Parshas Noach Messages 5780

בּ"ה

Parshas Noach

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‘These (אלה) are the generations of Noach; Noach was a righteous man, perfect he was in his generations. . .’ (Bereishis 6:9)

Rabbi Abahu zt”l teaches that the word אלה (‘Eileh -- These’) invalidates what came beforehand, i.e. it indicates that there is a lack of connection between the preceding thing and the topic at hand (Midrash Bereishis Rabbah 30:3; see there).

What came before the Torah’s account of Noach’s righteousness? That ‘all the inclination of the thoughts of his [man’s] heart was only bad the entire day’ (6:5), and they went to destruction.

Noach, however, was very righteous, and he caused generations forever to arise.

(Chizkuni zt”l)

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‘Noach was a righteous man, perfect he was in his generations’ (Bereishis 6:9)

Rashi zt”l cites from various sources (Midrashim, and perhaps also the Gemara) two opinions of what ‘in his generations’ means; some say that it means that only in his generations was Noach such a big Tzaddik, but in the generation of Avraham Avinu, he wouldn’t have been considered such. And some interpret the phrase that if Noach had lived in a better generation, he would have been an even better person!

Both of these interpretations, explains the Chasam Sofer {HaRav Moshe Sofer zt”l}, are true, and not necessarily mutually exclusive in the least! Because really, they all agree that if Noach had remained on the level of righteousness that he was on at that moment, he wouldn’t have been considered so prominent in the days of Avraham Avinu, but they both also agree that if Noach had been living in Avraham’s generation, he would have risen to a much higher level than he was on!

(Toras Moshe)

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From the second interpretation Rashi brings, we can see the incredible power of influence: One’s surroundings and the people around can affect their behavior. Noach could have been an even bigger tzaddik, if he was around better people.

So now 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 “flip side,” as it were, the story of Noach also 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.”

Obviously, as we mentioned, influence is huge, and we must always try to associate with good people, but if we ever find ourselves in the company of people -- who don’t necessarily have to be bad -- but are doing something that isn’t right, Chas V’Shalom, we can stand strong and not do that thing.

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.

(Tal U'Matar)

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‘These are the generations of Noach; Noach was a righteous man. . .’ (Bereishis 6:9)

The Yehudi HaKadosh, HaRav Yaakov Yitzchok of Peshischa zt”l explained this verse in a very novel way: Many people say that all their toil and efforts are for their children, for them to become talmidei chachamim (Torah scholars), and servants of Hashem. And although this is obviously of utmost importance, what about themselves? A person must not forget to work on themselves as well -- in their Torah, and in their avodah (service).

And this is what the passuk testifies about Noach: ‘These are the generations of Noach; Noach. . .’ -- meaning, that Noach did not abandon himself and his spiritual health even though he had to raise his children. He still worked on himself and always served Hashem!1 And now we also understand what Rashi zt”l quotes from Midrash Tanchuma here: The main generations/offspring of Tzaddikim are good deeds. Noach was himself an embodiment of his good deeds.

,(Cited in Beis Yaakov)

This is not Chas v’Shalom advocating reducing efforts in the raising of one’s children, but rather, it is saying that we must also not forget about our own avodas Hashem. And actually, it is giving us a piece of advice on how to raise our children better: Aside from toiling for their education, etc. by continuing to work on ourselves and our service of Hashem, as well, we will be exemplifying the teachings we give over to them, which will be even more effective, b’Ezras Hashem!

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1 On the other hand, some take Noach to task for perhaps not attempting to improve and influence the people of his generation as much as he could have.

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‘With G-d Noach walked -- את האלקים התהלך נח’ (Bereishis 6:9)

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The last letters of the words ‘האלקים התהלך נח’, notes the Baal HaTurim zt”l, (backwards) spell the word חכם (wise one).

This teaches us that the true wise person is one who ’walks with Hashem’ and follows His Commandments.

(Tal U'Matar)

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‘And the land became corrupted before G-d, and the land was filled with violence.’ (Bereishis 6:11)

In Maayanah Shel Torah, the author quotes an explanation that he heard: If people act corruptly ‘before G-d’ -- meaning, they don’t have any fear of Heaven even in things between a person and Hashem, bein adam l’Makom -- then also ‘the land was filled with violence’, i.e. society will, as a result, become filled with violence and injustice in the realm of bein adam l’chaveiro, interpersonal areas. From a lack of fear of Heaven, humaneness also deteriorates.

