Shabbat Shalom ~ Parashat Noah 2026

Shalom WJC Family,

This week in synagogue we are reading Parashat Noah, the story of the Ark, the animals, and the flood. To read or listen to the news these days, or to scroll through your feed, you might think there is an existential disaster everyday. The real flood though is the flood of bad news, worst-case analysis, and inciting rhetoric. Of course there are real concerns now (and there always have been) and more on the horizon, but never has our culture been so focused on everything negative and every way things could go wrong. 

It is understandably difficult to filter, anxiety producing, and sometimes paralyzing. That’s part of what makes it so dangerous. Seeing all the negative news and predictions generally does not motivate us to action. It mires us in despair. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. 

But Noah knows a disaster is coming and he isn’t paralyzed. Noah understands the coming catastrophe and decides to build an ark. He believes in a better future despite the impending flood and helps to bring it about. What is the difference that allows Noah to act? He knows about the flood, but he also believes in the possibility of a better world after the flood. Noah has faith in the future, because he has faith in God. Noah focuses on the possible good rather than even the inevitable catastrophe, and thereby helps humanity navigate its way there. Good news leads to more good news.

And so, in hopes of giving us all a little hope, and in honor of World Mental Health Day, which was this past week on October 10th, I want to recommend deliberately getting some good news. One website I have come to appreciate is Positive.news. It is not that the site ignores things that are going wrong in the world. It just chooses to report on the “wins.” At the very least, it provides a balance for the deluge of negativity that is bombarding us all the time. If we want to read the good news, we need to choose it. If you have other favorite “good news” sources, please share them with me and I’ll do my best to get them out to the WJC family as well.

More good news: this Shabbat we’ll be celebrating the bar mitzvah of Oliver Smith. Mazal tov to Rosie and Dave. There will also be lots of opportunities for learning together, praying together, and shmoozing and eating together. We hope you’ll join us for all of it. Because another way to stave off the flood of negativity is to spend time together in celebration, community, faith, and purpose.

See you in shul,

RJA