It was just one day, tradition teaches, that  Noah was behind schedule. Yet, the next day, as he returns, seemingly on time once again, but the lion remembers. Noah survives that encounter, but comes away mauled.

Without reading in too much here, couldn’t the lion have cut Noah some slack?

Poor Noah. Alone among the human race, tasked by the Almighty to ensure the survival of every remnant of the animal kingdom, he is responsible for their care and feeding.

One idea in Jewish tradition is Noah might have had a good excuse, but this was, after all, one half of the remaining lion population in the world. If that lion isn’t fed and cared for properly, there would be no more lions. Ever.

There’s a lesson here in how we in government or in our advocacy must focus on an issue. To the person asking for help, or the issue at hand, this is indeed “the very last of its kind.” As Noah teaches, we can’t always do everything for everyone.

But it is our responsibility to try.

Words to consider. Ideas to ponder. Politics and the parsha.

Howie Beigelman, formerly of Springfield, NJ, is Executive Director of Ohio Jewish Communities. He works at the intersection of Jewish communal service and nonprofit advocacy. Follow him on Twitter @howielb

By Howie Beigelman