We're All in the Same Boat

I just heard a story about a man who lost everything and had to start over at age 62. His name was Karl Eller (obm). In his 20's he worked for an outdoor advertising company.  After ten years he started his own advertising company. Eight years later he merged his business with a radio and television company. Sixteen years after that he became chairman of Columbia Pictures. He then merged Columbia Pictures with Coca-Cola and by the time he was 55 he had amassed 500 million dollars. That was around 1983. Then he invested all of his money into Circle K convenience stores which became the second largest chain of convenience stores behind 7/11. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) in a two or three year period he lost everything. What took him forty years to build was gone. The good news is, his story doesn't end there. At 62, he decided there was still time and he could bounce back. He learned from all his mistakes and was able to get some money together and make new investments. This time it only took him  six or seven years to become a billionaire by selling his company to Clear Channel, Inc. He was best known for his ability to seize opportunity and to give back to his community.

Life is all about false starts, wrong turns,missed opportunities, and learn-it-the hard way experiences. This is exactly the way it is supposed to be. We are not robots. Mistakes can be transformed into learning experiences so in the end we ascend higher than the angels.

I think it's interesting that even God had to start over. Something went wrong - not with God, but with His partner- man - the "wild card" in God's investment.

After ten generations, the best mankind had to offer was a guy named Noah. Thankfully we had a righteous individual to represent us in that generation. So God didn't have to start his business completely over. Instead, He did a merge.

God took the best earthling and merged him with the purifying waters of heaven. The meaning of Noah's name tells us something positive was happening in the world, "Noach" is connected to the word for inner peace, comfort and resting. When God purified the world through the waters of the Flood, heaven and earth became integrated. The merge brought the world to a place of tranquillity.

The clouds, which are formed from the mist that rises from the ground, represent this transformation of the physical into something exquisite and unearthly. After the Flood, the clouds were thinner (allowing rainbows to form), symbolising  the ability for human beings to take another stab at partnering with God to purify the material world.



Each of the colors of the Rainbow represent a righteous man who personifies or integrates a godly character trait into the physical world:


Blue is for Abraham. Abraham epitomises Kindness  -  his journey of faith became a blessing to                                                                                                           others.
Red is for Isaac. Isaac epitomises inner Strength and discipline of his body and emotions.
Yellow is for Jacob. Jacob epitomises the Beautiful Balance between love and boundaries.
Violet is for Moses. Moses epitomises Eternal Victory in choosing the God of the Hebrews over                                                                                                    other gods.
Orange is for Aaron. Aaron epitomises Simplicity in Serving God for the sake of the people.
Green is for Joseph. Joseph epitomises  Foundational Truth needed to be proactive and reach                                                                                                                one's full potential.
Indigo is for David, David epitomises Humility and a desire to constantly connect with God.

(If you would like a more in-depth mystical study about the colors of the Rainbow and integrating heaven with earth, contact us at Torah for the Nations.)