After leaving the ark, it is recorded that “Then Noah built an altar to the LORD” (Genesis 8:20). This is the first recorded building of an altar – or, indeed, of any religious structure – in the Bible. (The 13th century French biblical commentator Chizkuni suggests it was the same altar used by Cain and Abel, although no altar is mentioned in that account, found in Genesis 4. The 13th-14th century Spanish commentator Rabbeinu Bahya offers a beautiful mystical interpretation of Noah’s building of the altar that is well worth checking out.)
Noah and his family and the animals had been on the ark over a year by this point. This was an experience with very few parallels. They were quarantined far more strictly than we have been during this COVID-19 pandemic – and with no internet, Netflix, Zoom, and probably not much in the way of books! But they had to weather the quite literal storm and subsequent flooding until such time as the land was dry and they were able to leave the ark.
Although it is clearly stated that Noah offered a sacrifice from the clean animals that were on the ark, I wonder if he might also have been offering the spiritual gifts arising out of his time in the ark. There might have been some sort of spiritual transformation that occurred in Noah during this time – perhaps the sacrifice is also an offering of his transformed soul. It is interesting to note that the LORD does not command Noah to offer a sacrifice in the text – but Noah is moved to do so, and the LORD is pleased and is moved to vow not to destroy humankind again.
I wonder, as we continue in this quarantine, what gifts we may discover, what spiritual transformations may renew our souls, what new wisdom we might find? Or perhaps we will have pain and devastation and anger and sorrow to offer – and that is also an offering we can make. After this pandemic comes to an end (please LORD may it be soon!), what altar or other spiritual structure will we be moved to build, and what offerings will we make?
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