Congregation Shalom Rav

A drash on Parshat Noach, in honor of Rabbi Arthur Waskow, z"l, by AOP Dean Rabbi Dr. Laura Duhan Kaplan.

Rabbi Arthur Waskow passed away on October 20, 2025, at the age of 92, surrounded by loving family. He was a writer, teacher, social justice activist, and lifelong learner.

So, it seems fitting for me to honor him with a word of Torah, written wth a focus on one of his causes, environmental advocacy.

On the Jewish calendar, this is the week of Parshat Noach. In synagogues around the world, we read the story of Noah, his wife Naamah, and their ark of safety filled with living beings.

When Reb Arthur spoke of the climate crisis, he sometimes spoke of Noah. All of us, he would say, are all together in this huge Ark we call Planet Earth. How will we care for it? Will we support fellow creatures, as Noah did? Will we come through it together and merit a rainbow?

As I remember Arthur, I think of Noah’s companion, the Raven. Contemporary biologists praise Raven’s intelligence—problem-solving, long-term thinking, social understanding. Many Indigenous traditions on our continent praise Raven as a holy trickster. By upending what you expected, Raven shows you new ways to look at the world. Since ravens are so venerated, I hope it will be okay to praise Arthur using the Raven as a metaphor.

Perek Shira, a medieval work of eco-spirituality, imagines the Raven quoting scripture. The Raven says, “Who prepares food for the raven, when his young ones cry out to God?” (Job 38:41). It’s a great question even at the plainest level; baby ravens are very hungry. They eat so much, that for the first few months of their life, ravens increase their weight by 50% each day! And they need a complex mix of nutrients, to help develop their bodies and their brains—so they can become the adaptable creatures they are.

Reb Arthur’s creativity was also fed by a complex mix—spirituality, philosophy, ecology, ethics, politics. He was always hungry for new ideas, growing his understanding in sophisticated spirals. Like the raven, he found his place as an activist in all kinds of situations. His fundamental principles did not change, but he adapted them to call out specific injustices in a changing world.

Midrash imagines God reminding Noah of the wisdom of the Raven. “When the drought comes, the world will need the raven” (Gen. Rabbah 33:5). Here God looks into the future to see ravens feeding the prophet Elijah during a drought (I Kings 17:6). And their sustenance helps Elijah as he challenges an unjust king.

Like Elijah, Reb Arthur himself was a prophetic challenger. But, like the ravens who befriended Elijah, Reb Arthur also brought inspiration, spiritual nourishment, and moral energy to others. He was a generous teacher. When he taught, he breathed new life into old routines. And he invited students to co-create with him, to weave ideas, and re-imagine rituals.

For all this and so much more, we—the activists and spiritual seekers who learned with him—will miss him.

***Reb Arthur was a co-founder of ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal. As an organization, and as individuals, we send condolences to his partner Phyllis Berman, their children, and grandchildren.