Noach: What Hollywood can Teach Us about Good Stewardship

Earlier this year, Hollywood came out with a movie about the ancient story of Noah and his Ark, starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Anthony Hopkins, and Emma Watson. I thought it was an entertaining, and particularly intriguing, interpretation of the Noah story. 

The creators of the film definitely read Genesis, and had good Biblical scholars advising them, because I was struck by how carefully the storyline either stuck to the Torah text directly or created fascinating midrashim (interpretive stories) to answer some tough questions. The critical point to remember here - both about Noah and really any and ALL stories in the Torah - is that you cannot create a depiction that is 'just' literal. It simply doesn't work. Interpretation is always essential.

The plots have gaps in them. Who helped Noah build an Ark large enough for all those animals? Or if he worked with only his sons and his wife, how long did it take him? 

One of those questions MUST be answered, and the Torah doesn't offer us explanations. So again, interpretation is required. And the movie does just that. Some religious fundamentalists around the world have questioned the director, Darren Aronofsky's choices, but that, to me, is beside the point. The Torah doesn't give enough information to create a full and complete story, so his proposed solutions are just as valid as yours, or mine, or those of ancient and medieval Biblical commentators who were ALSO confused by the text. I would like to highlight for you one example of Aronofsky's close, close reading of the text.

The movie, "Noah," takes a dark turn, in which the protagonist, Noah (Russell Crowe) imagines that God is done with humanity, including the survivors inside the Ark. Their only purpose, he now believes, 

is to help bring the animals on the ship to dry land, and then humans are meant to die out. No more procreating, no more homo sapiens interfering and ruining creation; just get the animals safely off the Ark, and then slowly fade from existence. I told you, dark. And I was confused about where Aronofsky got this idea. What was he basing it on? But then I read this week's parashah, and I found the following - previously unnoticed (by me) - passage: "God spoke to Noah, saying, 'Come out of the Ark, together with your wife, your sons, and your sons' wives. Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you: birds, animals, and everything that creeps on earth; and let them swarm on the earth and be fertile and increase on earth.'" (Gen. 8:15-17) Do you see it? The moment where the movie's midrash takes shape?

Several verses later, in chapter 9, God finally invites Noah and his family to also "be fertile and increase." But in chapter 8, God instructs the humans to make room for all the other creatures and let THEM procreate and fill the planet, but NOT humans. That is where Aronofsky's Noah got his inspiration.

It is, perhaps, a minor point, but I was impressed with Hollywood's close reading of the text! Because it IS a curious distinction. And perhaps it should, at the very least, serve as a reminder to us all. We are not the only creatures on this planet, and certainly not the only ones that matter. I do believe we have a purpose, and we CAN be a force for good (though I won't give away whether Noah comes to a similar realization in the film or not...). But we can also be terribly destructive, and have been throughout our species' time on earth. We need to learn - and this is true for EACH individual, not just world leaders and environmentalists - how to step aside and let nature flourish and rejuvenate. We are not only partners with God, we are partners with our planet and our neighbors who share the space with us. That message is in our Torah; sometimes we just need Hollywood actors and directors to point it out for us.

Photos in this blog post:
1. CC image courtesy of Liviu368 on Wikimedia Commons
2. CC image courtesy of GelpgimLa22 on Wikimedia Commons
3. CC image of Leandro Bassano's "Animals Entering Noah's Ark" courtesy of Vert on Wikimedia Commons
4. CC image of Simon de Myle's "Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat" courtesy of Botaurus on Wikimedia Commons