Biblical Noah Portrayed as First PTSD Sufferer
Translated & summarized from Kipa by baba
Two rabbis, Hamutal Shoval and Shira Merili Mirois, discussed Noah on the "The Weekly Portion Is Theirs" podcast, portraying him as the first post-traumatic stress disorder sufferer. They debated his faith and actions after the flood, with Shoval defending Noah's choices as trauma responses. The rabbis compared Noah's experience to modern struggles with loss and war, emphasizing the need for community support over judgment for recovery.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Rabbis Hamutal Shoval and Shira Merili Mirois discussed Noah as the first PTSD sufferer on a podcast.
- Shoval defended Noah against criticism of his faith and actions after the global flood.
- Mirois likened Noah's ark confinement to modern needs for protective bubbles.
- Shoval stressed Noah's need to connect to the outside via prayer, not isolation.
- The rabbis interpreted Noah's drunkenness as a trauma response, not moral failing.
- They compared Noah's recovery to Israelis' struggles with war and loss, advocating compassion.
Two rabbis, Hamutal Shoval and Shira Merili Mirois, discussed the biblical figure Noah on the podcast "The Weekly Portion Is Theirs," presenting him as the first known individual to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder after a global catastrophe. The conversation explored Noah's complex character, addressing criticism from ancient Jewish texts that he was "small in faith" for not praying for those around him. Rabbi Shoval defended Noah, stating he did "what he could" given the circumstances.
Rabbi Mirois suggested that humans sometimes need to create a protective bubble in overwhelming situations, comparing Noah's confinement in the ark to a modern youth disconnecting from their phone. Rabbi Shoval countered, drawing on Hasidic teachings, that the "ark implies a word," emphasizing the importance of maintaining a connection to the outside world through speech and prayer rather than complete isolation.
The rabbis also addressed Noah's choice to plant a vineyard and become drunk after the flood, rather than focusing solely on sustenance like wheat. Rabbi Mirois interpreted this as a leader's fall, who "made himself secular" under the immense burden. Rabbi Shoval argued that the drunkenness was not a moral failing but a distinct traumatic response to witnessing a destroyed world.
Concluding their discussion, Mirois and Shoval drew a parallel between Noah's experience and the Israeli struggle with war and loss. "They don't always plant wheat, sometimes they also go for wine," Shoval noted, stressing that true recovery requires support from family, community, and compassion, rather than judgment, to help individuals rebuild after devastation.