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‘And G-d said to Noach: “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with robbery because of them. . .”’ (Bereishis 6:13)

Rashi zt”l again quotes from Gemara Sanhedrin 108a (among other sources), that the decree that the Mabul would happen on the people of that time was sealed only because of stealing.

The question brought in Yagdil Torah is that surely these people did many other bad things that were perhaps more severe than theft! So why specifically did they become liable to be destroyed because of theft?

Explains HaRav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel zt”l (chief Rabbi of Krakow in the 1600’s. The Apter Rebbe zt”l, who had the same name, was actually descended from him.): We have another question that comes to us; why did HaKadosh Baruch Hu go straight to punishing the people themselves? Is it not taught in the Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah) that He does not afflict a person themselves first, as we find in regard to afflictions of Tzaraas, and the like, that at the start, they come on the person’s house, and then on their garments, and if the person does not do Teshuva, then they will actually afflict them.

So why in this case, asks Rav Heschel, did Hashem just bring the Mabul and not first punish the people in their possessions?

Answers Rav Heschel zt”l beautifully: This works with someone whose possessions are actually theirs; then, for example, their money could be taken away. But since with the generation of the Mabul, all the money in most everybody’s hands was not truly theirs -- it was stolen from somebody else -- then it was no longer fitting to punish them in it. So HaKadosh Baruch Hu had to go straight to punishing their bodies themselves.

(Brought in Yagdil Torah)

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‘A tzohar you shall make for the ark’ (Bereishis 6:16)

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Rashi zt”l brings from Bereishis Rabbah: Some say this is a window, and some say it is a precious stone which gave the things in the ark light.

The holy Baal Shem Tov zt”l has a famous teaching regarding this verse: “Tzohar” can actually just mean to illuminate, and the Hebrew word for “ark”, “לתּבה”, can alternatively mean “word”. Therefore, one can read the verse as follows: “One must ‘illuminate’ his ‘word’” -- meaning, when one prays, one must make the words of his/her prayers shine with light and meaning. Prayer is not meant to be dry and routine. Rather, it is meant to be a truly exhilarating experience, glowing with inspiration and saturated with the warmth of the conscious experience of communicating with our Father in Heaven.

(From a dvar Torah of my Rebbe, HaRav Binyomin Goldstein shlit”a)

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‘And Noach came. . . to the ark, because of the waters of the Flood.’ (Bereishis 7:7)

What does it mean that Noach entered the ark because of the waters of the flood? Rashi zt”l quotes from Midrash Bereishis Rabbah that Noach, too, was of somewhat lesser faith; he believed and yet didn’t totally believe that the Mabul (Flood) would come, and he only went into the ark when the waters forced him to. “אף נח מקטני אמנה היה, מאמין ואינו מאמין שיבא המבול”.

The question that various Gedolim ask is; how can we possibly say that Noach HaTzaddik didn’t have a lot of faith? How can we say that he didn’t believe that Hashem would really bring the Mabul?!

1) ----- HaRav Yerucham Levovitz zt”l: Of course we aren’t talking about Noach, Chas v’Shalom, lacking belief in Hashem. Certainly Noach was a big Tzaddik, as the first verse of our parsha testifies, and certainly he had extreme belief and trust in Hashem and His Providence. But there are, like many other things, madreigos (levels) of trust.

An example of this is given by the Alter of Kelm, HaRav Simcha Zissel Ziv zt”l, (and it is sometimes said in the name of HaRav Yisroel Salanter zt”l): Imagine someone, let’s call him Reuven, was asked about if so-and-so was trustworthy or not. So he would likely answer, “Certainly!” And now let’s say this “trustworthy guy” came to Reuven and asked him for a loan of some money. Reuven would probably accede to the request, and be willing to lend this guy money time and again, because, after all, he really trusts him, right? But now, what if this guy were to ask Reuven for a loan of a much larger sum. Reuven would be much more hesitant to do so, and would already start to have doubts. “Who knows? Maybe I shouldn’t rely on and trust him so much?”. . .

Noach was definitely quite high in the levels of faith and trust in Hashem, but he still didn’t have quite as much faith as Avraham Avinu, for example. Meaning that perhaps his trust in Hashem wasn’t 110%, and therefore, he was maybe lacking the slightest inkling of trust in Him, and thus could be called ‘of lesser faith’ (see Gemara Sotah 48b). It’s astounding! (Daas Torah).

