Rabbi Ari Kahn

PARSHAT NOAH

WAS NOAH A TZADDIK?

Rabbi Ari Kahn

 

These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man. He was a complete man in his generation. (6:9)

 

The saga of Noah is well known. However, Noah remains an elusive personality. What was the nature of the righteousness of Noah? The description of Noah as a righteous man, complete in his generation, sounds like a back-handed compliment. Why the limitation “in his generation”? Rashi brings two opinions.

 

In his generation: There are among the sages who expound him (it) positively,- certainly had he been in a generation of Tzadikim - pious individuals - he would have been more pious. While some expound it negatively: had he been in the generation of Avraham he would have been worthless (Rashi 6:9).

 

One opinion is that had Noah lived in a more righteous generation, he would have been even more righteous. According to the other opinion, only in his generation was Noah considered righteous. Had he lived in a more righteous generation, he would have been considered worthless. There is a lack of symmetry to the words of Rashi. Why, on the one hand, does he speak of a righteous generation, and on the other hand, of the generation of Avraham? Could not Avraham have served as the model for both opinions?

 

Let us return to the generation of Noah. In order to understand Noah’s righteousness, we must first understand the generation in which he lived.

 

And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth. And daughters were born to them, that the sons of Elohim saw the daughters of men that they were pretty; and they took as wives all those whom they chose…The earth also was corrupt before G-d, and the earth was filled with violence. And G-d looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth. And G-d said to Noah, The end of all flesh has come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth (6:1,2,11,12)

 

The terms which the Torah uses to describe the generation of Noah, include corruption and thievery. A description is given of powerful men taking any women they chose. In fact, this seems to fit the description of corruption, which has sexual overtones, and thievery.¹ It is a generation whose moral boundaries have broken down. The very fabric of society or its social contract is nonexistent. So again, what was the nature of Noah’s righteousness? Apparently Noah did not partake of the sexually immoral practices and thievery of his generation. Noah does not commit evil acts. On the other hand, we do not find him performing good deeds either.

 

In a sense, Noah is an island—neither hurting others, nor helping people. This is the greatness of Noah, as well as the tragedy of Noah.

 

According to the Zohar, after the flood, the following conversation took place between Noah and G-d.

 

What did G-d answer Noah when he left the Ark and saw the world destroyed? He [Noah] began to cry before G-d and he said, “Master of the universe, You are called compassionate. You should have been compassionate for Your creation.” G-d responded and said, “You are a stupid shepherd. Now you say this! Why did you not say this at the time I told you that I saw that you were righteous among your generation, or afterward when I said that I will bring a flood upon the people, or afterward when I said to build an ark? I constantly procrastinated and I said, “When is he [Noah] going to ask for compassion for the world?” . . . And now that the world is destroyed, you open your mouth, to cry in front of me, and to ask for supplication?” (Zohar Hashmatot, Margoliot edition Bereishit 254b)

 

Noah asked G-d why He didn’t have compassion. G-d responds by calling him a “stupid shepherd”. Noah as leader of the generation has responsibilities. He was given the task to build the Ark; yet he could not save even one person. As a shepherd of G-d, Noah had the responsibility to lead the people. Yet he didn’t lead them. He failed miserably as a leader. It is analogous to a shepherd who sees his flock straying from the proper path, wandering in the proximity of dangerous wolves and concluding that the sheep deserve to be eaten because they have strayed from the path. Therefore, G-d called him a “stupid shepherd.” Noah was guilty of “malpractice.”

 

The Zohar continues:

 

Rabbi Yochanan said, “Come and see the difference between the righteous among the Jews after Noah, and Noah. Noah did not defend his generation, nor did he pray for them, as Abraham did. When G-d told Abraham that the scream of Sodom and Gomorah was numerous, immediately Abraham began to pray in front of G-d until he asked of G-d if ten righteous people were found, would G-d forgive the entire city because of them. Abraham thought that in the city which had Lot and his wife and children, there must have been ten righteous people. Therefore, Abraham did not pray any further. Afterwards, Moshe came, and he prayed and protected his generation when G-d said to him, “They have turned aside quickly from the way in which I commanded them.” Immediately, Moshe stood and prayed . . . It is said that Moshe did not leave G-d alone until Moseh was willing to give his soul for the people in both this world and the next. . . . Rabbi Yehoshua said, “What was Noah thinking, that he did not ask for mercy for his generation?” He said to himself, “Perhaps I won’t escape.”

 

The next great religious leader was Avraham. When faced with the horrific acts of the cities of Sodom and Gomorah, Avraham pleads with G-d not to kill the righteous along with the wicked. Noah never engaged G-d in a similar dialogue.

