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Dear Friend,
When G-d tells Noah to enter the ark, He says, “Bo el ha-teva” — literally, “Come into the ark. ”Why not “Go into the ark”? The Meor Einayim of Chernobyl points out that G-d doesn’t send Noah away from Him into safety, but invites him in. The flood, then, was not merely a punishment, it was a mikveh, a cleansing immersion for the entire world. G-d Himself was within the storm, calling Noah to enter deeper, not to run.
This transforms the story: Noah’s journey wasn’t about survival, but about intimacy. When chaos surrounds us, we instinctively seek escape. Yet G-d’s invitation is the opposite: Come closer, even within the waters. Sometimes, the only way through the flood is to sanctify it and to find G-d’s voice echoing inside the turmoil.
The Baal Shem Tov taught that every flood in life; fear, pressure, confusion can either drown us or lift us higher, depending on whether we enter the “teva ,” meaning “ark” but also “sacred word”. Each verse we speak, each moment of presence, becomes a small ark floating above the storm.
And here lies the beauty of Mar Cheshvan, the month with no holidays. It’s the “floodwaters” after the high of the holy holiday period.. But Chasidut reminds us: “Bo el ha-teva”. Enter the words of daily routine, your work, your relationships, your prayers and discover that even here, G-d whispers, “Come in. I’m here too.”
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Zushe Cunin
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