“These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous and innocent man in his generations” (Genesis 6:9). 

The Biblical story of Noah resonates powerfully in our current reality, offering profound insights into our contemporary struggles. Noah lived in a world overwhelmed by “Hamas” — a term appearing first in this story and recurring over 50 times throughout the Bible. This Hebrew word encompasses violence, corruption, brutality, and the destruction of human dignity — eerily mirroring the ideology of today’s Hamas and other terrorist organizations.

In Noah’s time, God warned of impending destruction of the world, declaring “The end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth is filled with Hamas because of them” (Genesis 6:13). The world had descended into chaos, where violence became the governing force of society. The biblical commentary Ibn Ezra notes that Noah, though righteous, remained reclusive and unmatched in many generations. While he followed divine instructions to build the ark, gathering animals and provisions for survival, we must question whether his individual righteousness was sufficient in a world crying out for transformation.

The word “Hamas” in biblical context carries multiple layers of meaning, each reflecting aspects of destruction: the corruption of justice through false testimony, the violation of human dignity, theft and fraud that undermines society’s foundations, and ultimately, the destruction of life itself. These ancient definitions stand in stark contrast to the modern terrorist organization’s attempt to rebrand these acts of violence as “enthusiasm” and “heroism” – as translated from the Arabic language for the word Hamas.

The parallels between Noah’s era and our own time are striking, particularly in the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7th atrocities. Like Noah’s generation, we face a force that threatens to flood our world with violence and destruction. However, our response must differ fundamentally from Noah’s approach. 

While he focused solely on following specific divine instructions for survival, our generation is called to take more extensive, proactive measures.

Unlike Noah, who remained within the confines of his ark, we cannot retreat into our comfort zones while terror threatens our world. Our challenge demands more than mere survival or passive righteousness. As the TorahRefers to the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, also called the Five Books of Moses, Pentateuch or the Hebrew equivalent, Humash. This is also called the Written Torah. The term may also refer to teachings that expound on Jewish tradition. Read more teaches through the contrast between Noah and Abraham — who actively argued for the sake of others in the Sodom and Gomorrah story (Genesis 18:23-33) we must embrace a more engaged approach to confronting evil.

This moment in history calls us to step beyond our secure boundaries, to raise our voices against injustice, to strengthen our advocacy for peace, and take decisive action against terror. We must mobilize every available resource, forge stronger connections within and beyond our communities, and work tirelessly to combat the ideology of violence that threatens to engulf us.

The flood waters of terror rise around us, but unlike Noah, who simply floated above the destruction, we must actively work to block this tide. Our generation’s test is not just about personal survival or individual righteousness — it’s about collective action and shared responsibility. 

By learning from Noah’s story, we understand that being righteous in our own time requires more than building personal arks of safety. It demands that we emerge from our comfort zones and work together to protect humanity from the Hamas of our time, ensuring that future generations inherit a world where peace and justice prevail over violence and terror.