Drowning in Interpretation
We’re only on the second week of 5781’s Torah reading cycle, reading no more than six chapters a week. This is a reminder that the Bible, whatever form this takes for you (39 books in the Jewish tradition, 66 books in many Protestant Christian traditions, and more if you include the apocrypha/semi-canonical books), can easily be read in a year.
While this may sound like a suggestion or request, I’m actually stating this instead to make a point about what is NOT contained in those venerated pages: namely, a LOT…of details! These have been added in through centuries of new textual tradition and interpretation, especially midrash. Parashat Noach reminds us of our reliance on these additional details for contextualizing the story and even placing ourselves in the narrative.
Midrash, though, is not simply from historical sources. Consider the modern midrash for Noah’s story related to climate change, as suggested by Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg. Rabbi Wittenberg incorporates Jewish tradition, including traditional midrash, to draw this comparison. He speaks about Noah’s actions, the choices he makes beyond what G!d asks – his connection and care to the animals on the ark, especially. (This is even more important because Noah is consistently criticized in Jewish tradition for unquestioningly following G!d’s instructions, presumably without caring to know all the reasons behind the tasks assigned.) The marriage of historical and modern midrash draws magical and important conclusions for Rabbi Wittenberg’s arguments. {1}
As the Forward noted, “from G!d’s first misgiving until the flood’s last drop, [Noah’s story] only takes up 62 verses.” {2}
After those verses are finished, how do we keep them alive? Of course, we know about the commentaries, the constant turning over of the hourglass of interpretation, adding layers like new sand to the tales of the Torah. Human expression, though, goes beyond writing, analysis, tearing apart each word. For example, check out this synopsis of a Yiddish play about Noah and the ark. The writer brought the characters into their present, and for us:
“Setting: Noah’s Ark. Various animals walk around in conversation with one another.”
You’ll have to read the synopsis to find out how the rest of this modern midrash unfolds!
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Besides a fun article I found during my research for this week’s parsha, I also get to check out physical books from my library (at long last) next week! I can’t wait to begin reading and beginning to figure out how to guide my dissertation research!
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{1} Considering Parashat Noach with the current climate crises we face each day: “His year in the ark has taught him how precious life is; he has learnt to love, if not all, at least some of the creatures for which he has been delegated to care. So, when…faced with the departure of the gentlest of birds[,] he is anxious and hesitant, unwilling to entrust it to the uncertainties of a new and unknown earth. When it returns, he returns, he reaches out and [draws] it in, holding it, perhaps, for a moment against his heart. He didn’t know how much he truly cared.”
{2} This article discusses the movie adaptation of Noah, helpfully pointing out the midrashic and kabbalistic interpretations that shaped the characters and story. Indeed, the Biblical text often presents only a bare minimum, filled in by other Jewish textual tradition. For example, see Bereshit Rabba 23:3 for Noah’s wife’s name.