We were sitting around at Kosher on Fuller on Thursday night, October 31st, and I asked Yoni S. what he thought I should speak about on Friday Night at the Hillel Shabbat dinner? Yoni said, if the Torah portion is Noach, then the most appropriate thing to share on a college campus (and on a weekend when many doing excessive drinking) is the lesser-known story of Noah’s drunkenness after leaving the Ark. Hearing that from Yoni reminded me that one year ago, on this Parsha Noach, Ari L. spoke about Noah’s drunkenness in a very student-oriented lingo, quite memorable!
Not to steal Ari’s thunder on this topic, we’ll focus on the next part of the story, what happens after Noah gets drunk. How his sons Ham and Shem & Yefet dealt with it very differently:
Due to his drunkenness, Noah was in a compromised, already undignified state. His son Ham made bad things worse. He aggravated the problem, exacerbated the issue, did things he totally should not have done. He made much more drama than there already was. Noah sons Shem and Yefet, on the other hand, did what they could to preserve and protect their father’s dignity. Even in a compromised state, even if its their fault, a good son, a good friend, does what it takes to help minimize, not maximize, the damage.
These two sons of Noah, these two types, exist in all times, even down to 2024. You’ll find them everywhere in society, in every community, and on campus as well. There’s surely representation of both types at frat parties. There are always those who expose and ridicule and exacerbate a problem situation, those who add drama. And yet, there are also those who try to mitigate, to do what’s possible to preserve and protect people’s dignity even when they have temporarily lost it for themselves. To take responsibility in irresponsible situations.
Be a Shem and Yefet, not a Ham. Be a good friend, even or especially in those bad situations.