By Rabbi Dovid Caro
Every year we read the whole Torah again from the beginning. Bereishis is the Parsha of the creation. Parshas Noach, however, is the Parsha where the whole world was destroyed by the Mabul and rebuilt again.
During our lives we strive to be better, but very often as we approach Rosh Hashana we realize and feel that not only we didn’t utilize our year properly; we actually used it in many ways negatively. Then comes a new year, a fresh start, another opportunity to rebuild after our damages.
The messages from this week’s Parsha are so appropriate at the start of our fresh new year.
After spending nearly a year in the Teiva, the waters started going down. Noach who was locked up with his family inside sent out the raven to see if the ground was dry. The raven didn’t fly very far. Rashi explains that it just circled around the Teiva and came back.
Chazal tell us that when the raven came back, Noach didn’t want to let it back in. Noach said to the raven, “what purpose do you have in this world, you aren’t Kosher to be eaten and you can’t be used as a Korban in the Beis Hamikdash.”
Hashem said to Noach, “take the raven back inside, the world will need it in the future.”
When?
‘Ad yevoshes hamayim me’al ha’aretz’ – there will be a Tzaddik who will dry up the world and the raven will bring him bread and meat in the morning and in the evening.
Who is the Tzaddik?
Eliyahu Hanavi.
The Rosh and Rabbeinu Bachai add that the letters of ‘yevoshes’ (yud, beis, shin, taf) are the same letters as ‘Tishbi’ as Eliyah Hanavi is also known as Eliyahu Hatishbi.
Chazal explain the raven is a very cruel bird with bad character. Hashem told Noach to save the bird in order that one thousand five hundred years later, one of its descendants would save Eliyahu Hanavi. Was there no other messenger that Hashem could send instead? Were there a shortage of other birds that would have been more than happy to do such a holy mission?
The answer is as follows.
Hashem created the world and sustains everyone, humans, animals, creatures and all. We must understand and have Emunah that not only does Hashem sustain everyone, but He thought it out and prepared it all up front exactly how everyone will be sustained and who will provide them with it.
Hashem created the raven in order that three thousand years later it will be the messenger to provide Eliyahu Hanavi with food. And when the raven was at risk fifteen hundred years later, Hashem told Noach to save the raven in order that it will be able to fulfill its task and purpose.
Chazal tell us that Parnassa is difficult as the splitting of the Yam Suf. The Passuk writes by Krias Yam Suf that the waters returned ‘le’eisanoi’ – to their original status. Chazal learn from here to their original ‘tenai’- condition that Hashem made with the waters at creation, that they should split for Klal Yisrael. So too, Parnassa was all prepared up front at creation for all of us.
When Noach saw that the raven wasn’t interested, he sent out the dove. The first time it came back empty handed, the second time it came back with a leaf from an olive tree.
Rabbi Yehoshua Leib Diskin explains, that the olive leaves are a very powerful creation that survived the Mabbul. The dove picked up the leaf and prayed to Hashem, “Please let my sustenance be bitter like the olive leaf but directly from You Hashem and I shouldn’t need anyone else’s support.
The dove came back to Noach with a message, “look, Hashem already prepared me these olive leaves up front so that when I come out the Teiva I would find them and I could daven to Him and ask that He should be the one to support me!”
The Gemara in Kesubos (67:) tells us a story.
A poor man came to the home of the great Tanna Rava. Rava invited him in and offered a meal. He even asked the man what he would like to eat.
The man answered, “a stuffed chicken and old wine’.
Let us imagine having the privilege to meet the Chafetz Chaim at his home. But to our surprise, the Chafetz Chaim invites us to join him for dinner. What a zechus! We would be shaking from awe.
Now let us imagine the Chafetz Chaim asking us to choose our menu, what would we say?
Grilled steak well done with fries, ketchup, coke and a glass of red wine?
We wouldn’t know where to start. We would try and mumble that whatever the holy Rav is eating is perfect, it doesn’t make a difference when we can sit at the Chafetz Chaim’s table.
But the poor man didn’t lose his words at all. He told Rava that he wanted a stuffed hen with old wine.
Rava asked the man, “don’t you think you’re overloading yourself on to the public?”
The man replied, “am I eating from the public? I am eating from Hashem who provides everyone with food. As the Passuk says in Ashrei, ‘and you give them their food in their right time’.
There was a knock on Rava’s door. A special guest had arrived, Rava’s sister came to visit her brother after thirteen years. She brought her brother a gift, a stuffed chicken and old wine.
Rava turned to the poor man and told him to sit down and eat the menu he asked for.
Rava understood that his sister hadn’t brought the food for him but it was meant for the poor man.
After thirteen years Rava’s sister came to visit her brother who was a great holy Tanna but also very wealthy. Why did she need to bring him some food?
The answer is that Hashem put the idea in her mind in order that poor man should have what he wanted to eat.
When did she buy the chicken and the wine? When did she prepare it? When did she start her trip?
But Hashem prepared it all up front for the poor man.
At the outset of a new year this is a very important message to all of us.
Hashem decided the future of our year on Rosh Hashana exactly how and when everything will happen to the finest detail and perfection. We just have to do our correct Hishtadlus – our share and trust that Hashem will do the rest he already planned.
However, how can we really ‘live’ with such true faith?
In Hallel we say, ‘Ze hayom asa Hashem nagila ve’nismecha boi’.
This day Hashem made let us rejoice and be happy with it?
Which day is it referring to?
In reality, every day is ‘Ze hayom’!
Every day is ‘today’.
How can we rejoice and be happy with every day, its trials and tribulations?
If we are strong in believing that ‘asa Hashem’ – Hashem is the one running our lives and everything that happens to us. He has planned it all out up front.
If we truly understand and believe this we can rejoice in every situation because we know Hashem wants the best for us.
On Rosh Chodesh in the Mussaf prayer we finish the Beracha with ‘Baruch ata Hashem Mekadesh Yisrael Verashei Chadashim’
In many Siddurim are printed 12 different abbreviations of Hashem’s name to have in mind, each month the abbreviation connected to that month. These 12 abbreviations are the first or last letters of words in the Torah or Nach that the abbreviation makes Hashem’s name. The way the letters are written is connected to the spiritual part of the month and unique natures and characters of that month.
The abbreviation for the month of Tishrei is ‘Yismechu Hashamiyim Vesagel Ha’aretz’ (Yud, Hei, Vav and Hei).
The abbreviation for the month of Cheshvan is from that last word in the Parsha of Bikurim (Ki Savo) and the following Passuk, ‘Udevash, Hayom Haze Hashem’ (Vav, Hei, Hei, and Yud). The translation of those words is – ‘and honey, this day Hashem’.
We all know that on Rosh Hashana we have the custom to dip our challa and apple in to honey, as a sign for a sweet new year. Many have the custom to dip the bread into honey until Hoshana Rabba. It would have been much more appropriate the symbol of honey should be connected to Tishrei, but it isn’t.
In Tishrei we practice eating honey that we should merit a sweet new year. In Cheshvan we have to start living the sweet year. How can we bring that message into our daily lives that it should be – ‘udevash hayom haze – and this day is honey? How can we live understanding that every day is sweet?
With the fourth word – Hashem, if we bring Hashem into our lives and we come to that recognition that every part of our daily life is run by Hashem and He planned it out perfectly, then every day is honey.