Have the courage to pioneer, to do something new, to take the road less travelled, to venture out in

There is an ancient Jewish text known as Midrash Yelamdenu. The Midrash is in two parts and is a commentary on God’s words to Noah:

Genesis 8:15-16  Then God spoke to Noah, saying, “Come out of the ark, you and your wife, your sons and your sons’ wives with you.

On this the Midrash says:

Noah said to himself, “Since I only entered the Ark with permission (from God), shall I leave without permission?” The Holy One blessed be He said, to him: “Are you looking for permission? In that case I give you permission.” Then God said to Noah, “Come out of the Ark.”

Like Yeshua saying, “Lazarus, come forth.”

The Midrash then adds:

Said Rabbi Judah bar Ilai, “If I had been there, I would have smashed down [the doors of] the Ark and taken myself out of it.”

One of the most imminent Jewish scholars of our time Rabbi Dr. Nachum Rabinovich drew this moral conclusion. When it comes to rebuilding a shattered world, you do not wait for permission. God gives us permission. He expects us to go on ahead.