Dear EVERYONE,
In the Haftoroh of Parshas Noach Hashem tells us that this is the last golus and after the geulah there will be no more trouble at all. And it says "Ki mei noach zoys li...as I swore not to bring mei Noach again so to have I sworn..." The famous question is why is the Mabul called mei Noach, Noach of course was the one who didn't cause the Mabul. The standard answer is that Noach is held somewhat accountable because he didn't daven for the people of his generation. But on Shabbos I saw a pshat which I think is perhaps poshut pshat.
The Midrash says that when Noach left the Taevah he saw a new world. Just think about it: Before the Mabul the world was completely corrupt and unstable. It was only after the Mabul that the world was really established and it was only then that Hashem promised not to bring another Mabul. So actually the Mabul brought a degree of menucha to the world and that is why it's called "Mei Noach". (I just realized that this is also an additional meaning of "Zeh yinachameinu" that was said when Noach was born.)
This is the reason why we read Parshas Noach at this time of year. After the Yomim Tovim are over and the cold winter is starting many of us feel confused or unsteady. The message of the parsha and Haftoroh is "Take heart be strong the darkness is just a preparation for the light."
The Zohar says very clearly "There is no light other than that which emerges from dark and there is no good other than that which emerges from bad". Of course this is all very important to remember throughout the year (that's why we read it in the beginning of the year). It's particularly relevant to us over here. There was a discussion on one of the threads about superficiality, so I want to say my bit on that. It's very very important not to look down on these people (which for me is a big struggle). It's davka from us that Hashem expects more. That's why He put each of us through his own personal ruchniyesdike mabul, and didn't let us just live out our lives on auto-pilot. And of course it's our job to light the way for everyone else.
When I was telling the vort about mei Noach to my family, it occurred to me that perhaps that's why it doesn't say k'mei Noach but rather ki mei Noach. Ki means because. Hashem is saying to us that this galus is necessarily the final one because it's just like the Mabul. Just as the Mabul cleansed the world thereby making it a better place which will never experience another mabul, so to this galus and the geulah that will come from it, will cleanse the world completely and bring it to it's perfect state and there will never be any pain at all.
And until then let's remember: The struggle is not the problem, rather it's the solution. The Baal Hatanya said that you can't win a war with a sad song. You need to go with a joyous robust march. So let's start singing, we'll sing and sing until we devastate, demolish, destroy, clobber, mutilate, pulverize, and kill the demonic, horrific, merciless menuval, Biveas Goyel Tzedek Bimhera Viyamenu.
p.s. sorry if this is to long.
