Parsha Paragraphs
Rabbi Naftali Kassorla
Parshat Noach 5778
The Seeds of Society
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In this week's parsha we read of the destruction of the world due to the wickedness of man, and the world’s reconstruction through Noach and his offspring. The Torah tells us at the end of last week’s parsha that society had stooped so low that “Every product of the thoughts of his heart was but evil always.” (Bereishit 5:5) The simple understanding of this is that everything which civilization at that time had accomplished, any advancement, was really done with evil intentions.
Hashem chose to destroy man rather than allow this type of behavior to continue. Yet at the very end of the parsha it says, “But Noach found חן (grace) in the eyes of Hashem." Obviously this חן was tremendous, so much so that it was the saving factor of the human race. We owe our entire existence to this merit. So the question begs itself: what was this merit that Noach had? And in answering this perhaps we can understand why Noach specifically was chosen to be the regenerator of the world's population.
First let us examine a profundity in the pesukim. Our parsha begins in a interesting way: אלה תולדות נח - “These are the offspring of Noach" (Bereishit 6:9) The natural continuation to this preface would be for the Torah to now list Noach's children, as the word תולדות generally means lineage. Yet instead the Torah goes on to list Noach’s virtues: ״נח איש צדיק תמים היה בדרתיו את האלוקים התהלך נח״ - “Noach was a righteous man, perfect in his generation; Noach walked with G-d.” Only afterwards does the Torah mention his children: “...״ויולד נח שלושה בנים - “Noach had begotten three sons…” Why does the Torah diverge from the natural flow with this “interruption” of praising Noach?
Both the Chizkuni and B’chor Shor teach that this “interruption” serves to explain why “Noach found favor in G-d’s eyes” and therefore merited to be saved from annihilation. And along these lines, Rashi in his second explanation (quoting the Midrash) says that we are meant to read the word תולדות differently. Rather than referring to the genealogical lineage, it means that “the main offspring (i.e. products) of the righteous are his מעשים טובים (good deeds).” I.e. it does not refer exclusively to his literal lineage, but to his spiritual legacy. This serves for us as an introduction to the figure of Noach, and informs us that his main contribution to the world was his good deeds. Still, How does this address our question? What does his spiritual legacy mean for us in relation to his saving mankind?
I believe from this Midrash, we can gain a window into the core of Noach's character, and his place as a shining individual in his generation. The Midrash is saying that the essence of Noach was based in altruism; his main “offspring,” more so than his physical children, were his good deeds. Noach was a righteous person whose ideas and thoughts were directed towards positivity and productivity. He utilized his strengths to build, to help others.
This set Noach apart from his entire generation and is the very חן which Hashem found in Noach. G-d chose Noach specifically (and Noach alone) to seed society’s rebuilding. For this must be a new society which strives to advance and accomplish, not for nihilistic pursuits or personal gain, but rather for the improvement of humanity. This is only possible when the core of that society is built upon the pursuit of good deeds.
The error of the דור המבול was that they lived a life of debauchery, catering the lowest aspects of Man; the people succumbed to the natural inclination towards selfishness and greed. Instead of rising above their base nature, they indulged in their Id,* until it became their very essence. Sigmund Freud explained this concept of the Id (Sigmund Freud 1933), that it “knows no judgements of value: no good and evil, no morality.” It is what drives man to seek immediate gratification of any impulse, without a second thought to its long term effects. Catering only to this selfish aspect of man is anathema is to world around us. And no society can function properly when infected with such a cancerous attitude. No progress can be made when when one’s greatest desire is limited to the here and now.
In his book Democracy in America (1835) the French diplomat Alexis de Tocqueville wrote when observing the burgeoning country: “America is great because she is good, if America ceases to be good, she ceases to be great.” De Tocqueville was impressed by the early American citizens religiosity and cohesive community life. He credited the country's success to the American people's common goodness. Because that is the point - greatness must stem from goodness. But as long as society and its citizenry is ego-driven and self-centered it is doomed to failure.
However, we do not need de Tocqueville to enlighten us, as our great Sages have already said in Pirkei Avot (1:2): על שלושה דברים העולם עומד, על התורה ועל העבודה ועל גמילות חסדים - “On three things the world stands: on the Torah, on the service, and acts of loving kindness.” A world without kindness at its bedrock cannot stand.
Noach and his family, because of their altruism, were chosen to serve as the seeds for the re-creation of mankind and build a civilization that would strive to improve the state of the world: the direct opposite of their sinful generation. Now the world would begin on the correct footing, with the proper elements necessary to continue the development of society in a positive direction.
Noach’s common goodness should inspire us all to inculcate this message in our lives and communities. And although there are times we can feel engulfed in a society that does not reflect our values, we can nevertheless remain steadfast, just as Noach did, in our values and principles. May we merit the strength and fortitude to accomplish this and perhaps with this we may also merit to find חן in the eyes of G-d.
Shabbat Shalom and a Chodesh Tov!
*This illuminates for us why the generation had fallen so low that they were, as the Midrash says, involved in bestiality, for when man allows himself to fall into this trap of selfishness, and self-indulgence, there truly is no difference between Man and Animal. The line between man and animal became blurred to the extent that this was reflected in their actions.
Furthermore, this indulgence in self-worship explains why the generation was finally judged on account of stealing: their lust for self advancement caused them to steal from others.
