This week’s Torah portion is Parashat Noach and the story of the Great Flood.
And what a coincidence that Southern California was swept by the remnants of Hurricane Rachel earlier this week, bringing heavy rain, gusty winds, and powerful waves that caused flooding and erosion along the coast. As I watched the storm from my cozy ark atop our citrus hill, I was reminded of another fierce stormy night, twenty-six years ago, when I lived with my brother Ehud in Hollywood Hills. His traditional Japanese house, with its temple-inspired architecture, also felt like an ark.
The Great Flood lasted for 40 days and 40 nights, but Noah and his family spent a year sheltered in the Ark with their animals, waiting for the floodwaters to recede.
When they finally emerged, God placed a rainbow in the clouds as a sign of His everlasting covenant with Noah, his descendants, and every living creature. “I have set My bow in the cloud, and it shall serve as a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.” (Genesis 9:13) ונתתי קשתי בענן
The rainbow does not promise a world without storms. Its purpose is to remind us that even after the darkest night, life continues, and with it, the promise of renewal.
OUT OF NOWHERE
Out of nowhere
in the middle of the night
came a great big thunder
and a great big light
it traveled fast
down the mountain
chasing about
with fury and rage
carving a route.
A light flashed the sky
brightening the moon
and thunder rocked the flowers
that napped in their bloom
as the earth shook astounded
at the sudden assault
and all those who turned
became pillars of salt.
Out of nowhere
in the middle of the night
when all was quiet
save for souls in their flight
the heavens broke open
and out of the dark
there appeared
out of nowhere
a great bright arc.
It stretched up above
reaching further and higher
as it rooted itself in a puddle of fire
and it traveled across
in the broadness of space
to anchor itself
on my head with such grace.
© Yakira Shimoni Fulks
March 11, 2000 | Hollywood Hills, California
Photo: Orange County, California, after the rain, 2018.
