Noah, the Ballot Box, and the Keys of Destiny

“G-d saw that man had corrupted the land so he flooded the world (very loose translation) and started from scratch.” I always wonder if there were any kind of governing bodies in place during that time, and if so why don’t we read about a Divine reckoning, a “shakeup” of the established leadership, where G-d demands of them to assume responsibility for the conduct of an out-of-control constituency? Regardless of all that, and in the words of the immortal Virginia Slims ads of my childhood, “We’ve come a long way, baby.” Thanks to the great “Rainbow Treaty” signed on Mt. Ararat, wiping out all of civilization is no longer an option. Now we vote.

One of the greatest gifts of living in this country is the right to speak up at the “Ballot Box.” The vote we cast affords us the opportunity to weigh in on the kind of world we hope for. Like the gift of the “Half Shekel” in the times of the Temple, “the poor man didn’t offer less, nor could the wealthy offer more.” Regardless of our profession, belief system, gender, skin color, political ideology, sexual orientation, or income bracket, we each get no less or more than one vote. Notwithstanding the storied history of our system, along with its flaws, and the outcome of this particular election, we would do well to put it in perspective. The world we have imagined, campaigned for, and voted for, will not be delivered on a silver platter as soon as the last votes have been tallied, nor will it magically appear any time soon thereafter.

The conspicuous vagueness of an established leadership paradigm in the Biblical story of Noah, cited above, and read this week, speaks directly to the blurriness between public service and personal responsibility - “For the people by the people,” doesn’t end in the voting booth: it begins there! Similar to the way Judaism doesn’t end with Bar Mitzvah, but begins there in earnest. In the story of Noah there’s no hiding behind management. When G-d holds mankind responsible for screwing up his world, he meant each of them, and by extension, each of us. There is no excuse for not living “our best life,” a life that reflects the values we hold dear, resonating with the dreams that we dream; that is not just that: an excuse. There is no President, Prime Minister, Congressman, Senator or anyone else for that matter that can be held accountable for our unlived lives.

Here’s my take-home point from this mysterious story of destruction and rebirth coinciding with the eve of our national elections. G-d threw down the gauntlet for man with the promise of the rainbow. That vow to uphold our freedom to exist without fear of being annihilated as punishment for our behavior, is G-d's decision to (RE)cast HIS vote for humanity itself! As such the only fear that remains is fear itself. One hears the echo of this harsh but instructive Biblical communique and workshop in the shining words of one of those great humans: “And so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”

In handing the keys of destiny over to man, come what may, the Torah recalibrates the notion of “Punishment and Reward”: it is now being defined by our actions. However, it is only in the full embracing of that ethos of personal obligation, one that cannot be subcontracted or delegated, despite the cost and its “heaviness” (“weight of choice”) that we fully receive that key. Thus, the choices we make in our individual lives, each moment of every day, are within our control and are ours to make, regardless of who controls the Senate or Congress. In this scheme, the worst “punishment” for our cowardice is being cowardly, while the best reward for living fully, passionately, purposefully and joyfully lies in that very joy itself.