A man was visiting the zoo, walking from cage to cage, when he came upon one topped with a painted sign: “Witness a Messianic Prophecy! The wolf and the lamb lie together!” The man looked into the cage and was awestruck. Indeed, a wolf and a lamb were dozing there, next to each other. Excitedly, and with tears in his eyes, the man ran up to the zookeeper and exclaimed, “This is wonderful! A miraculous sign! Please tell me, how did you merit this?” The zookeeper shrugged, and said, “Merit? All I know is, the boss’s orders: “Three times a day, put a new lamb in the cage.”

* * *

Noach A Taste of Paradise

The flood was over. Dry land appeared, and the world was ready to be re-inhabited. Noah and the animals had been locked up in the Ark for 365 days. G-d commanded Noah to leave the Ark, and in turn, hayitzei–order the animals out.”[1]

Why did G-d command Noah to leave the Ark when the Ark was already on dry land? Wasn’t it clear that Noah had finished his mission and was dismissed? Furthermore, why should G-d have to issue an additional command to Noah, instructing him to order the animals to leave the Ark? Did Noah think the animals should stay? By this time they were surely agitated, exasperated, and more than ready to leave on their own.

KRI AND KSIV
The word ha-yitzei, “order them out,”is a “kri-and-a-ksiv“, a word that is pronounced (kri) one way, but written (ksiv) in the Torah scroll a different way. These two ways of reading the word also imply different shades of meaning.

Rashi[2] explains that the kri in this passage, ha-yitzei, implies: “Order them (all the animals) that they should go out.” However, the ksiv of this word, hotzei, implies: “If they don’t want to go out, force them out.”

In general, a kri is the logical meaning of the word, given its context. The meaning of the ksiv however, is often beyond logic,[3] and may even seem to be out of context, yet it reveals unexpected mystical implications. When we encounter a kri-and-a-ksiv we are invited into contemplation: how can we embrace this conflict in meaning?

THE WOLF AND THE LAMB
Our rabbis tell us that the light of the Messianic Era permeated the Ark.[4] Even though the Ark was packed with every creature under the sun, and Noah and his family had to tend to all of their needs around the clock, Noah reveled in a deep sense of peace. The animals too were enjoying a miraculously harmonious existence. There were no carnivorous acts among the Ark’s inhabitants, nor did their food spoil during the entire year. It was truly a revelation of the Messianic prophecy, “The wolf and the lamb will lie together.”[5] Now we can understand why Noah and the animals needed to be told to disembark. Still, if the animals were so peaceful, why would they need to be “forced” out?

SURVIVAL INSTINCTS
The prospect of leaving the Ark also triggered the animals’ survival instincts. The Torah says that in the Ark there were seven (or seven pairs) of every kosher animal, and two of every non-kosher animal.[6] If they were to leave and return to their aggressive ways, many species would be vulnerable to becoming extinct before they had a chance to reproduce. The kosher herbivores were concerned because they were no match for the ferocious carnivores. Even non-kosher animals were resistant since there were only two per species. And so, hotzei–—they had to be forced out.

A fascinating phenomenon appears when we compare the letters of ha-yitzei and hotzei. The first two letters of each word combine to form the Tetragrammaton, G-d’s name of Compassion. This suggests that the animals didn’t need to fear extinction, for even as they left the Ark, G-d’s Compassion would be with them.[7]

A PRODUCTIVE LIFE
What is the lesson for us?[8] The Baal Shem Tov teaches that the word teivah, Ark, also means “word”—words of Torah and prayer.[9] G-d’s commandment to enter the Ark is a teaching for every Jewish person: ‘Go into the Ark, into the words of Torah study and prayer. Enjoy their warm refuge from the tumultuous waters of the world.’ The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains why G-d also commanded Noah to leave the Ark:[10] ‘Know that the ultimate objective is not to stay sequestered in an island of holiness. Every person must ‘go out’–bring tranquility and harmony into the world, and be a living example of uprightness and compassion.’ This is how we will ‘create a dwelling place for G-d in the lowest of all worlds.’

DIVINE TIMING
The month of Tishrei is an intensive immersion in spirituality–the many holy days surely uplift us, as we celebrate festive prayer services, inspiring mitzvos, and lush feasts. Tishrei gives us a taste of the Messianic Era. But after its ecstatic culmination we find ourselves in the month of Cheshvan, the only month that has no holy days. We are suddenly back in the daily grind of life. Parshas Noach is the first portion that we read in the month of Cheshvan. Just when we begin to feel nostalgia for the elevated spirituality of the previous month, the Torah reminds us: our mission involves trusting G-d and leaving this Ark of tranquility. Not that we should leave the gifts of Tishrei behind, but we should take Tishrei with us into the everyday world, as we work to fulfill our true mission–to permeate the whole world with the knowledge of G-d.

A STORY
In 1777, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Vitebsk led a large group of Russian chasidim to the Land of Israel, and settled in Tiberias. Some time after his arrival, someone in Jerusalem climbed the Mount of Olives and blew a mighty blast from a shofar. The simple folk who heard it assumed that this was the long-awaited shofar-blast of Mashiach, heralding the Redemption. When the rumor that the Mashiach had arrived reached Rabbi Menachem Mendel’s home in Tiberias, he opened the window, looked around, smelled the breeze, and said, “No, it can’t be true. I don’t sense something new in the air.”[11] Rabbi Menachem Mendel was obviously a tzaddik, who possessed the Divine spirit. Why should he have to open the window first, and smell the air, in order to determine whether the Mashiach had arrived or not? The answer is, the tranquil spirit of Mashiach was always vividly present within the house of Rabbi Menachem Mendel. He was only curious to see if Mashiach was also present to the rest of the world.

ACTION: Create an atmosphere of peace and tranquility in your home. Recite a Psalm. Allow the words to lift you into a state of joyful praise. Sense the taste of the Messianic Era that comes with heartfelt connection to G-d. Then share that inspiration with another person.

FOOTNOTES
[1] Genesis, 8:16-17
[2] On Genesis, 8:17
[3] Igeret Hakodesh, Chapter 19
[4] Lekutei Sichos, “Padah B’shalom L’admor Hazakein” (Vol. 25, page 29)
[5] Isaiah, 11:6-7
[6] Genesis, 7:2
[7] See Genesis, 9:9-17
[8] See HaYom Yom, 2nd & 3rd of Cheshvan
[9] Keser Shem Tov, “Hosafos”, Chapter 8
[10] Lekutei Sichos, ibid., pp. 32-33
[11] Adapted from A Treasury of Chasidic Tales, published by Artscroll, page 159.