Senior Rabbi Emerita Sharon Kleinbaum's Drashah for Shabbat Noach, 2025

“If Noach had become like his generation, we would not be here. His ability to both not descend into the evil and the violence, but also not to descend into the despair of about a future, despite the empirical reality around him. What did he do? This blemished, this imperfect person? He did what he could do, and he knew how to build an ark.

Now that might not be something I know how to do. I’m not so good with a hammer and nails, but that’s our job today. No one can do everything. Everyone can do something. And the only reason you’re here today is because Noach did something, and now we have a job to do, which is to build something for the future, so that when people are sitting around CBST’s sanctuary in 100 years from now and telling stories, they’ll say, Wow, there were these crazy people who did not believe the end of the story was being written right now.“

Senior Rabbi Emerita Sharon Kleinbaum gave this drashah on Friday, October 14 / 3 Cheshvan. Watch her full talk above. 

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