Parshat Noach Shabbat Rosh Chodesh October 9, 2010 1 Cheshvan, 5771

Rabbi Sacks on Parshat Noach - A Drama in Four Acts

TORAH
ARTSCROLL, 30 Between the creation of some fruit from the tree, and I Once again the theme is
HERTZ, 26 the universe and the call ate it." responsibility, but in a
to Abraham the Torah different sense. Cain does
HAFTORAH tells four stories: Adam Then the Lord G-d said to not deny personal
ARTSCROLL, 1131 and Eve, Cain and Abel, the woman, "What is this you responsibility. He does
HERTZ, 41 Noah and the generation have done?" not say, "It wasn't me."
of the flood, and the He denies moral
tower of Babel. Is there The woman said, "The responsibility. "I am not
any connection between serpent deceived me, and I my brother's keeper." I
these stories? Are they ate." am not responsible for his
there merely because safety. Yes, I did it
Times they happened? Or is The man blames the woman, because I felt like it. Cain
there a deeper the woman blames the serpent. has not yet learned the
Candle Lighting 6:08 pm Both deny personal
underlying logic? As we difference between "I
Friday Mincha 6:10 pm will see, there is. responsibility: it wasn't me; it can" and "I may."
wasn't my fault. This is the
Haskhama 8:00 am
The first is about Adam birth of what today is called The third is the story of
Youth 8:30 am and Eve and the the victim culture. Noah. Noah is a righteous
forbidden fruit. Once man but not a hero. He is
Parsha Shiur 8:30 am The second drama is about
they have eaten, and born to great
Main Minyan 9:00 am discovered shame, G-d Cain and Abel. Both bring expectations. "He will
asks them what they offerings. Abel's is accepted, comfort us," says his
Beit Midrash 9:15 am
have done. This is the Cain's not (why this is so is not father Lamech, giving
Gemorah Shiur 5:00 pm conversation that relevant here). In his anger, him his name. Yet Noah
Mincha 6:00 pm ensues: Cain kills Abel. Again there is does not save humanity.
an exchange between a human He only saves himself,
Shabbat Ends 7:14 pm And he said, "Who being and G-d: his family and the
Sunday, 7:30/8:30 am told you that you were animals he takes with him
October 10 naked? Have you eaten Then the Lord said to Cain, in the ark. The Zohar
Mon, Thurs. 6:35/7:45 am from the tree that I
"Where is your brother Abel?" contrasts him unfavorably
commanded you not to "I don't know," he replied. with Moses: Moses
Tues, Wed, Fri. 6:45/7:45 eat from?" "Am I my brother's keeper?" prayed for his generation,
am The Lord said, "What have Noah did not. In the last
Mincha 6:00 pm The man said, "The you done? Listen! Your scene we see him drunk:
Sun./Fri. woman you put here brother's blood cries out to me in the words of the
Latest times for with me - she gave me from the ground. Midrash, "he profaned
Shema/Shmoneh Esrei
October 9 9:50/10:47 am

October 16 9:53/10:49 am
KIDDUSH
Next Shabbat
Lech-Lecha IS SPONSORED BY
Candle lighting 5:57 pm GREAT NECK SYNAGOGUE
Mincha 6:00 pm
26 Old Mill Road, Great Neck, NY 11023 (516) 487-6100 Shabbat Announcements Parshat Noach 5771

morality is not a mere human convention, but is written

himself and became profaned." You cannot be a sole into the structure of existence. There is an Author of
survivor and still survive. Sauve-qui-peut ("let everyone being, therefore there is an Authority beyond mankind
who can, save himself") is not a principle of Judaism. We (ontological responsibility).
have to do what we can to save others, not just ourselves.
Noah failed the test of collective responsibility. This is developmental psychology as we have come to
know it through the work of Jean Piaget, Eric Erikson,
The fourth is the story of the Tower of Babel. What was Lawrence Kohlberg and Abraham Maslow. Never
the sin of its builders? There are two key words in the underestimate the subtlety and depth of the Torah. It
text. It begins and ends with the phrase kol ha'aretz, "the was the first, and is still the greatest, text on the human
whole earth." In between, there is a series of similar condition and our psychological growth from instinct to
sounding words: sham (there), shem (name), and conscience, from "dust of the earth" to the morally
shamayim (heaven). The story of Babel is a drama about responsible agent the Torah calls "the image of G-d."
the two key words of the first sentence of the Torah: "In
the beginning G-d created heaven and earth." Heaven is
the domain of G-d; earth is the domain of man. By
attempting to build a tower that would "reach heaven,"
the builders of Babel were men trying to be like gods.
What does this have to do with responsibility?

Not accidentally does the word responsibility suggest

response-ability. The Hebrew equivalent, achrayut,
comes from the word acher, meaning "an other."
Responsibility is always a response to something or
someone. In Judaism, it means response to the command
of G-d. By attempting to reach heaven, the builders of
Babel were in effect saying: we are going to take the
place of G-d. We are not going to respond to His law or
respect His boundaries. We are going to create an
environment where we rule, not G-d. Babel is the failure
of ontological responsibility - the idea that something
beyond us makes a call on us.

