Unity: The Key to Prayer and Torah

1a“These are the generations of Noach” [Bereishis 6:9]. Rashi explains: some of our Rabbis expound “in his generations” to his praise: had he lived in a generation of tzaddikim, he would have been all the more righteous. Others expound it to his discredit: had he lived in the generation of Avraham, he would not have been considered anything at all. The well-known question is why they needed to disparage Noach, whom the Torah itself calls “a tzaddik, perfect.” We have already discussed this, and the holy books also explain that Noach himself had both of these views of himself. At times he thought that had he lived in a generation of tzaddikim, he would have been more righteous. At other times he thought to disparage himself: he was considered a tzaddik only relative to his generation, but in Avraham's generation he would not have been considered anything at all. Now the holy Zohar (Zohar I:67b; III:14b) says that Noach was faulted for not praying for his generation, that they too be saved. He did not put himself at risk like Moshe Rabbeinu, who said, “Erase me, please” [Shemos 32:32], for the sake of Israel. That is why the Flood is called by his name, “the waters of Noach” [Yeshayahu 54:9].

1bBut in my humble understanding, it seems that it was not in Noach's power to pray for them. The writings of the Arizal explain that before praying, a person should accept upon himself the mitzvah of “Love your fellow as yourself” [Vayikra 19:18] and include himself in the whole of Israel. When every Jew takes this upon himself, each one is automatically praying for all of Israel, since he loves his fellow truly as himself. Then his prayer is not scrutinized the way an individual's prayer is (Zohar I:244), because each person's prayer is the prayer of the community. That is what allows us to stand and pray before the King. The “prayer of an individual” is that of someone who imagines he stands alone, and thinks himself worthy to pray even without including himself in the whole of Israel. He stands on his own, and so his prayer is scrutinized (as the Zohar says there). All this holds when there is peace and brotherhood among Jews. Then each one can pray for himself and for others, since they are truly one soul, and “each man helps his brother” [cf. Yeshayahu 41:6] through their prayers.

1cChazal's words are well known (Sanhedrin 108a; Bereishis Rabbah 31): “Their decree was sealed only because of robbery.” As long as no one had harmed his fellow and broken the bond of peace and brotherhood, then even “Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him be” [Hoshea 4:17; cf. Bereishis Rabbah 38:6]. Even at their lowest, people can return to Hashem through unity. The Generation of the Flood, too, could have returned to Hashem, and the decree was not yet sealed. But once they robbed and plundered one another, the covenant of peace was broken: “Their heart is divided; now they shall be found guilty” [Hoshea 10:2]. Then they could no longer include themselves in one another through their prayers, nor in the prayer of Noach the tzaddik. Only his sons could include themselves in his prayer, so for them Noach prayed, and his prayer saved them. From the Midrashim of Chazal it seems that he did pray for his generation too. But he did not pray for them forcefully, with true self-sacrifice, because, as explained, it was not in his power. As is known, Chazal say (Berachos 30b), “One may stand to pray only in a serious frame of mind,” which Rashi explains as humility.

1dSo no doubt before he prayed, Noach pictured his own lowliness and humility. He was a tzaddik only relative to his generation, not by the standard of a generation of tzaddikim and chassidim. So he was not worthy to pray for the generation, especially since they did not want to include themselves with him and set themselves aside before him, so that he would have help and support from them too. And this is what our Rabbis expounded to his discredit, as the Zohar explains. At such a time he should not have lowered himself and held back from praying for his generation. Instead, he should have given his life for the whole of Israel, come what may. Even though he imagined that he was not worthy or fit to pray for others, “in a place where there are no men, strive to be a man,” as Chazal say (Avos 2:5). He should have prayed and pleaded for mercy for them. It might have been a sin, Heaven forbid, to pray for them. It might have been counted as arrogance, Heaven forbid, and his prayer would have been scrutinized. Even so, he should have prayed, like Moshe Rabbeinu, who said, “Erase me, please,” and his prayer was effective.

2Based on what we have said, perhaps this is the intent of the holy Zohar (Zohar III:216b): “The Rabbis have also established that Moshe was destined to receive the Torah in the generation of the Flood, but because they were wicked [he did not].” For Chazal's words are well known (Mechilta on Shemos; Vayikra Rabbah) that the main preparation for receiving the Torah was that all Israel became “like one man with one heart.” But the Generation of the Flood were wicked and could not join and unite with one another. On the contrary, they robbed and plundered one another and did evil deeds that drove them apart. Because of this, the Torah was not received then.

3aWith what we have said, a statement of Chazal (Zevachim 116a) can be explained. “When the Torah was given to Israel, its sound traveled from one end of the world to the other. All the kings of the nations were seized with trembling in their palaces, and they sang a song, as it says, ‘And in His palace, all say: Glory!’ [Tehillim 29:9]. They all gathered around Bilaam the wicked and said to him, ‘What is this great noise we have heard? Is a flood coming to the world?’ He answered, ‘Hashem sat enthroned at the Flood’ [Tehillim 29:10]. [He has sworn never to bring another.]¹ He said to them, ‘He has a precious treasure in His storehouse that was stored away with Him for nine hundred seventy-four generations before the world was created. He wants to give it to His children, as it says, “Hashem will give strength to His people”’ [Tehillim 29:11]. Immediately they all spoke up and said, ‘Hashem will bless His people with peace’ [ibid.].”

3bThis follows from the Zohar cited above: the Torah could have been given to the Generation of the Flood, except that they were wicked. It follows that had the Torah been given then, in the days of the Flood, good would have prevailed and there would have been no Flood. But since they did not merit that the good prevail, evil prevailed, and the Flood came upon the world. So when the nations and Bilaam asked, “Is a flood coming to the world?” they meant: will evil prevail, Heaven forbid? Bilaam answered that Hashem wants to give the Torah to Israel. At once they all prayed that it should not be as it was at the time of the Flood, when there was no peace and brotherhood among the people, so they did not merit receiving the Torah “for their good all the days” [Devarim 6:24], but the opposite. That is what the nations meant by “Hashem will bless His people with peace”: let there be peace and blessing among Israel. Then no flood will come to the world. Instead, they will merit receiving the holy Torah, the ultimate purpose of all good and of life.