Noach's Chein and the Duty to Benefit Others

1a“These are the generations of Noach. Noach was a righteous man, perfect in his generations” [Bereishis 6:9]. Rashi brings two readings of “in his generations.” Some expound it to Noach's credit, and some to his discredit: had he lived in the generation of Avraham, he would not have been considered anything at all. The difficulty with this second reading is well known. It seems right to explain it with what the Chareidim brings in the name of the Zohar Chadash. The name Noach appears three times in the verse because he was nach, calm, in his speech, calm in his walk and calm in his deeds. All calm comes from the side of holiness. Because Noach guarded himself from anger, which comes from the side of impurity, and was calm in everything he did, he merited the attribute of chein, favor. Now Sefer HaYashar of Rabbeinu Tam says that a person is free to choose good and reject evil. Yet if he finds chein in Hashem's eyes, Hashem lifts him above the realm of choice and keeps every sin and transgression far from him, so that none comes about through him. This chein comes to a person from Hashem, Who looks to the end of all the generations and sees that worthy offspring are destined to come from him. In truth, both sources speak with one voice. If a person guards himself from anger and wrath, which come from the side of impurity, and is calm in his speech, his walk and his deeds, he merits being built up with worthy offspring. And through that he merits chein.

1bWith this we can explain the verse. Noach, too, merited chein because Avraham Avinu and the whole world were destined to come from him. As the Midrash Tanchuma says (Parshas Eikev), “There were many worthy people like Noach, but Noach found chein.” So when Rashi says, “had he lived in the generation of Avraham,” he means: had Avraham Avinu already been in the world without him, Noach would not have merited chein, and “he would not have been considered anything.” He would have had no distinction at all beyond the other worthy people of his generation, who perished in the Flood.

2But after all this, a question remains. What led Chazal to expound anything to Noach's discredit at all? The Torah does not speak disparagingly even of an impure animal (Pesachim 3a). How, then, could they find grounds in these verses to criticize him? To answer this, we begin with the well-known principle that “the world is built on chessed” [Tehillim 89:3]. Hashem created the world only to do good to His creatures. He has no need of them; it is simply the nature of the Good to do good to others. A person, too, must become like his Maker, walk in His ways and cleave to Him. That means acting by His attribute and doing good to others. On the verse “Hiskosheshu vakoshu” [Tzefaniah 2:1], which they read as “adorn yourselves and adorn,” Chazal say: “First adorn yourself, and afterward adorn others” (Sanhedrin 19a). And the Sifri says (Parshas Eikev) on “You shall love Hashem your God” [Devarim 6:5]: “Make Him beloved to His creatures, like a faithful servant who wants to win more servants for the king.”

3aThis is the meaning of the verse (Yirmiyahu 9:22–23): “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, nor the mighty man in his might, nor the rich man in his wealth. But let him who glories glory in this: that he understands and knows Me, that I am Hashem Who does kindness, justice and righteousness in the land, for in these I delight, says Hashem.” The difficulties in this verse are well known, and it too can be explained along the lines we have set out. “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom”: wisdom that he pursues only for his own benefit. So too “the rich man in his wealth”: the one who does not let the poor and needy benefit from his wealth and “has not given of his bread to the poor” [cf. Mishlei 22:9]. And “the mighty man in his might”: the one who does not use his might to take vengeance on Hashem's enemies and on evildoers, but keeps his strength for himself. None of these deserves praise or glory. Rather, “let him who glories glory in this: that he understands and knows.” He should join himself to Hashem, “knowing” as in “Adam knew [Chavah]” [Bereishis 4:1]. That is, he should cleave to Hashem and to His attributes: “Just as He is merciful, so you be merciful” (Shabbos 133b). And just as Hashem created the world only to do good to His creatures, so should he.

3bThis is “that I am Hashem”: just as I, Hashem, do “kindness.” Hashem does kindness through the attribute of wisdom, for chessed is a branch of wisdom. All calm comes from the side of holiness, and holiness is Chochmah, the Divine attribute of wisdom. The opposite is “Anger rests in the bosom of fools” (Koheles 7:9). “Justice” corresponds to the mighty man: with His might Hashem executes justice and takes vengeance on those who transgress His will. “And righteousness,” tzedakah, corresponds to wealth: with His wealth He gives tzedakah. You, too, should cleave to His ways. With your wisdom, practice kindness. Share your wisdom with others, so that they too become wise and know how to serve Hashem. With your might, take vengeance on those who transgress Hashem's will. With your wealth, “distribute to the needy,” and then “your righteousness will endure forever” [Tehillim 112:9]. In this, glory befits you, “for in these I delight.” For this is the purpose of creation: to do good to others.

4This is what troubled those who expound the verse to Noach's discredit: how can two opposites be found in one person? The Torah testifies that he was “a righteous man, perfect.” Yet it also says, “Noach walked with God.” As the Chareidim explains, this means only with God: Noach walked in seclusion, absorbed in grasping the Divine, and did not do good to others. How can both be true of one man? How could he be called perfect without fulfilling the purpose of creation, to join together with beloved friends? Their answer was that this was so only “in his generations.” Since its people were all utterly wicked, he could not enter into a covenant of love and friendship with them. Had he lived in Avraham's generation, it would have been different. There, secluding himself instead of joining with people and doing good to them as well would not have counted for him; in the generation of Avraham Avinu it would have been seen as strange. Only in his own generations, which were utterly wicked, was he forced to keep far from them, “a bowshot away” [Bereishis 21:16], so as not to be caught in their trap, Heaven forbid.

5The moral lesson is this. Every person should bind himself and join himself to all of Klal Yisrael, and love every Jew truly as himself. He should do good to every Jew in every way he can, both in matters of the body and in matters of the soul. (Up to here from the handwritten manuscript of my father and teacher, R' Yechiel of Alexander, zt"l.)