 

Moshe went even further. After the Jews commit the terrible sin of worshipping the golden calf, G-d is prepared to destroy the entire people. Despite the people’s guilt, Moshe pleads with G-d, challenging Him: what did G-d expect of this nation who had just left Egypt and had not yet had time to develop spiritually. Moshe is referred to in the Zohar as a “faithful shepherd”. Despite the people’s guilt, Moshe argues with G-d. He even has the audacity to tell G-d that if He will wipe out the entire people, “then wipe me out as well.”

 

Noah accepts the decree of G-d. If the people are guilty, there is no argument. Avraham tries to argue to perhaps exonerate some of the people of the city and, at best, perhaps save the city from annihilation². Moshe, despite the unquestioned guilt of the people, is prepared to sacrifice himself in order to save them. Imagine what would have happened had Noah refused to get on the boat. That is surely how Moshe would have responded.³

 

According to the Torah, Noah builds the Ark over a period of 120 years. Not one person is brought under the influence of this great religious personality. In a word, Noah is an island. The name “Noah” means comfortable. He was comfortable. He was comfortable and, self satisfied, in his own righteousness. The sad truth is that Noah is a spiritual misanthrope.

 

It is fascinating that the next person we see in the Torah in an Ark is Moshe.

 

“And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took for his wife a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived, and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a handsome child, she hid him three months. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark made of reeds, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child in it; and she laid it in the rushes by the river’s brink. And his sister stood far away, to see what would be done to him. And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river’s side; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to fetch it.” (Shmot 2:1-5)

 

There seems to be a sense that Moshe as an infant, floating in an ark in the Nile, is destined to begin his mission where Noah ends his own. Moshe’s entire career will be filled with self-sacrifice for his flock. The life of Moshe will span 120 years, perhaps in order to rectify, the failure of Noah in his 120 years of building the ark. Moshe is the “faithful shepherd.”

The Ariza”l explains the connection between Noah and Moshe in these terms, Moshe is chosen to complete the task which Noah failed.

 

This idea is borne out of a verse in Yishayahu:

 

“For this is like the waters of Noah to me; for just as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you.” (Is. 54:9)

 

The Zohar explains the term “waters of Noah”:

 

“R. Yosi said: ‘It is written, “For this is as the waters of Noah unto me” (Isa. LIV, 9). Why have we here the expression “waters of Noah” and not “waters of the flood”? The reason is that when mankind are sinful and there is a righteous man in the world, G-d speaks with him in order that he may pray for mankind and obtain forgiveness for them. G-d first promises to save him alone and destroy the rest. Now the proper thing for a righteous man to do at such a time is to forget himself and espouse the cause of the whole world in order to appease G-d's wrath against them, as Moses did when Israel sinned. When G-d, however, said to Noah, “The end of all flesh is come before me”, Noah replied, “And what wilt thou do to me?”, to which G-d replied, “I will establish my covenant with thee, make thee an ark of gopher wood”. So Noah did not pray for the world, and the waters came down and destroyed mankind, and therefore they are called “the waters of Noah”.’(Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 15a)

 

The Zohar is blaming Noah for the waters that fell. The Hebrew term is “May Noah”. Moshe exemplifies the faithful servant in no instance more valiantly than when he offers his own life for his people:

 

“Yet now, if you will forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I beg you, from

your book which you have written.” (Shmot 32:32)

 

The Hebrew for blot is MICHANI - the same letters as “may Noah!” (מי נח = מחני).

The Arizal therefore stresses that the moment which Moshe prays and says the word Machayni - the spiritual lapse of noah is healed. ⁴

After Noah leaves the Ark, he views a holocaust. He is a survivor. How does Noah cope? The Torah tells us that one of the first things that Noah does is plant a vineyard and becomes intoxicated.

 

“And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard; And he drank of the wine, and became drunk; and he lay uncovered inside his tent.” (9:20,21)

 

Noah cannot deal with the enormity of the destruction that he has witnessed. Perhaps he senses that he failed; that his passivity led to the destruction of an entire civilization. The Torah records that one of Noah’s sons, Ham, uncovers Noah’s nakedness while the father is intoxicated.⁵

 

“And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness. And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him.(9:22-24)

 

The Rabbis have two opinions about what actually transpired.

 

“Rab and Samuel [differ,] one maintaining that he castrated him, whilst the other says that he sexually abused him. (Sanhedrin 70a)

 

According to one authority, Ham raped his father; according to the second, he castrated his father. What both opinions have in common is the incredible outrage of Ham directed toward Noah. Noah’s children were saved from the flood not for their own righteousness, but by virtue of the merit of their father. It would seem that Noah failed even in educating his own children.

