Noach was a righteous man in his generation. He was rescued from the destruction of the world. He spect a year in isolation. And when he came out, he turned out he failed abysmally. Instead of beginning to rebuild the world, he got himself as drunk as he could, as fast as he could. Noach was lonely, and so he used alcohol to alleviate his loneliness. However, we are taught that his failure began long before that.
When Noach was first told about the impending flood, the goal was not for him to save himself and his family. He was meant to convince others to do better. Similarly, when Noach built the ark, he built it in front of everyone, so that they would see it and realise what was about to happen. Noach failed in looking after others throughout this story, so is it any surprise that he eventually didn't use his newfound freedom to advance thee cause of humanity as much as he could have?
As we leave our lockdown now, as we resume our lives in an increasingly normal fashion, let's make sure that we learn the lessons of Noach. Let's revel in our freedom yes, but as part of our communities. Let's show that freedom can be as positive for society as our severely limited activities were in reducing the spread of the plague which moves among us.Â
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