New York rabbi on why God destroyed the world in Genesis: People 'failed to see our shared divine image'

 “The earth was corrupt before God and was filled with violence” (Genesis 6:11).

This passage comes from the first book of the Bible, the Book of Genesis. Genesis contains, among other things, the story of the seven days of creation, the story of Adam and Eve, and the story of Noah's ark.

Tradition states that Moses was the author of Genesis.

New York-based Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm told Fox News Digital that readers of Genesis may be confused about why God destroyed the Earth with a flood after his first attempt at creation.

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Lamm is the chief executive of BZ Media, a group dedicated to "bringing together creative talent and philanthropic resources to produce the best Jewish and Israel content for mainstream Gen Z audiences and beyond."

Lamm said Genesis 6:11, which states that "the earth was corrupt" and "was full of violence", provides a clue about God's wrath.

That said, in Hebrew, the word used in this verse is "chamas," which is often, but not always, translated into English as "violence."

"I suspect they weren't sure what the word meant," Lamm said.

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PlaceholderThat said, the actual meaning of the word is quite subtle.

"Forms of the word 'chamas' appear 60 times in the Bible. But apart from the story of Noah, there are only three times in the Bible where it occurs with the verb 'malei,' which means 'to fill'," he Said. ,

In other parts of the Bible, he said, "chamas" is translated "steal."

"But 'theft' also misses some important nuances," Lam said. "The term 'chamas' conveys a greater sense of callous disregard for the humanity of others, not just in monetary matters."

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"So let's bring it back to Noah. Why did God destroy the world? Not because of physical violence, or even because of theft," Lamm said.

“But because of ‘chamas’ – treating others with contempt, failing to see our shared divine image.”

Once people began to treat others with contempt, Lam said, they "became capable of true evil."

"The ancient rabbis told the following story about the origin of the flood. You would go to the market with a bucket of produce. Passersby would carelessly steal less than a penny worth from the bucket. Too little to prosecute... but enough So that by the end of the day you have nothing," he said.

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Lamm said this story is one of his favorites, because "it so poignantly exposes both the meaning of 'theft' and the callous disregard for humanity: no one cared about harming others."

He added, "They didn't want to hold themselves responsible if they got caught!"

The lessons learned in Genesis are still applicable today, Lamm said.

He said, "We must begin to resolve to treat our fellow citizens, regardless of our disagreements, as full partners in our aspiration to improve the American experiment and ensure our mutual human flourishing."