What we see in Bereishith 1-11 is an exceptionally

tightly constructed four-act drama on the theme of
responsibility and moral development. The first thing we
learn as a child is that our acts are under our control
(personal responsibility). The next is that not everything
we can do may we do (moral responsibility). The next
stage is the realization that we have a duty not just to
ourselves but to those on whom we have an influence
(collective responsibility). Ultimately we learn that

Great Neck Synagogue

Shabbat Activities Program

Dale Polakoff, Rabbi

Ian Lichter, Assistant Rabbi
Dr. Ephraim Wolf ,z”l, Rabbi Emeritus
Michael Bleicher, Daniel Schwechter, Rabbinic Intern
Zeev Kron, Cantor
Eleazer Schulman, z”l, Cantor Emeritus
Mark Twersky, Executive Director
Joseph Hecht, President
Harold Domnitch, Chairman of the Board
 GNS MEN’S CLUB
Sun, October 17:
A bus trip to the city, together with Dos Yiddish Vort, to
see
FYVUSH FINKLE LIVE
at the Yiddish Theater.
$65 pp, includes a light super.
Call Ros Wagner at 487-9795.

SISTERHOOD DIINER
Tuesday, October 26th will be the Annual Sisterhood Dinner at Chatanooga Restaurant with guest speaker
Slovie Jungreiss Wolff, daughter of Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis
and author of "Raising a Child With Soul."
This year there will be a charge of $18/person (includes 1 raffle ticket) for all annual and lifetime members in
order to offset our costs for this event.
We also welcome event sponsorship - bronze $18, silver $36 or gold $72.

Please help us alleviate the current blood shortage.

We need your help.

LONG ISLAND BLOOD SERVICES IS URGING RESIDENTS TO

DONATE BLOOD NOW TO ENSURE CONTINUED CAPABILITY TO
SERVE AREA HOSPITALS.....

Please call the Synagogue office and let us know if we can count on
your help.

