Parashat Noah: On Sealed Doors

Maybe the world still is essentially bad, as it was when God decided to destroy it with the great flood. What is the solution? Make yourself a tevah, an enclosed space, to ride through the swirling whirling storms of the world, so that you are not touched by it, so that you, at least, do not become swallowed up in the evil of the world. You can bring your family in, too; create a space that is sacred, untouched by the outside waters, and there you can preserve some goodness, some temimut, some little remnant of sanctity. Maybe you can bring some others in, too, like Noah’s animals, others whom you can feed and care for, save from the treacherous outside. But not many. It is an enclosed space you have created.

Maybe that is a good solution to the evil of the world. Sometimes it is necessary to hole up, to stay inside a safe space and at least save yourself and a few others. Sometimes the only other option is to get drowned along with the rest outside.

Maybe sometimes it is a good solution, but it seems that God ultimately did not consider it a sustainable one. Noah preserved something, but he didn’t reach out. There is a limit to the effectiveness of this type of goodness. Avraham, on the other hand, built tents wherever he went, tents that were open on all four sides, unlike Noah’s tightly sealed tevah. Avraham was constantly involved in outreach, converting anyone who passed his way and running forward to bring people in from the road. If the world around was still essentially evil, he was going to make some effort to change it.

But this week is Noah’s parsha, not Avraham’s, and every person comes to this world with a special Torah to teach. Noah’s method, too, deserves some respect; without him, none of us would exist; closed doors saved humanity; they are a method of preservation. We are used to talking about the importance of open doors, but this week I’m wondering about the place of sealed doors, of an attempt to preserve something precious which could easily be swallowed up in the storming waters that are constantly trying to get in.