Noach- Building an Ark for protection from the outside.

This week the three social media online platforms- WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram ‘went down’ for a number of hours due to an outage causing mayhem for many people and business’s across the UK.
Initially when I realised there was a problem with my WhatsApp I became frustrated as I had numerous messages I wished to read and send on the numerous groups I belong too.
But as the hours passed I realised just how less cluttered life is without all the incessant digital communications.

Psychologists have collated evidence that shows that the frequency and intensity of use of social media are connected to lower self esteem and depressive symptoms.
It is no exaggeration to say that the neural networks in our brains are being transformed by our use of digital technology.

On an inner more spiritual level the threat today of being swept away by a deluge of materialism (as an end in itself) especially through digital media is akin to the raging flood waters of the days of Noach which threatened the existence of life on earth.

This may seem a far fetched comparison but the quest for truth and higher purpose requires a refined mind and peace of mind.
It could be argued that at no time in the history of civilisation have human beings had so many distractions that can take them away from their true purpose. When our minds are flooded with the wrong stimuli then we are led astray.

My break from WhatsApp (i rarely use FB and don’t use Instagram) reminded me how easily we slip into patterns of behaviour that can negatively effect us. Whilst use of these communication apps is incredibly useful (Our St Annes Shul WhatsApp group is a great example) we must always be ever conscious of the dangers of digital technologies which are designed by extremely clever IT people with the know how to make these platforms so addictive, immersive.

The Jewish approach to the world is to “be of the world but not in the world”. Of course we must to a certain extent move with the times but at the same time this must never be at the expense of our core values or core identity as Jews.

King Solomon in Song of Songs sums up the love each of us possesses deep within our core for God that can never be extinguished. He used the metaphor of water:

“Many waters cannot quench the love, nor can rivers flood it”. – Song of Songs 8:7

Rashi (our classic commentator 1040-1105 France) explains the phrase “Many waters” as referring to the heathen nations and “rivers” as “their princes and their kings”.

Todays princes and kings that threaten to overwhelm us are the global corporations known to investors as FAANG (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google)

Noach and family (and animals) were saved from the flood because they built and entered the ark.
We too must protect ourselves, our families and communities by building a spiritual ark that blocks out the toxic waters that engulf us.
The Hebrew for Ark is Teiva which also means “word”
Come into the ark is a calling to us all to “enter the word”
The word/Teiva is a symbol for words of Torah and Prayer as well as words of kindness.
It is through these words that we are able to reqire our neural networks in ways that provide protection from outside negative influences.
When we enter the arks we construct for ourselves through a life of Torah and Mitzvot we protect ourselves from spiritual “outages”. We are then able to maintain a balanced life responding with faith and inner joy to all that life throws at us.

Shabbat Shalom