The Antidote to Stress
The Antidote to Stress
Managing our stress level is a challenge we often face when trying to keep up with our daily responsibilities and commitments.
Maintaining a healthy balance between family, work, community and a connection to our heritage is essential to living a purposeful and meaningful life. But how can we properly dedicate ourselves to each of these aspects of our lives within the limited time we have without feeling overwhelmed?
The key to greater productivity is to work smarter, not harder. Working smarter saves precious time and energy for the things that really matter. When our head is in the right place and we set our priorities in the correct order, we can accomplish a lot more in less time.
In this week's Torah portion G‑d instructs Noah—the only righteous man in a world consumed by violence and corruption—to build a large wooden Teivah (“ark”). A great flood, says G‑d, will wipe out all life from the face of the earth; but the ark will float upon the water, sheltering Noah and his family, and two members (male and female) of each animal species.
As the verse states, “And the Lord said to Noah, 'Come into the ark, you and all your household, for it is you that I have seen as a righteous man before Me in this generation.” (Genesis 7:1)
Although G-d's command was directed specifically to Noah, the lesson is eternal and relevant at all times as well. The Baal Shem Tov (1698-1760) explained that the Hebrew word for “ark,” Teivah, also means “word.” “Come into the word,” says G‑d; enter within the words of prayer and Torah study. Here you will find a sanctuary of wisdom, meaning and holiness amidst the raging flood waters of life.
One of the lessons we derive from this part of the narrative is that we should never despair in the face of what is occurring in the world around us. Even when threatened with a devastating flood, a pandemic, or personal challenges, we should retain our optimism, for G-d watches over each us and shelters us, and for Him, anything is possible.
We all need to set aside times in our busy day to take a moment to enter our own personal arks by reconnecting with our soul and strengthen our faith in G-d. This is not only necessary for our own spiritual growth but it also helps us advance in our careers in a relaxed and meaningful way.
Furthermore, we should realize that by entering our spiritual "ark," our prayers and study of the Torah can save the entire world and even raise it to a higher level of being, just as Noah "beheld a new world" when he emerged from the ark.
But there is another lesson we derive from this story which is equal to, if not more important than, the first. After the ground dried completely—exactly one solar year (365 days) after the onset of the Flood—G‑d commanded Noah to exit the Teivah and repopulate the earth.
As the verse states, “G‑d spoke to Noah, saying: “Go out of the ark . . .” (Genesis 8:16). It may be tempting to remain in this protective spiritual atmosphere, and its serene perfection might delude us into thinking that there really is no need to perfect the world around us. We are nevertheless instructed to leave it, for the true purpose of entering the ark is to ultimately emerge from it, enter the world, and transform it into G-d's home.
Although there were all types of animals in the ark, miraculously they all learned how to get along and not harm one another. Our Sages state that the peace that reigned between the animals in Noah's Ark is a foretaste of the redemption when “A wolf shall live with a lamb, and a leopard shall lie with a kid; and a calf and a lion cub and a fatling [shall lie] together, and a small child shall lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6)
By applying the lessons we learn from the teachings of the Torah and sharing it with the people around us, we will ultimately merit, very soon, to the coming of Moshiach when peace, prosperity and kindness will prevail over the entire world.
