B"H
Tuesday, Tishrei 27, 5785 / October 29, 2024
This Shabbat we will read the second Parsha of the Torah, Noach (Noah). The Parsha begins with the story of the Great Flood in which, as the Torah says, “Every living being on the face of the earth was destroyed, except for Noach and those who were with him in the ark.” The Parsha begins with destruction and ends on a happy note, with the birth of Abraham, the Patriarch of the Jewish people.
The Parsha begins as follows: "These are the generations of Noach; Noach was a just and perfect man in his generation and Noah walked with G-d. Noach had three sons, Shem, Cham and Yefet. The earth was corrupt before G-d and the earth was filled with violence. And G-d looked upon the earth and it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. And G-d said to Noach, the end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence. I will destroy them.”
Q. Why does the Torah describe Noach as being, "A just and perfect man in his generation"?
A. There are two opinions; According to some sages, the Torah denotes Noach’s great virtue that even in his generation, where everyone was wicked, he was able to withstand the pressure and stay righteous. How much more so, had he lived in a generation of righteous people, surely, he would have been even more righteous.
However, according to others, the term in his generation has a negative implication: Noach, they say, was righteous by comparison to his generation. But had he lived in the generation of Abraham he would not have been considered so righteous 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 honest leader. A great leader is not one who tries to do things in order to please everyone, but one who does what is right, regardless of the criticism. One who always tries to please everyone, in the end, pleases no one”.
Q. The Torah tells us (Genesis 5:32) that Noah was 500 years old when the first of his three sons was born. What is the reason that G-d prevented Noach from having children until such a late age?
A. Our sages teach us that everything G-d does is for our good. This too was for Noach’s benefit. G-d said, "If Noah will have children at an earlier age, then by the time the flood arrives it will be difficult for him. If his descendants will be wicked, then he will have to witness them perishing in The Flood. If, on the other hand, they will be righteous, then Noah will be forced to build many arks to save them all. Thus, G-d prevented Noah from having children until the age of five hundred. As a result, at the time of The Great Flood, only eight people had to be saved: Noach, his wife, his three sons and their wives.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
UNITED WE STAND WITH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CAPTIVITY. MAY THEY ALL BE RELEASED NOW