"How Ark Thou?" · Rabbi Yossi Lipsker

Imagine the members of Noah's family, encased in the warmth and shelter of the Ark while outside the waters rage. The boat, though scant in its protective ability, is still protection enough from the sudden turbulence and mayhem. There is respite and momentary relief from the chaos and a brief neutralizing of the terror that unfolds as one witnesses the disintegration of the known, the collapsing of fundamental frameworks of safety and comfort inherent in the security of familiar worlds.

The intense but equally gentle demeanor of Noah radiates with an unfamiliar brightness, entirely otherworldly, glistening in spite of it all, enveloping and even encompassing the intense steam rising off the heat of the animals in such close proximity, wrenched from their ecosystems, nestling their mates uneasily, all this coming together in becoming something strange and new, amid the radical uncertainty, out of its dire straits, a surprising and welcome coziness.

Now imagine yourself there, and close your eyes for a moment. Do some slow and intentional breathing if that is helpful.

Now take a moment to ask yourself the following questions (feel free to print before Shabbat and share):

What can this story mean to you today, both individually and collectively?
Do you think there are more modern parallels to this ancient story today than ever before, and if so, why is that?
Who do you identify with more—meaning, what grabs your attention? The good fortune of the survivors or the tragic fate of the rest of mankind, or both?
Does this depiction of Noah's ark remind you of the coziness of the Sukkah? Is it perhaps evocative of a childhood memory or childhood in general? Is it maybe a symbol of being enclosed within the nurturing ambiance of the recently celebrated, in which case implies an acknowledgement of the shul functioning for you as a safe and protective space?
If so, why? If not, then why not?
Do you prefer the symbol of the ark as a promise of protection over mayhem and chaos, especially today with what could be read as an uptick in a growing global precariousness... nuclear war, rising antisemitism, global recession etc.?
How would you compare the story of this boat/ark with the story of the storm and the boat and the whale in the story of Jonah?
How would this compare, if at all, with the story of the baby Moses floating in an ark as well?
Do you see all this as a Freudian opening, a paradigmatic symbol, a format to help us get to something existential, beyond our mental reach at a subconscious level?
How would this compare, if at all, to the themes of water and destruction in the splitting of the sea, and/or the separation of the upper and lower waters of last week's reading of the creation account?
Are you a person that sees a challenge and scans the horizon for Noah's ark, or the type of person who would refuse Noah's offer of safety and insist on remaining in the world and trying to fix it; meaning you might prefer to die trying to live over living in a dead world? Are you sometimes one and other times the other?
If so, what would account for the different approaches?

I hope these questions open up some new ways of seeing this that prove helpful in fostering thoughtful and meaningful discussions!