Chaired by Dr. Ellier Russ. This committee coordinates programs and classes to engage members in lifelong learning. Events include our yearly Scholar in Residence program, Talmud Study, and more. Guest speakers, online webinars and Shabbat morning discussions additionally provide congregants with opportunities to expand their knowledge of Judaism and living a Jewish life.

noah 5786: peace or pieces

Shabbat Shalom Weeklyby Rabbi Yitzchak Zweig  OCTOBER 25, 2025
GENESIS  NOAH (6:9-8:14) Triennial 1

GOOD MORNING!  Given some of the historic accomplishments achieved last week in Israel, and the fact that some version of international peace seems to be on the minds of many, I have decided to compare some of mankind’s historic peace talks with what the Torah tells us about true peace.

In last week's column I offered Shabbat Shalom readers a free copy of Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan’s monumental work The Living Torah. Written over forty years ago, The Living Torah is still, in my opinion, the best English translation of the Torah (aka The Five Books of Moses) and with its vast footnotes it is unquestionably the most interesting and informed commentary on the text in English.

(Join the hundreds who have already taken me up on my offer by signing up for your free copy here.)

Rabbi Kaplan very aptly named his work The Living Torah; for the Torah is a living document that, when carefully examined, has extraordinary lessons that are still incredibly relevant to our present-day lives. As we shall see, this week’s Torah reading teaches us a remarkable lesson about how to create a lasting sense of shalom – peace.

Speaking of peace, the diplomat’s playbook reads: “Never say no; say ‘We will consider it carefully.’ Never say yes; say ‘We are open to further discussions.’ And never say the truth – that ruins everything.” By the end, everyone signs a “Memorandum of Mutual Understanding,” which roughly translates to, “We agree to disagree, but politely, and only when cameras are rolling.” What follows is a brief (and very select) history of famous peace summits:

• Pax Romana (27 BCE): For 200 years, Rome enjoyed “Pax Romana,” meaning “Roman Peace.” Historians note it was peaceful mainly because everyone who disagreed was crucified. It taught that peace without dissent is just very organized silence.
• Peace of Westphalia (1648): A series of treaties that ended two major European conflicts – the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) in the Holy Roman Empire and the Eighty Years’ War (1568-1648) between Spain and the Netherlands. It ushered in the era of peace talks and the onset of 400 years of paperwork. It established sovereignty, diplomacy, and the art of saying, “We deeply regret the misunderstanding,” instead of “Oops, we invaded again.”
• Treaty of Versailles (1919): After World War I, the victors met to both penalize and marginalize Germany and ensure “peace for all time.” They achieved it by writing a treaty so complicated that even the lawyers surrendered. When asked why the document was 440 articles long, one diplomat said, “Peace should last at least as long as it takes to read this.” Spoiler alert: it did not.
• Yalta Summit (1945): Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin divided Europe like some middle-aged men drafting their sports fantasy teams: “You get this one, I’ll take those two.” When Roosevelt said, “We must ensure peace,” Stalin nodded, but he was already annexing the minutes – thus becoming the inspiration for Vladimir Putin.

In this week’s Torah reading we find two major events that dramatically altered the course of world history: 1) The Flood and 2) The Dispersion.

But to fully understand these important events we need a brief introduction. According to the Talmud, one of God’s names is Shalom (Shabbos 10b). The word shalom (peace) comes from the Hebrew word “shalem – whole.” This implies that unification is what gives us peace. It is no coincidence that the Holy Temple, which was built to unify all of mankind in the service of the Almighty, was built by King Solomon – whose name (Shlomo) also refers to this element of wholeness and peace – in the city of Jerusalem, which also contains the root word shalem.

The Almighty cares deeply about all his creations – people and animals. We see this clearly in one of the most oft repeated Psalms in the liturgy (145:9), “The Lord is good to all; and his mercies are on all his creations.” The Psalm goes on to express how the Almighty provides for all His creations. Because God cares for all, He wants to see peace between all creatures.

This week’s Torah portion opens with God’s disappointment with the state of the world – mankind had become thoroughly corrupt, and the world was filled with crime. God informs Noah that He is planning on bringing a flood that will destroy all the living creatures on earth: “The end of all flesh has come before me. The world is filled with (man’s) crime; I will therefore destroy them with the earth” (Genesis 6:13).

At the very end of this week’s Torah portion (11:1), the Torah relates the story of Migdal Bavel – the Tower of Babel. In brief, the different nations of the world united to build a tower to enter the heavens in order to launch an attack on the Almighty. They were united in a brotherhood with a single purpose and spoke a single language.