 

Let us consider the world view of Ham. He was involved in the culture of violence, thievery and sexual licentiousness. His father caused the destruction of Ham’s world. This destruction took place because of Noah’s passivity. The Talmudic opinions that Ham raped his father, or castrated him, seem to be an expression of Ham’s disdain for that passivity. In a sense, Noah’s nakedness is his passivity.

 

Noah lives for some 300 years after the flood, fathering children, witnessing the birth of numerous descendants, countless future generations. What message does Noah impart to his descendants? It seems that Noah remains passive; he has nothing to say. As if the rest of his life remains clouded by intoxication.

 

“And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they lived there. And they said one to another, Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. And they said, Come, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach to heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the sons of men built. And the Lord said, Behold, the people are one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do; and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have schemed to do.

 

At the tower of Babel, all the people of the world were gathered. The sages tell us that Noah was still alive:

 

“We find that Noah lived after the dispersion [which resulted from the Tower of Babel] ten years, (Seder Olam chapter 1)

 

Noah was still alive, but he is silent. This is the tragedy of Noah. It was not just his own generation that he did not try to protect and educate, but even his own children and grandchildren were deprived of the influence of that “righteous” man. One would have imagined the wonderful leadership which Noah would have displayed. The insights which he could have shared with future generations. The courage, and religious zeal, he could have displayed. But tradition reports nothing.

 

Aside from Noah, there was another prominent individual who was present at the tower. His name was Avraham.

 

“We find that Noah lived after the dispersion [which resulted from the Tower of Babel] ten years, Avraham was forty eight years old at the dispersion. (Seder Olam chapter 1)

 

These two spiritual giants met at the tower where the Bible describes that all the people of the world had gathered. Noah has nothing to share with Avraham. Whatever greatness Avraham will achieve, it will be without the insight or tutelage of Noah. Some commentaries see this meeting of Noah and Avraham as a potential watershed in human history. The Torah hints at the opportunity:

 

“And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the sons of men built And the Lord said, Behold, the people are one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do?! (11:5,6)

 

A spirit of unity had swept the world , Noah was there with experience, while Avraham was there with his idealism.⁶ The time and place were ripe for a religious renaissance. If these leaders would merge, the world could be elevated and saved. They could have reached heaven, and would not have needed a tower. But alas, Noah was silent, Avraham will have to start anew, alone.⁷

 

This is what Rashi meant when he commented on the verse that “Noah was a great man in his generation.” We noted at the outset the lack of symmetry. Rashi commented that;

 

“some interpret this positively, for had he lived in a generation of righteous people, he would have been more righteous. Others interpret the statement in a negative way. In his generation, Noah was righteous; but had he lived in the generation of Abraham, he would have been worthless”.

 

The Talmudic source which Rashi draws from makes no mention of Avraham:

 

“These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man, and perfect in his generations. R. Johanan said: In his generations, but not in other generations. Resh Lakish maintained: [Even] in his generations — how much more so in other generations.” (Sanhedrin 108a)

 

The Midrash also addresses the righteousness of Noah:

 

“R.Judah and R. Nehemiah differed. R. Judah said: Only in his generations was he a righteous man [by comparison]; had he flourished in the generation of Moshe or Shmuel, he would not have been called righteous: in the street of the totally blind, the one-eyed man is called clear-sighted, and the infant is called a scholar. It is as if a man who had a wine vault opened one barrel and found it vinegar; another and found it vinegar; the third, however, he found turning sour. ‘It is turning,’ people said to him. ' Is there any better here?’ he retorted. Similarly, IN HIS GENERATIONS he was a righteous man. R. Nehemiah said: If he was righteous even in his generation, how much more so [had he lived] in the age of Moshe.” (Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XXX:9)

 

The reference to Moshe is understood, Moshe succeeded where Noah failed. Moshe personified leadership - responsibility to the point of self-sacrifice. By why is Shmuel chosen from among all the prophets? Shmuel was the one who anointed David. If Noah could not lead as Moshe had, then he should have at least assumed an auxiliary role of anointer - of Avraham. But Noah never communicates to Avraham nor any of his descendants.

 

Rashi in his inimitable way is interpreting the Talmudic passage. Perhaps it seems strange that Rashi should ignore the passage in the Talmud, and the Midrash in favor of his own example - namely Avraham. Obviously Rashi is attempting to convey a teaching with this subtle change. Rashi is telling us that the authorities are not in conflict The two opinions of Rashi are not contradictory. They are both true. Had Noah lived in a greater generation, he would have been greater; and had he lived in the generation of Avraham, he would have been worthless. But of course, Noah did live in the generation of Avraham and, indeed, he was worthless.⁸ The image of Noah left for posterity is of a righteous man, a calm in the face of turbulent waters, withstanding the incredible decadent social pressures. Alone, floating on his ark/ island, forming no relationships, forging no change. Alone, in silence.