Dear Friends,
There are certain sayings of wisdom that go straight into that “cut out and keep” drawer in my mind. Here is one of the best:
“The Titanic, built by a modern and professional crew under the direction of the finest engineers in the world, struck an iceberg and sank after only four days at sea.
Noah’s Ark was built by an amateur — and it lasted through the entire Flood.”
Noah worked on building the Ark for 120 years. For 120 years he stood alone against the wise and enlightened people of his generation, who laughed at him and mocked him.
This is how the Talmud (Sanhedrin 108b) tells the story:
“Noah the righteous would rebuke them, and speak to them words as harsh as burning torches, and they would humiliate him.
They said to him: Old man! Why this Ark?
He said to them: The Holy One, Blessed be He, is bringing a Flood upon you.”
To tell the truth, when I think about it — if someone were building an Ark right now here in Basel and telling me he was preparing for a Flood, I certainly wouldn’t humiliate him, but I would probably send him in for an evaluation.
But Noah was not swayed by the world. He had a purpose, and that is what he did.
The world laughs? Let them laugh!
People think he’s crazy? Let them think!
The Creator of the world entrusted him with a mission — and he would carry it out, no matter what!
Friends, each and every one of us has a mission and a purpose that fits only him. That is the very reason he was born and came into this world. Because if they had not needed specifically me, they would not have brought specifically me into the world — I had my birthday on Tuesday, the second of Cheshvan. Thank you for all the birthday wishes.
G-d places faith in us. “With abundant compassion do we have faith in You,” we proclaim every morning — He believes in us.
Perhaps we simply need to learn from Noah how to stay focused and driven toward our purpose; to do what our Creator asks of us, even when the experts, the wise, and the enlightened pull a face. Because otherwise, our ship may well strike some iceberg — just like the Titanic.