The story of Noah promises us rebirth and redemption after spiritual death. We are given another chance to choose life.
This week’s portion, Noah: Genesis 6:9-11:23, opens with an introduction about Noah, the only righteous man of his generation. God gives him a 120-year project to build an ark, during which he calls on the people to repent of their wild and barbaric ways, so that God will have mercy and reverse the flood.
Noah builds the ark, but fails to save a single soul from the evil one. He and his family enter the ark along with the animals. The rain begins. The flood occurs. Exactly one year later, Noah and his passengers disembark to build a new world. They are told to ” be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth “
Seven Commandments of Noah
God made the rainbow covenant with Noah, promising never again to curse the earth with destruction because of man’s evil thoughts and actions. He provides seven moral guidelines to follow a second time—the Seven Noahide Commandments. Then and today, these guidelines provide simple rules for successful living.
1) To know God and acknowledge Him
2) Honor the Creator
3) Respect human life
4) Respect the institution of marriage
5) Respect the rights and property of others
6) Respect God’s creations
7) Maintain justice
Respect life.
God views intentional murder as a crime punishable by death. If a human court does not punish the murderer, God Himself will seek redress. In Genesis 9:5, He tells us: “I will immediately require the life of every man from his brother .”
We are required to respect human life from the moment of conception, because it is sacred, created in the image of God. In Genesis 9:6, God’s word is clear: ” Whoever sheds the blood of man within man, by man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God made he man .” The context in which the word “created” is used is the conception, growth, and development of a human being in the womb.
Judaism, as given to us by God through Moses, views human life as so precious that Jews are obligated to violate every Sabbath restriction to save human life, including a baby in the womb. This special exception, known as Pikuach Nefesh, logically supports the fact that Jewish law recognizes the unborn baby as a living person who must be protected.
The Big Lie – Abortion Saves Lives
Jewish abortion activists distort and abuse their sanity by insisting that legal, taxpayer-funded, and unrestricted access to abortion is necessary to save women’s lives. This distortion appeals to the broader pro-abortion movement, which promotes the idea that infanticide saves lives. Infanticide saves the abortion industry profits by killing babies and exploiting vulnerable women.
Women who do face threats due to pregnancy have other solutions than killing their unborn children. For life-threatening medical events, interventions that save both mother and baby handle most situations.
In rare cases, such as ectopic pregnancy, when treatment requires termination of pregnancy, the baby can be treated with dignity and mourned rather than poisoned and disposed of. Severe social problems respond well to pregnancy care services that include safe housing, medical care, legal services, and adoption.
Saving lives in the news
Saving lives has been in the news lately, but not saving the lives of innocent babies in their mothers’ wombs. Our leaders are focused on saving Americans from the violent crime of drug cartels, and saving foreign soldiers from ongoing wars.
The sheer number of unborn babies who are violently and legally slaughtered every day dwarfs this tragic loss. Yet babies who die from murderous abortions are left out of the political discourse about saving lives. America’s fate as a free and prosperous nation depends on their inclusion in the constitutional protections afforded to all.
A righteous Israel is born
In our haftarah this week, Isaiah 66:1-24, Isaiah likens redeemed Israel to a pregnant woman who ultimately gives birth to a righteous nation. God reminds us that He alone is the judge of life and death, pregnancy and infertility. “ Has a woman conceived, and now shall I close the womb? ” says your God.
When a new Israel arises to provide a refuge for all Jews, native and immigrant, those who mourn the passing of the old will rejoice in the new, in a holy land that our Heavenly Father blesses and redeems.
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Cecilia Rothman
May there be much peace from heaven and a good life for us and all of Israel. Amen.
Cecily Rothman is the founder and president of the Jewish Pro-Life Foundation . She opposes murder through abortion in general and among Jews in particular, and laments the establishment of secular policies in Israel that lead to the loss of Jewish lives and delay the redemption of the Messiah. Cecily envisions a Holy Land of Israel based on Torah and a world that respects the life of every human being from the moment of conception.
