The Tzaddik Who Walks Among the People
Noach was called righteous only compared to his generation, and he saved only himself, because he stayed apart.
The Toldos asks why Noach, who found favor with Hashem, did not save his generation, while Avraham’s presence could have spared Sodom. His answer is that a tzaddik who sits alone before Hashem can rescue only himself. One who goes out into the city and turns people back toward good can rescue his generation as well. Noach is described as a man who walked with Elokim, meaning that he kept apart in his devotion, and he is called righteous only as long as his generation stood beside him. Once they were gone, the title no longer fit. Avraham, by contrast, said that he had walked before Hashem and brought his generation back, and therefore his merit reached beyond himself. A righteous person is measured by what happens to the people around him.
Source: Ben Porat Yosef, Noach 3–6
It is easy to guard our own growth in private and to feel that this is enough. Today, think of one person near you who might be glad of company in something good: a neighbor who might join a shiur, a coworker who is going through a hard time, a child who needs your attention at the table. Invite them, call them, or simply sit with them for ten minutes. Your own avodah is complete when it also lifts someone else a little.