Tzadik, in every generation to inspire us to transform the destructive ‘flood’ into a Mikva of purifying waters as the Rebbe Reshab did in our story, to rise ‘above’ the turbulence.
It is the unique job of our generation, the generation of Moshiach, to transform all the turbulent waters; confusion of this world, into a symphony of harmony and BRING MOSHIACH NOW!

What does the Rebbe say to do?

First, to help and encourage every Jew to live according to the laws of the Torah. Especially encouraging the Rebbe’s ‘ten Mivtzoim’ Mezuza, Tefillin, Charity, Learning Torah, Teaching Torah (esp. to children), Buying Torah books, Family Purity, lighting Shabbos and Holiday Candles, eating Matzos, observing the Holidays.
Second: to learn Chassidut teachings of Chabad (see your local Chabad House for details).
Third; to think and speak about Moshiach whenever possible.
Finally; to inform non-Jews about the Seven Noahide Commandments.
Then, there will be a different type of flood; a flood of certainty and awareness.
As the Rambam brings in the end of his 14-volume masterpiece “In the days of Moshiach The world will be filled with the knowledge of G-d, like water fills the ocean.” (Isiah 11 9).

And it should happen any moment now.
We are standing on the merits of thousands of years of Jewish faith, hopes, prayers and suffering. Now it could be that just one more good deed, word or even good thought, can tilt the scales with Moshiach NOW!

Rabbi Tuvia Bolton
Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim
Kfar Chabad, Israel

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