This week we read Parshas Noach. 

Ten generations after Adam, the world is corrupt save for one man named Noach and his family. Hashem commands Noach to build himself a wooden ark, a teivah,  covered in pitch because He will destroy the world in a great flood, but wants Noach and his family to remain. 

Once on the ark, rain begins to fall for 40 days and nights and takes another 150 days before settling. Exactly a year later , Noach leaves the Teivah 

Noach builds an altar to thank Hashem for saving his life and Hashem promises to never destroy the world again.

During the Second Temple Era, the 7th of Cheshvan was the date on which the Jew most distant from the Holy Temple -- who resided on the banks of the Euphrates River, a 15-day journey's distance from Jerusalem -- arrived at his homestead upon returning from the Sukkot pilgrimage. All Jews would wait for this before beginning to pray for rain. 7 Cheshvan thus marked the return to everyday activities following the spirituality of the festival-rich month of Tishrei.

The Haftarah this week speaks about how forsaken Jerusalem is likened to a barren woman devoid of children. G‑d enjoins her to rejoice, for the time will soon come when the Jewish nation will return and proliferate, repopulating Israel's once desolate cities. The prophet assures the Jewish people that G‑d has not forsaken them. Although He has momentarily hid His countenance from them, He will gather them from their exiles with great mercy. The haftorah compares the final Redemption to the pact G‑d made with Noah in this week's Torah reading. Just as G‑d promised to never bring a flood over the entire earth, so too He will never again be angry at the Jewish people.

When Moshiach comes, there will be new types of plants that can be eaten. For example, the tree itself will become edible and even trees that are currently barren will begin to produce fruit. 

This story was shared by a friend who wishes to remain anonymous. 

Two weeks ago, we celebrated the return on our hostages from the gaza tunnels. Three weeks before then , I was privileged to attend a challah bake in Israel, where the mother of David and Ariel Cunio, both held hostage, was present. 

We took challah together, shared words of inspiration, sang songs and danced together out of belief that her sons were alive and coming home soon  

The Chabad Shlucha present at the event shared with us that Sylvia Cunio had recently taken on the three mitzvot of women in the merit of her sons safe return home. We were in awe, a woman in so much pain was still able to recognize the value of her actions and that her salvation was in the hands of Hashem. 

We said Amen , that the hostages should be released and really believed that it would be the case. 

Three weeks later, we saw their faces. Embracing their mother, smiling, for the first time in two years 

This story shows the incredible power of our good deeds and our belief, which have the ability to change the situation for the good. 

‍