Please come to the Great Neck Synagogue, on Sunday, October 31,

between the hours of 8:15-1:15pm. ..
.Please eat and drink plenty of fluids on the day that you donate.
Please remember that to make a blood donation you need to be in
good health, have I.D., know your Social Security number, and weigh
at least 110 lbs.
 ANNOUNCEMENTS
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Joseph Hecht is very happy to hear any of your suggestions or In The Family
concerns. He welcomes the participation of all the congregants.
However, he has one request. Please do not approach him on Shabbat Mazal Tov to Lynn Steinberg & Stephen Rabinowitz on their recent
or at a Kiddush. This is not the appropriate environment for these engagement.
types of discussions. Joseph can not write things down, and he also is Mazal Tov to Reb. Elaine Wolf on the birth of a great-grandson, born
not guaranteed to remember the details of the discussion. Joseph to Daniella & Yehuda Fund in Israel.
prefers that the membership utilize e-mail to communicate with him. Mazal Tov to Michele & Howard Wolf on the birth of a grandson, born
He would love to hear from you, so please contact him via e-mail at to their children, Jordan & Rivka Wolf.
[email protected]
SAVE THE DATE
The North Shore Mikvah Association Melava Malka in recognition of
SUNDAY BREAKFAST Sharon Goldwyn, Mindy Hercman, Trudy Justin, Hindi Lunzer, and
Is sponsored by Marcia Toledano in memory of her mother Rama Seltzer will take place Motzei Shabbat, October 16th 2010 8:30 pm
Julia Karten z”l. at the Great Neck Synagogue. Please send in your reservations as soon
as possible. For more information, please email [email protected]
INTERMEDIATE MINYAN
WHEELS OF LOVE
The Intermediate Minyan with Rabbi Skydel will resume its monthly
GNS will have members who will participate in the Alyn Hospital, Wheels
service this Shabbat.
of Love 5 day, 300 mile bike ride in Israel. ALYN Hospital is one of the
The Minyan takes place on the second floor of the NSHA Wing.
world’s leading specialists in the active and intensive rehabilitation of
The next meeting will be November 13.
children who have physical challenges and disabilities as a result of
congenital muscular, neuromuscular and skeletal disorders, invasive
CHANUKAH SCOPE DEADLINE cancer surgery, fires, accidents and terrorist attacks.
The deadline for all articles, advertisements, recipes, and photos for GNS members Cori and Nathan Franco, and Laura and Scott Danoff will
the Chanukah issue of Scope magazine is Monday, October 18th. participate. Donations can be made online at www.wolusa/
Please email all submissions to [email protected] in a timely fashion. greatneckteam . Checks can also be submitted and made out to
“American Friends of ALYN Hospital”. Please write Team Great Neck in
YOUTH SHABBAT the memo section. Checks will be collected by Dr. Scott Danoff at 49-33
We are proud to be sponsoring our first ever Great Neck Synagogue Youth Little Neck Pkwy., Little Neck, NY 11362.
Shabbat for November 5th – 6th. The GNSY staff, with the help of all the
children, will be conducting the services in both the Main minyan as well as
the Beit Midrash minyan. We are asking all Great Neck Synagogue HUNGER INITIATIVE . Regular Food drop off’s continue Friday’s at 18
parents to encourage their high school aged children to participate in this Birchwood Lane . Drop off hours are between 10 am and 1 pm. Kindly
wonderful Shabbat. We need Gabbaim, Shluchei Tzibur, Torah Lainers, place your food in the cooler.
presenters of Divrei Torah and more. If you are Interested in having your
child take part in this exciting Shabbat, please sign up at GNS Youth
website, http://www.gnsyouth.org/gnsyshabbat. The deadline to sign up
is Oct. 7th. We are looking forward to having our Youth lead the way! TODDLER NEWS
There will be a formal service geared for 1 to 5 year olds. Adult participa-
SISTERHOOD tion encouraged. We are targeting Oct. 9 Shabbos Noach. This will be held
Tuesday, October 26th will be the Annual Sisterhood Dinner at in the mommy and me room at the end of the hall. 10:30 AM (sharp)-
Chatanooga Restaurant with guest speaker Slovie Jungreiss Wolff, 11:15AM. All parents/grandparents welcome.
daughter of Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis and author of "Raising a Child
With Soul." Thank you to co-chairs Judy Lillien and Anne Sandler for
organizing this event. Please help them obtain raffle prizes in the
stores and businesses that you patronize! Thank you! This year there Saturday, 1 Cheshvan
will be a charge of $18/person (includes 1 raffle ticket) for all Lorraine Domnitch for Jennie Speisel
annual and lifetime members in order to offset our costs for Herschel Flax for Ethel Pasvolsky
this event. We also welcome event sponsorship -bronze $18, Mary F Flax for Ethel Pasvolsky
silver $36 or gold $72. We appreciate your generosity! Sharon Herman for Muriel Adler
Tuesday evening, November 9th from 5:00pm to 9:00pm will be Leon Kutcher for Fran Kutcher
the Sisterhood Chanukah Boutique in the Braun Youth Center. Thank Rita Silverman for Zelda Schwartz
you to Lisa Kagan for organizing this event. Sunday, 2 Cheshvan
Saturday evening, November 20th will be the Sisterhood Dinner- Sheila Bachman for Pauline Bachman
Go-Round organized by Susan Mayer. Details to follow. Ira Lubin for Pauline Gerber
George Schuman for Erna Schuman
HEBREW SCHOOL Y Joyce Swartz for Sol Gelfond
There is first grade class that will be meeting Mon & Wed.4:30-6:00
pm beginning Monday Oct 4.
A Elaine Wolf for Nathan Wolf
Monday, 3 Cheshvan
H Rochelle Dicker for Leon Stitskin
GNS YOUTH BASKETBALL
Another season of basketball has arrived. Games are played Tuesdays
R Dr. and Mrs. Peter Epstein for Mollie Eden
Pauline Levy for David Gruber
starting at 4:30 pm. Children grades 6-8 are invited. Sign-up for Z Paul Marcus for Victor Marcus
$125.00 for members and $250.00 for non-members.
For additional information leave message for Rabbi Jensen in E Tuesday, 4 Cheshvan
Joseph Ambalo for Esther Cohen Ambalo
synagogue office. I Jacob Ambalu for Esther Cohen Ambalo

MENS CLUB UPCOMING EVENTS T Phyllis Weinberg for Ida Tubachnick

Wednesday, 5 Cheshvan
Sun, October 17: A bus trip to the city, together with Dos Yiddish Stuart Braunstein for Stanley Braunstein
Vort, to see FYVUSH FINKLE LIVE at the Yiddish Theater. $65 pp, Nadine Eckstein for Herbert Eckstein
which includes a light supper. Call Ros Wagner at 487-9795. Leon Miller for Ira Miller
Tues, October 19: An "End of Life" Symposium, which once again Albert Safdieh for Julia Safdieh
brings together Rabbi Polakoff, a Trusts and Estates Attorney and Pari Schwartz for Kahtoun Torkan
representatives from Sinai Chapels and Sprung Monuments, to discuss Lisa Solemanyan for Babette Lerman
the important subject of proper planning for the inevitable. Thursday, 6 Cheshvan
Wed, October 27: A talk by Ambassador (ret.) YORAM ETTINGER, Dr. Paul Brody for Joseph Brody
The Jewish Political Education Foundation is co-sponsoring the evening. Lillian Singer for Isidore Kitay
Friday, 7 Cheshvan
Sun, October 31: The semi-annual BLOOD DRIVE. See page 3
Jill Swartz for Harvey Kronish