Monday, October 20, 2014

Parshat Noach 5775 (Neska)

In Honor of My Brother Michael, zt'L

And Noach stretched out his hand (v'yishlach yado) for the dove to bring it into the ark.   For me, one of the most beautiful gracious humane compassionate human gestures in the Chumash. 

And in the Akeida:

And Avraham stretched out THE *his*  hand (v'yishlach Avraham ET yado) for the knife.   1.  Had Avraham moved the knife so far away from him that he had to stretch his hand to grab it, to do something he didn't want to do?   Or was this the same hand that Noach had used for a humane purpose, now reaching out to take a life.  

Some sages state that Avraham is Noach reincarnated.   At that moment, did Avraham have a cosmic realization that this very same hand that was now reaching for the knife had once reached for the dove?  Yet another lesson that what Hashem has given us can be used for the positive or for the negative.  


May we all enjoy a life affirming Shabbat Shalom

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