Noach

פרשת נח

This week’s Parsha opens with the verse, “Noach was a righteous man, perfect in his generation, and Noach walked with God”.  The Sokotchover Rebbe points out that although the same word is used to describe Avraham Avinu – “Perfect” – it is clear that Noach did not approach the same level of perfection that Avraham did.  This can be seen by virtue of the fact that Avraham was one of the forefathers of the Jewish people and Noach was not.  Why then would the Torah use the exact same word to describe the two of them?  Furthermore, the verse implies that Noach’s perfection was achieved much quicker then Avraham’s.  The verse only ascribes perfection to Avraham when he is about to circumcise himself, after he was passed many tests, whereas Noach seems to achieve this title immediately.  Why then was Avraham considered so much greater then Noach?

The Sokotchover begins his resolution by explaining that one cannot compare the achievements of a righteous person which he attains based on his good qualities that he is born with, to the accomplishment which he attains through toil and hard work.  Rashi tells us that Noach was born circumcised which evidences to us that he was born into a state of near perfection and Godliness.  Although this is certainly a lofty position to be in, it does not compare to one who reaches that same position through arduous labor and hard work.  Avraham Avinu reached the same level of Noach ultimately – perfection – but the major difference was that Avraham went through ten grueling tests before he could do so and Noach was born there.

This is also alluded to by the fact that Noach is compared to Shabbos in the Zohar, and Avraham is compared to Passover.  The major difference between Shabbos and the Jewish holidays is that Shabbos comes every week regardless of what is going on in the rest of the world, whereas the holidays are dependant solely on the Jewish people sanctifying the new moon and declaring when the holiday should be.  Avraham therefore is compared to the holidays in the respect that he had to work to get where he was whereas Noach was compared to Shabbos in the respect that he was born there.

The Sokotchover Rebbe concludes by saying that based on what we have said, it is readily apparent why Avraham Avinu is our forefather and not Noach.  Although they both are referred to as “perfect”, Avraham’s perfection is clearly the type of perfection that we are striving for as Jews, one which comes through strenuous labor and constant focus.  Hashem will not give a whole lot of credit to a person who was born perfect, whereas one who works to perfect himself his whole life, and tries to overcome his weaknesses, and build up his strengths, is certainly doing what a Jew strives for. 

There is a very strange Midrash in Parshas Bereishis.  The verse says that there was confusion and darkness in the land, and the Midrash explains that this refers to the actions of the wicked.  The verse goes on to say that God then created light, and the Midrash explains that this refers to the actions of the righteous.  The Midrash continues by saying that it wasn’t clear which one of these two actions Hashem desired.  But when the verse says that Hashem saw the light “and it was good”, it became clear the Hashem desires the actions of the righteous more then the actions of the wicked. 

This cryptic Midrash clearly requires explanation.  Was there any thought that Hashem preferred the actions of the wicked over the actions of the righteous?  The Sabba from Kelm offers a very innovative elucidation to this Midrash which can resolve our difficulty.  Everyone knows that even wicked people have some merits and do some good in the world.  The Sabba points out that if one examines these “Good deeds” of the wicked, one will often find a common factor that these good deeds are usually done on a very large scale.  For example, they will build a hospital to tend to the sick, or construct a building which offers food and shelter for the entire homeless population of their city.  Tzadikim, on the other hand, commonly express their “goodness” by the little actions.  For example, most righteous people are not in a position to fund the construction of a hospital, but they will take upon themselves to tie their shoes correctly, the way the Halacha prescribes or to shower correctly.  These “small” yet consistent actions demonstrate one’s complete subservience to Hashem’s will more then anything else. 

With this explanation, we can understand the above quoted Midrash.  The Midrash was expressing a Hava Amina that perhaps Hashem desires the bombastic, sporadic actions of good which the wicked perform and this would please Him.  But Hashem looked at the light of the Tzadikim, and noticed their “small” yet unswerving dedication and subservience to His will and this found favor in His eyes most.

I would just like to conclude with an interesting event that happened to me just a couple of days ago which illustrates this point beautifully.  A young man learning in Kollel approached me and told me that for a long time, he found no satisfaction in his learning.  And a couple of months ago he began a session in Mussar in which he planned to truly strengthen his fear of Heaven and his observance.  Miraculously, in addition to accomplishing his goal of becoming a more dedicated servant of God, his learning and excitement in learning improved dramatically.  I saw two very interesting points from this young man’s story.  Firstly, I saw how radically the decision to learn mussar can affect one’s level of fear of Heaven and his service of God.  And secondly, I saw that when one accepts upon himself the yolk of heaven to serve God in every way, everything about his service increases and he will enjoy the perk of being more successful in his learning.

May Hashem help us to work hard in order to become truly faithful servants!