1. Transition from Tishrei to Mar Cheshvan
We’re beginning today’s Torah and Tea with Parshas Noach, even though it feels like we just finished Bereishis. This year, because Simchas Torah was on Wednesday, the cycle of Torah readings shifted, and we had to fit everything in starting from midweek. Now, as we move into the portion of Noach, it’s also Rosh Chodesh—the new month of Mar Cheshvan. There was some confusion about the calendar: when there are two days of Rosh Chodesh, the first day is still the 30th of the previous month, so today is technically still Tishrei. Rosh Chodesh means “the head of the month.” Our months are determined by the lunar cycle, which is about 29 and a half days. To compensate for that half day, some months have 29 days and others have 30. When a month has 30 days, like Tishrei, the last day also becomes Rosh Chodesh for the next month. So today is both the end of Tishrei and the beginning of Mar Cheshvan.
2. The Meaning and Significance of Mar Cheshvan
Mar Cheshvan is unique because it follows a month packed with holidays: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkos, Shemini Atzeres, and Simchas Torah. After all these celebrations, we finally settle into regular life. Even though we’re still in Rosh Chodesh and don’t say Tachanun—the penitential prayers—we’re preparing to enter Mar Cheshvan fully. The word “Mar” in Mar Cheshvan refers to drops—specifically raindrops—since this is the rainy season in Israel. On Shemini Atzeres, we begin mentioning Hashem’s greatness in bringing rain (Geshem). However, in Israel they wait until the seventh day of Cheshvan to actually start praying for rain so that pilgrims returning from Jerusalem after Sukkos can travel home without getting caught in storms. Outside Israel, we start even later—around early December.
3. The Flood Narrative: Corruption and Robbery
The Parsha begins by describing Noach as a righteous man—tzaddik tamim—a complete tzaddik in his generation who walked with Hashem while everyone else was corrupt. Noach had three sons: Shem, Cham, and Yefes. The Torah emphasizes that “the earth became corrupt before Hashem,” filled especially with robbery—people stealing from one another—which was considered the final blow sealing their fate. Hashem tells Noach that “the end of all flesh has come before Me,” because “the earth is filled with robbery,” and instructs him to build an ark (teivah) out of gopher wood with compartments and sealed inside and out.
4. Why Did Building the Ark Take 120 Years?
Rashi asks why Hashem made Noach build such an elaborate ark when He could have saved him by other means. The answer: so that people would see Noach building for 120 years and ask what he was doing. Noach would then tell them that Hashem was going to bring a flood unless they repented—giving them a chance to change their ways. The Rebbe points out that Hashem specifically told Noach to build it himself so he’d be occupied for all those years as a living warning to his generation—a dual purpose: salvation for himself and his family, but also a wake-up call for everyone else.
5. Noach’s Approach vs Avraham’s Outreach
It’s notable that Noach waited for people to approach him rather than actively reaching out to inspire change. When people asked about his project, he explained about the impending flood—but he didn’t go out seeking to influence or intercede on behalf of his generation. The Zohar criticizes Noach for this passive approach—he protected only himself and his family (“a tzaddik in peltz”—a righteous person wrapped up only in his own fur coat). In contrast, Avraham later pleads passionately on behalf of even wicked people like those in Sedom—actively seeking their salvation rather than just protecting himself. This difference highlights two attitudes: one where you focus only on your own spiritual growth (and maybe your family), versus one where you try to warm up everyone around you—turning up the heat so all benefit from closeness to Hashem.
6. The Rebbe’s Vision: Reaching Out Beyond Ourselves
The Rebbe emphasized not being satisfied with personal growth alone but reaching out to others—whether spiritually or materially. This is why Chabad shluchim go everywhere—to places with little Yiddishkeit or where it’s hard to be religious—to bring warmth and connection wherever Jews are found. It’s important not just to protect yourself but also invite others into your “ark.” In earlier times some shuls were exclusive—if you didn’t meet their standards you weren’t welcome or felt uncomfortable. The Rebbe’s model was different: invite everyone into your space without lowering standards but without judging where they are now—everyone can improve together. This inclusiveness extends beyond Torah observance—it means being there for anyone in need: those struggling emotionally or financially or facing other challenges. The Rebbe constantly encouraged compassion for others—not just focusing inwardly but helping lift up those around us.
7. Lessons from Sukkah and Unity Among Jews
This idea parallels how we build a sukkah—not just as an exclusive space but as an open invitation for all Jews regardless of background or observance level (“all Jewish people can sit in the sukkah”). The four species brought together on Sukkos symbolize unity among different types of Jews—even those who might feel excluded elsewhere due to tattoos or past mistakes. There are stories about people who did teshuvah (repentance) but struggled with embarrassment over past choices (like tattoos) yet found ways back into communal life through determination—and through communities willing to embrace them despite differences. We must always strive not only for our own spiritual growth but also help others rise up—even if their journey looks very different from ours.
8. Spiritual Meaning Behind the Floodwaters
The Parsha describes how both “the windows of heaven opened” (rain from above) and “the wells beneath burst forth” (waters from below). The Zohar interprets this symbolically: heavenly waters represent spiritual revelation while earthly waters represent physical knowledge or science. The Zohar notes that at year 600 of Noach’s life (“in the 600th year”), both sources burst forth together—and connects this with Jewish history: at year 5600 (about 1840 CE), there would be an explosion both in Torah knowledge (“heavenly waters”) and secular wisdom (“earthly waters”). This period indeed saw tremendous advances both spiritually (new Torah teachings) and scientifically (radio, television). The Rebbe explains these scientific advances help us understand concepts like Hashem seeing everything (just as technology allows us now)—making divine ideas more tangible—and reveal deeper unity within creation (science discovering everything comes from one source). All this prepares us for Geulah—the coming redemption with Moshiach—when spiritual and material knowledge will be united in service of Hashem. While there’s much more to discuss, we’ll pause here today—and look forward to continuing next week at our adjusted time!