The Torah relates that the Almighty, after descending to examine the situation, decided “to confuse their languages and scatter them across the face of the earth” (Genesis 11:9). This is known as “The Dispersion.” According to our sages, it is from this event that the different nations of the world emerged – each with a unique language and culture.

The great Biblical commentator known as Rashi contrasts the sins of the generation that lived in the time of Noah (which resulted in their deaths in the ensuing flood), with the misdeeds of the generation of the Tower of Babel (which resulted in their dispersion).

Rashi explains that the generation of the flood was doomed to extermination because there was stealing and pettiness between the people. Even though the generation of the tower committed a seemingly much more heinous sin – choosing to wage a war on the Almighty – their punishment (being scattered) was a lot less severe.

Still, Rashi is bothered by the disparity of the punishments, and he comes to a rather extraordinary conclusion. He notes that the people of the generation of the flood were hostile to one another whereas during the period of the Tower of Babel there was unity and brotherhood.

That, explains Rashi, is the difference in the severity of the punishments. The Almighty does not tolerate a corrupt world that has open hostility and crime between its inhabitants, thus the generation of the flood deserved utter annihilation. The people of the Tower of Babel may have been waging a war on God – but they all got along, so He didn’t destroy them. Rashi concludes, “one learns from here that conflict is hateful and peace is paramount.”

But Rashi’s conclusion needs further clarification: If the sole reason for sparing the generation of The Tower of Babel was because of their unity and brotherhood, then why did God remove their one redeeming quality (that of unity) by “mixing their languages and scattering them across the face of the earth”? After all, by dispersing them and forcing them to try and communicate in different languages their coalition would inevitably dissolve and lead to serious conflict and dissension. Why did God punish them by taking away their seemingly one redeeming quality?

In order to understand this, we must re-examine and perhaps even redefine what shalom – peace – truly means. We often talk about “shalom bayit” (“peaceful home” or marital harmony) or trying to create shalom between people who are feuding. Many, (like diplomats at “peace summits”) believe that merely getting others to coexist peacefully is the key to creating a lasting shalom. But, as we see from history, this is an incomplete approach to achieving a true harmony.

The key component to creating shalom between individuals (or in a marriage) is having each individual recognize what is unique about himself, and what he alone contributes to the relationship. In other words, when a person feels good about himself and secure in the knowledge that he has something special to contribute, he will not feel threatened by other people (or a spouse) and\or their accomplishments. In this way, he will begin to appreciate the other person as well. But it begins with being happy with oneself.

This concept of shalom is precisely what the Almighty did for the generation of The Dispersion. Originally, their purpose was a unifying factor, but ultimately it would have likely dissolved into interpersonal conflict once the original purpose was either achieved or otherwise became irrelevant. By scattering the people across the world, the Almighty actually gave them a lasting chance at true shalom by giving all the different people of the generation their own space and language to create unique identities.

Ideally, once each nation is satisfied and comfortable with its identity, it becomes possible to appreciate others. In this way, the different nations can begin to see how they need one another. Those in a tropical environment will produce different products than those in the tundra. As some nations create tools, others mine gold and silver; some become expert ship builders, others harvest spices, etc. Each nation provides unique talents and products that can be traded without feeling threatened or superfluous.

However, in world politics achieving any sort of shalom is far more complicated because there has to at least be a desire to have a relationship on equal footing between the participants. Cultures that have no desire for this interrelationship alliance (e.g. communism) will never find a lasting peace because they want all the power – they have no interest in rapprochement other than self-preservation. This the same issue with the Arab attitude of “from the river to the sea […].” It simply calls for the obliteration of Israel. There is no real desire for peace or cohabitation.

In Lee Smith’s terrific 2010 book The Strong Horse, he explains that within the Arab clan culture only power is fully respected. President Trump was only able to accomplish what he did with the continued threat of overwhelming force – that is what eventually caused Hamas to cave. But this is not the Almighty’s view of peace – He wants ALL His children to coexist peacefully with a real sense of shalom. But there must be a real desire for it. May we see His wish fulfilled speedily in our days.

TORAH PORTION:BEREISHIT
OCTOBER 24,  2025   3 HESHVAN 5785 Torah   GENESIS6:9-8:14) Triennial  1
  Haftorah: ISAIAH 54:1-10
We believe that in times of great strife, words of Torah can provide stability and comfort in our lives.
We know that you join us in praying for the safety of our soldiers and citizens, and that together we mourn the terrible losses already suffered.
We stand together for a strong and secure Israel.

TALMUD CLASS IS HELD MOST THURSDAYS FROM 1:00 PM - 2PM

FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE  TALMUD STUDY WILL BE  ON ZOOM