Israel is a tiny piece of land and the Jewish people are a tiny fraction of the world population. Why is Israel so prominent in the news? Why are Jews so newsworthy?

This week’s Torah portion is “Noah” (Genesis 6:9-11:32) and it is one of my favorites. This is not only because my middle name is Noah, but because the portion is filled with important stories whose messages are just as important today as they were then. The first story in this week’s Torah portion is, of course, the story of Noah and the flood.