Parshas Noach Messages 5778

I apologize I am so late in posting this, but here are a couple of insights on Noach:

1) Rashi HaKadosh quotes from Gemara Sanhedrin 108, which says that the decree (that the Mabul would happen) on the people of that time was sealed only because of stealing.

But what does this mean?  Surely they did other bad things that were perhaps worse!  So why specifically was the Decree sealed because of theft?

Explains HaRav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel zt"l (chief Rabbi of Krakow in the mid-1600's -- not to be confused with the Apter Rebbe zt"l who had the same name):  We have another question that comes to us, (besides the one above); why didn't Hashem first take away these people's possessions, as it is taught in Midrash Vayikra Rabbah, that Hashem does not first punish a person themself, as we find with reagrds to afflictions (such as Tzaraas, etc.) that first He afflicts the person's house; and then their garments -- and if they do not do Teshuva (Chas V'Shalom), then He will actually afflict them.  

So why in this case, asks Rav Avraham Yehoshua, did Hashem not do thus?  Why did He just bring the Mabul and not take away their possessions first?

Answers Rav Heschel zt"l beautifully; this works when the things actually belong to the person (or people, in this case).  But since with the generation of the Mabul, almost everybody was a thief, what they had wasn't their own, and so HaKadosh Baruch Hu had to go straight to punishing them. (Quoted in Yagdil Torah).

2) The Torah tells us that Noach was a Tzaddik (righteous person), perfect in his generations.  On that, Rashi HaKadosh quotes from Gemara Sanhedrin 108 two opinions of what that means; one of them says that if Noach had lived in a better generation, he would have been an even better person!

From here we can see the power of influence:  One's surroundings and the people around can affect their behavior -- no matter how much we say we are unsusceptable to bad influence.  Noach could have been an even bigger Tzaddik, if he was around better people...

But then we must think to ourselves; what kind of influence are we giving off?  By just improving ourselves we can improve so many others; but unfortunately, and Rachmana Litzlan, the opposite can be true as well...

And on the other hand, the story of Noach also gives us Chizuk:  It shows us that we do have the power to go against the grain.  We can stand up to the strong push in the direction of evil and say "No." If in the company of people -- who don't necessarily have to be bad, but are doing something bad, Chas V'Shalom, we can stand strong and not do that thing.  And may HaKadosh Baruch Hu give us all the strength to always go in the right direction and stand up to the evil in the world, and may He soon eradicate all evil, Amein.

I wish you all a wonderful week and a Gut, warm, Shabbos!