A Pre-Election Note: Taking Our Cue from Shem & Japheth
Rainbow or not, it can't have been easy for Noah to move on after the flood. He found himself in a stressful and unstable moment. All of humanity beyond his own family had been wiped out; he must have been overwhelmed by the daunting prospect of needing to rebuild a destroyed world from scratch. After the waters recede and Noah's family emerges from the ark, the text of Parashat Noach relays the sad story of what happens next quite succinctly:
"Noah, the tiller of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk, and he uncovered himself within his tent" (Genesis 9:20-21).
The midrash notices the quick action of these verses. "Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba remarked: 'On the same day he planted, on the same day he drank, on the same day he was humiliated' (Bereishit Rabbah 36:4). Faced with a new and overwhelming reality, Noah's reaction is instinctive and impulsive: he attempts to "self-medicate" with alcohol, and gets himself so drunk that he passes out naked inside his tent.
Now, Noah's sons enter the picture:
"Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a cloth, placed it against both their backs and, walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness; their faces were turned the other way, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness" (Gen. 9:22-23).
Noah's three sons react in very different ways to his inability to function in this traumatic moment. Ham takes advantage of his father's vulnerability, making the situation worse by amplifying his shame. (Based on the harsh curse Ham receives from Noah a few verses later, many commentators assume that what Ham actually did was far more reprehensible than merely looking on his father's nakedness.) The other two brothers have an opposite impulse. Just as instinctively as Noah sought to escape reality through wine, Shem and Japheth turn their faces away from Noah as they cover him, in a sensitive and compassionate attempt to preserve their father's dignity. The two of them consequently receive blessings from Noah, and the genealogy at the end of the parasha makes it clear that we (descendants of Abraham) trace our lineage through Shem.
This week, we too find ourselves in a stressful moment. Ours is obviously quite different than the post-flood moment in which Noah, Ham, Shem and Japheth found themselves, but as we head into the final days of the 2024 election season and enter what is likely to be a difficult post-election period, this time may feel scary and overwhelming in its own right. (As a Jew, I can't help but feel particularly triggered by the Trumpist political rally this past week, held in Madison Square Garden, filled with crude racist screed, and patterned off a literal Nazi rally at the same location in 1939.)
The four-verse tale about Noah and his sons navigating an unstable time showcases for us three very different possibilities for how we might react in a hard moment such as this:
Noah is avoidant and seeks to escape from reality.
Ham builds on a bad situation, actively amplifying harm and making things worse.
Shem and Japheth aim to improve the situation. Their response is calm, is collaborative (they work together), feels kind, values modesty, and demonstrates a sensitivity to avoiding humiliation.
Without a doubt, the Torah is holding up a moral model for us here in Shem and Japheth's behavior... so clear a lesson that it almost feels like we're being hit over the head with the message. When faced with challenge or human instability, as we so often are, it is up to each of us to choose the path of minimal harm and maximal good. We must return to the most basic and core of our human values, employing them as we seek to do the next right thing.
In this moment, here are some thoughts about what it might look like for us to try to put this Shem and Japheth energy into action right now:
Let's cast our ballots for the candidates and policies we believe are most aligned with the principles of kindness, human dignity, modesty and care. I assume that many of us have already done so in this vote-by-mail state, but in case you or any members of your household haven't voted yet, please consider this a rabbinic public service announcement to VOTE and to encourage others to do the same!
If you possibly can, please TAKE ACTION this weekend: make a final financial contribution or volunteer by helping to "cure" ballots, knocking on doors or otherwise participating in get-out-the-vote efforts. Whatever you do and whoever you speak with, let's try to ground every action and conversation in the values of Shem and Japheth, extending the same sort of kindness, compassion, and humility they employed.
A belief in democracy is an extension of our religious conviction that every human being is created, equally, in the Divine image. Here at Kavana, we have been taking cues from A More Perfect Union: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy, an org that works to mobilize the American Jewish community to protect and strengthen American democracy. Their main message for the days before, during and after the 2024 election is this: Various actors may try to distract and divide us, but our election process here in the United States is strong, accurate, and it works -- even if we don't get results on election day. You can help by sharing this message in the days ahead, if and when it feels necessary.
Human history is, of course, filled with ups and downs, twists and turns. There is no way for us to avoid moments of stress, uncertainty, and instability -- this was true in Noah's day, and it is equally true in ours. All we can do is stay grounded in our most basic values, encourage and support one another, and do what we can to "spread a blanket" like Shem and Japheth did... the kind that prevents humiliation and extends calm, compassion, and kindness far and wide.
May the coming week be one in which democracy and peace will prevail! Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum
