Welcome back to another week of MPT! This week we read parshat Noach. We pretty much know what happens in this story. The people of the earth are misbehaving and God plans to wipe them out. God calls on Noah to build an ark, gather his family and a bunch of animals and board that ark so they can survive the flood. God brings down a huge flood that wipes out the whole earth and Noah waits and waits for the flood to go down.
What kinds of animals did God instruct Noah to bring on board the ship? Genesis 6:20 says two of every kind of animal – birds, cattle, and “creeping things” alike. Later on, in Genesis 7:2-3, God instructs Noah to take seven pairs of every clean animal and two pairs of every unclean animal. (This discrepancy is usually attributed to a difference in “strands” or authors). We can conclude that clean means kosher and unclean means non-kosher. We can learn a lot from this; especially today.
As we are striving for a better world, we often want to “cancel” those who don’t agree with us or who have completely opposing views than we do. We want the world to look exactly the way we think it should look. The problem with this is that others have a similar outlook and that includes the people with whom we disagree. When we completely shut out any ideas but our own (the ones we consider “clean”) we aren’t creating a balanced ecosystem. Just like we need many different kinds of animals and plants for a balanced planet, we need many different ideas for a balanced society. To build the world we want to see, we need to work with those with whom we disagree.
Take note of how many of each type of animal Noah brings on the ark. Noah brings seven pairs of clean animals and 2 pairs of unclean animals. When creating your life and choosing who you choose to spend your time with, you can follow Noah’s lead. Surround yourself more often with people who have similar opinions and whose beliefs align with yours. The majority of your friend group can be those with whom you agree. However, make sure there is room for those with whom you disagree. Let them in for a little and engage with them. While it may make you uncomfortable to be in a conversation with someone so different than you, you’ll be better for it. It’ll help you be a better and more balanced human being. And remember, just like Noah needed a variety of animals because he would eventually not be the only person on earth, you’re not the only one here. We can learn a lot from others and can even teach them something new when we are open to them and treat them with respect.
Where would we be if Noah decided to “cancel” those unclean animals?
Hello! It’s me, your friendly neighborhood Marissa here with a quick little anecdote. My Yom Kippur tradition has become to watch movies after services until it is time to break the fast. One of the movies I watched this year was the Netflix original Enola Holmes. I wasn’t sure what to expect and honestly didn’t have high expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was a great movie with a great cast and just a fun watch. On top of that, I really think we can relate it to the theme of this week’s post
Quickly before I actually dive into things, I just want to say that this will be a spoiler free post. I will try to be as general as possible without revealing anything major. The movie is still relatively new and I highly encourage you to watch it if you have access to a Netflix account. Now that we’ve got my anecdote and disclaimer out of the way, let’s begin.
The movie tells the story of 16-year-old Enola Holmes, the younger sister of Mycroft and the infamous Sherlock Holmes. Enola wakes up on her 16th birthday to find her mother has disappeared. Mycroft thinks Enola is a wild child and since she has become his responsibility, he wants to ship her off to finishing school. Meanwhile, Sherlock is uninvested in the situation and offers no help to a distraught Enola. So, she runs away in search of her mother.
We won’t be focusing on the main plot of the movie, however. Instead, we’re going to focus on what’s going around in the background. The movie takes place in England during the later part of the Victorian Era. We hear a lot of talk about the “reform bill” in the movie. Though it isn’t specified what it’s about, we can infer that it is a bill to give women the right to vote. We do know for a fact that it has to do with women based on conversations between characters throughout the movie. Also, this “reform bill” might be a reference to the Third Reform Act of 1884 which was an act passed in parliament that gave agricultural workers the right to vote (among other things). While this did not give women the right to vote, it could be considered a step in the right direction and just a fun little historical tidbit (I really love history and it’s fun to learn about other countries).
Let’s go back to the movie. Now, in order for the “reform bill” to pass it had to pass in the House of Lords. This is really where we see the connection with the portion. There are many men, including Mycroft, who are against the reform bill. They only care about themselves. The bill doesn’t help them, so why would they vote for it? In their society, women are lesser than so why should they be given the same rights as men? This is like thinking that only the kosher animals should have been saved from the flood in Noah’s story because they are the only animals that directly benefit the Jewish people. In the beginning of the movie, after discovering a book their mother had on feminism, Mycroft says. “Oh, good G-d! Feminism. Perhaps she was mad, or senile. Though madness, in our family? I would doubt it.”
On the other hand, we do have some male characters who are in favor of the bill…well we have one. But sometimes all it takes is one vote to make a difference (wink wink nudge nudge). This one male character knew that the reform bill didn’t necessarily directly affect him, but acknowledged that it would help so many others. Related to the story of Noah, the non-kosher animals didn’t directly affect the Jewish people but God acknowledged their importance to those around them.
I can’t leave this here without addressing one scene in particular. It was the scene that inspired me to relate this portion to Enola Holmes. It is a scene between Sherlock and Edith, a friend of Eudoria. Edith is a black woman (though this isn’t historically accurate I do appreciate this little bit of diversity in a film with a predominately white cast especially because Edith is a BOSS) who owns/runs (it isn’t specified) a tea shop with a collection of banned books and teaches martial arts to women upstairs. Like, how freaking cool is Edith?! This scene is amazing because Edith has Sherlock check his privilege. He is a white male from a wealthy family with no interest in getting involved in politics. Well, Edith looks Sherlock dead in the eye and says, “Politics doesn’t interest you because you have no interest in changing a world that suits you so well.” This quote really hits the nail on the head. Again, just because something doesn’t directly affect you, doesn’t mean it isn’t important.
These are all things you should keep in mind as you go through life and during this upcoming election. We strongly encourage you to vote and do your research. Make sure you’re voting for someone who not only cares about themselves, but cares about the rights of others. We might not be in Victorian England, but we still have groups of men deciding what women can and cannot do. You are extremely privileged if you don’t wake up everyday afraid that your rights will get taken away. Think of these people. Use your vote to not only help yourself, but to help them. Also, go watch Enola Holmes because boy it is a fun time!
See you next week,
Amanda & Marissa
