Dvar Torah for Parshat Noach

The sky has been on my mind a lot lately. The ..h of Noach makes me think of the Tower of Babel and of rain, which the Holy Land needs a lot of, especially since the rainfall here has been less than usual for the last few years. The terror of September 11th and the measure-for-measure response currently being given in Afghanistan (ka-boom in Kabul; a little gallows humor never hurt anyone) make me wonder what happened to "the friendly skies of United" (Airlines, not Nations) of my youth.

The skies should be really friendly, you know. The Midrash asks why the words "that it was good" are not written describing the second day (aka Monday). They are written about all the other six days of Creation. As you recall, on Monday God split the waters of Creation so that there were Upper Waters and Lower Waters. This dissension, this "split," answers the Midrash, as necessary as it was, cannot be described as good (Bereishis Rabbah 4:6). Good can be found only where there is unity.

This, Kli Yakar writes, is the reason God "called the rekia (sky) shemayim (heaven)" (Genesis 1:8). Why couldn't it be called rekia? God wants to teach us that we have to have peace. The word shemayim is made from the two words, eish (fire) and mayim (water). Look up at shemayim and remember"fire and water are getting along peacefully. So why not the rest of us?

However, one has to be able to see the heavens and not everywhere can people do that. Reb Shmuel Shapira z"l, a Breslover tzaddik who passed away 13 years ago, once was in New York City. He was trying to make a pilgrimage to Rebbe Nachman's grave. He could not pierce the Iron Curtain (remember the Iron Curtain?) with his Israeli passport, and was trying to get an American passport. Upon his return to Jerusalem he was asked, "Nu, Reb Shmuel. What did you see when you were in New York?"

Reb Shmuel was a pretty taciturn fellow. "Don't ask me what I saw? Ask me what I didn't see. I couldn't see the heaven. All those skyscrapers!" Which reminded me of this story.

From his window Rebbe Nachman once saw one of his wealthier chassidim running through the marketplace, on his way to make a deal. The Rebbe motioned for him to come in. "Have you looked at the sky today?" he asked.
"No, Rebbe, I haven't had time."
"Believe me, in fifty years everything you see here today will be gone. There will be another fair"different horses, different wagons, different people. I won't be here and neither will you. So what's so important that you don't have time to look at the sky?!"

Just in case all this is not enough incentive to "raise your eyes heavenward" (Isaiah 40:26), here are some passages from The Aleph-Bet Book:

• Gazing at the clear, bright sky induces faith in the Sages. (Faith A14)
• One who is unable to cry should gaze at the sky, because it caused the [Lower] Waters to cry. (Crying B1)
• A good way to overcome pride is to gaze at the heavens. (Haughtiness A18)
• A person suffering from harsh judgements should frequently look at the heavens. (Sweetening Judgement A25)
• Frequently looking at the heavens nullifies the hatred of one's enemies. (Conflict and Strife A8)
• The heavens have different colors depending on which grasses they are causing to grow. It is beneficial to look at them. (Divine Remedy B2)

agutn Shabbos!
Shabbat Shalom!