2) ----- Rebbe Yitzchok of Vorki zt”l: Until the very last moment, Noach believed and hoped that the people of that generation would return in complete Teshuva, and therefore, nullify the decree of the Flood. Now we can understand Rashi’s comment, if we read it a bit differently: ‘אף נח מקטני אמנה היה מאמין’ -- meaning that even in the people whose faith was little, Noach believed and hoped that they were liable to do Teshuva at any moment, and therefore, ‘ואינו מאמין שיבא המבול’ -- he didn’t believe that the Flood would come, because these people’s repentance would nullify the decree. . . (As quoted in Maayanah Shel Torah).

3) ----- Rebbe Yechiel Michel of Zlotchov zt”l: The root of the word אמונה can have the alternative meaning of drawing forth or causing something to become bigger, as in Megillas Esther 2:7, because if one has complete faith and trust in Hashem that a certain thing will happen, this can cause that thing to be drawn forth and come about.

Noach certainly believed completely with all his heart and Soul in whatever Hashem told him, but with the Mabul, he was afraid to have complete trust that it would happen, because maybe that would actually cause it to come about! And this is what Rashi means to tell us: Noach was מקטני אמנה, [meaning, as one of my Rebbeim shlit”a explained, he lessened his faith], because although really he was מאמין, he was, in a sense, אינו מאמין, because he was afraid to believe completely that the Mabul would come, otherwise maybe that very faith would cause it to. . . (Brought in Oheiv Yisroel).

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~ Maasim Tovim ~ Rebbe Uri Strelisker zt”l was once riding in a wagon with some of his Chassidim in a forest, when the horses that drew the wagon came to a halt, and would not go any further. The wagon driver went out to see why the horses were afraid to go further, and he saw a very scary sight: A bear was there, waiting to jump on the horses and attack them. The wagon driver began to scream in fright, but Rav Uri told him to not be afraid. Rav Uri exited the wagon, went up to the bear, and picked up his hat so that the bear could see his forehead, and immediately, the bear ran away.

Rav Uri explained to his Chassidim that in truth, Hashem made it that animals would be afraid of us human beings, as He says (Bereishis 9:2) ‘And your fear and your dread will be upon all the beasts of the earth, and upon all the birds of the heavens, in everything that creeps on the ground, and in all the fish of the sea’. But that is only as long as we do not degarde and mess up our Tzelem Elokim with sins.

(Heard from one of my Rebbeim shlit”a, and it is from Imrei Kadosh)

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HaRav Yitzchok Hutner zt”l once said (brought in Pachad Yitzchok -- Igros vi’kesavim) in a talk with his younger disciples that the yeshiva students of our generation should feel that the incredible joy of sitting in the walls of the yeshiva is perhaps even greater than in previous generations. To elucidate his words, he explained: The Torah says in Parshas Eikev (Devarim 11:16) ‘Guard for yourselves lest your heart will stray, and you will turn and serve other gods’, and Rashi zt”l explains from Sifri that ‘and you will turn’ means turning away from Torah study, because if Chas v’Shalom, a person separates themselves from the Torah, they may go and cling to avodah zarah (idol worship).

How, continued Rav Hutner, can the matter be understood? But we must know this great principle: The Soul/mind of a person does not tolerate being in a state of emptiness; therefore, if, Chas v’Shalom, it is devoid of Torah, it swiftly becomes filled with other things, and through such a progression, the door could be opened to even avodah zarah.

Now, in the Torah, we find two kinds of building projects -- the building of the Mishkan and the building of Noach’s ark. The Mishkan was built when everything around it was also in an elevated state, and it was a place designated for holiness. Whereas Noach’s ark was built when all around it was going to be a flood destroying almost everything.

In this way, Rav Hutner went on, we can explain the difference between the yeshivos of our times and the yeshivos of the past. In the past generations, the yeshiva was like a Mishkan. The spiritual life outside of it was [for the most part] in order, and the yeshiva was a place where the holiness would rise even higher. But in our days, the yeshiva is more like Noach’s ark, because in many places in the world outside of it, there is, Rachmana Litzlan, a flood of heresy and ignorance. And really, the yeshiva of today is actually like both the Mishkan and the ark. Because on the one hand it instills us with extreme holiness, and on the other hand it saves us from the spiritual death raging outside!

Therefore, he concludes, our youth who are beginning their studies in yeshiva need to know and understand how much they should rejoice in their having merited coming to yeshiva.

(Quoted in Yalkut Lekach Tov)

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Gut and meaningful Shabbos to all!

Torah, Mussar, Chassidus, Stories, and More! - בּ"ה

Friday, November 1, 2019