Why did Noah have to build an ark? Clearly, this was a very difficult and complicated way for Hashem to save Noah and his family from the flood. Not only did Noah have the go through the trouble of building this enormous edifice – a project which, according to tradition, took over 100 years to complete! – but it also subjected Noah and his family to grueling hardship. They lived together with all the animals, enduring great suffering. For one thing, we cannot even imagine the stench in the ark from all the waste produced by the animals. And, Noah was responsible for feeding every animal – such that he could never rest, as he needed to ensure that every animal was fed on time, and the different species all have different feeding schedules. This was an unfathomably challenging experience for Noah and his family. So why did Hashem save them this way? Hashem had an infinite number of ways to rescue Noah and his family. Why did He choose to have them live on an ark? The Meshech Hochma (Rav Meir Simcha Ha'kohen of Dvinsk, 1843-1926) answers that the ark was necessary in order for Noah and his family to experience what we might call "detox." As the Torah describes, the people of Noah's time were sinful, corrupt and degenerate. The society was overrun by greed, immorality and violence. People were concerned exclusively with the pursuit of self-gratification, completely disregarding the needs of others. And although Noah and his family were righteous, they were undoubtedly affected by their surroundings. Living in a society makes it all but impossible to avoid the influences of that society's value system, beliefs and culture. To some small extent, Noah and his family were influenced by their society's culture of selfishness, wanton indulgence, and cruelty. In order for this culture to be completely eliminated, Noah and his family – who would rebuild the world after the flood – needed to be purged of this influence. And for this reason, the Meshech Hochma explains, Hashem commanded them to spend a year in the ark. During this year, they were compelled to act precisely opposite of their contemporaries. They had no possibility of indulging in food, as their food supply was limited without ever being replenished. They could not live in comfort. And, they spent the entire year caring for animals, extending themselves on behalf of other creatures. For an entire year, Noah and his family were completely immersed in selflessness – thereby purging themselves of all traces of influence from the immoral society in which they had lived. Sadly, we, too, are living in a degenerate society. Our generation has embraced corrupt ideas, and inverts right and wrong. Throughout the last year, Israel has consistently been depicted as the villain, while the Hamas terrorists are seen as the helpless victims. Good is turned into bad and bad is turned into good. Basic morality is ridiculed and shunned, as are the values of self-discipline, self-restraint, and dignity. Wanton pleasure-seeking is encouraged as an ideal, and any limitations are frowned upon. Like Noah, we need to build an "ark" for ourselves – and, far more importantly, we need to make the most of this "ark." Our modern-day "ark" is our community institutions – our yeshivot, Bateh Midrash, synagogues, and communal learning programs. In this "ark," we immerse ourselves in Torah values, in morality, in spirituality. We "detox," reminding ourselves of what's right and what's wrong, of which lifestyles are appropriate and which are inappropriate, of which relationships are proper and which are improper, of how a family should look like, and of how we are to live our lives. Of course, we cannot spend our lives in the "ark." Just as Noah and his family were eventually told to exit the ark, we, too, need to spend time outside our "ark" and interact and engage with the world around us. Therefore, we need to make the most of the time spent in the "ark." Youngsters in our community's educational institutions need to be encouraged to maximize their learning and their participation in educational programming. Adults need to be fully engaged when they come to synagogue and Torah classes, recognizing the great importance of this "detox" process, of inoculating themselves against the pervasive influences of our society. Only this way can we hope to protect ourselves and our families, to retain our loyalty and devotion to Torah values, and successfully maintain our precious Torah tradition and transmit it to the next generation.