I have trouble getting much out of this parshah. It is hard to get past images of children doing jigsaw puzzles picturing an ark of animals. The story is so clearly a myth at every turn.
Two things do come to mind. One, the most interesting question to me is : Why does every human civilization seem to have a Flood Story? We seem to have some strong masochistic streak that makes us think we are deserving of punishment for our wicked ways. The story posits a cruel God that seems more like a immature, enraged parent than a wise deity.
Two, the most interesting moment in the parshah is the most human. It's the moment when Noah is finally safe and sound, and the first thing he does is plant a vineyard and get toasted. It's the first time for me that the parshah really comes to life. Here we have a flesh-and-blood human being. He has been through a life-changing trauma, and he just can't deal with it right away. Classic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) situation.
Maybe there's another interpretation here. Just throwing it out there. Maybe this language is really a hint that Noah was an alcoholic for many years. Maybe he actually got drunk one night, and dreamt the whole Flood Story. Then he woke up and ranted and raved about it, and got so embarrassed about his behavior that he just kept on drinking. Maybe the whole Flood Story was just an alcoholic hallucination.
If it's all just a dream, then I don't have to wonder why God is such a petty tyrant!
You have no idea the relief I feel in discovering that this one doesn't strike a nerve with you either. I don't read anyone's posts until I've written my own, so I felt a bit silly confessing that this story--one I'm certain is filled with layer upon layer of meaning--means nothing to me. Looks like I'm in good company, though.
ReplyDeleteIf it's all a dream, where is the dream ballet sequence??
ReplyDeleteThat's a theatre joke -- every drama in the world could use a ballet dream sequence, right?