Thursday, Tishrei 29, 5778 / October 19, 2017
In this week's Parsha, Noach, we read about the story of Noach (Noah) and the Great Flood.
The Parsha begins: "These are the generations of Noach; Noach was a just and perfect man in his generation and Noah walked with G-d… And G-d looked upon the earth and it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. G-d said to Noach, the end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence, and I will destroy them with the earth."
G-d commanded Noach to build an ark to shelter him, his wife, their three sons, wives, and several of each species, from the catastrophic flood, which G-d was going to bring if the people didn’t repent.
The Torah describes the severity of the Great Flood. "All the fountains of the great deep were broken and the windows of the Heaven were opened... The waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high mountains were covered..." The flood lasted forty days. The destruction was so great that Noach and his family and animals spent a full year in the ark until it was safe to exit.
It took Noach 120 years to build The Ark, in order to give the people a chance to repent. Even when this didn’t help and the people didn’t repent, G-d didn’t bring the waters with destructive force. He still gave mankind a chance to repent. Only when this too didn’t help, G-d sent the waters with tremendous destructive force.
Our sages ask: Why does the Torah describe Noach as being, "a just and perfect man in his generation." Does this imply that in another generation he wouldn’t be prefect?
Rashi, in his commentary, brings two opinions; According to some sages, the Torah denotes the great virtue of Noach--that even in his generation, where everyone was so wicked, Noach was righteous. Had he lived in the generation of Abraham, he would have been even more virtuous.
But according to other opinions, the term in his generation has a negative implication: “Noach,” they say, “was righteous in contrast to his generation. But had he lived in the generation of Abraham he would not have had such great merit in comparison to Abraham.”
Said Rabbi Yechezkel of Kuzmir: This is the price of leadership. There will always be those who will find fault with a leader no matter how good his intentions are. Even when the Torah tells us that Noach was a just and perfect man, there are those who find him lacking.
"This," adds Rabbi Yechezkel, "is the quality of a true and just leader. A great leader and righteous person is not one who tries to do things in order to please everyone, but one who does what is right, regardless of the criticism." For one who always tries to please everyone in the end pleases no one.
Thursday night, through Shabbat, will be two days Rosh Chodesh of the new month Mar-Cheshvan.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY & SUCCESSFUL DAY