Parashas Noach

At the beginning of this week’s parashah, Noach is described as a tzaddik, a righteous person, b’dorosav, in his generations.

Rashi tells us that there are two approaches in Chazal to understanding the import of the word b’dorosav.

Some understand it positively: Noach managed to be righteous even in his own generation, at a time when everyone else was wicked. Imagine how much greater he would have been in the generation of Avrohom, when others were righteous as well.

Others, however, understand b’dorosav as deprecating Noach: Noach was only considered great in his own times, when everyone else was wicked. Had truly righteous people, like Avrohom, been on the scene, Noach would not have been considered righteous at all.

Why would one opinion choose to diminish Noach’s stature? After all, Noach was Hashem’s choice to be the individual from whom all future generations would descend. Noach, who was still childless at the age of 480, did not hesitate to heed Hashem’s command to build a teivah, a project that took 120 years and earned him the scorn and ridicule of all those around him.

Why not understanding the passuk as positively as possible?

When the Torah describes a person or event, it does so not only to convey historical and biographical information, but also to teach us a lesson for life.

The Torah’s ambiguous modifier gives us insight into how to approach to two different circumstances, within ourselves and with others.

When a person is seeking to grow in avodas Hashem but is hampered by obstacles beyond his control, and is now in danger of surrendering to despair, we tell him: Look a Noach! He could have been so much more righteous, but he lived in his own generation, not Avrohom’s. The Torah recognized his circumstances and validated that, considering his surroundings, he was a tzaddik.

On the other hand, when a person feels that he has achieved enough, that he is already a respected scholar and tzaddik, we tell him: Look at Noach! Of course you think you’re learned and righteous, just look at those around you. If you associated with true tzaddikim and talmidei chachamim, you would recognize that you are actually undistinguished and need to set your sights higher.

We, too, live b’doroseinu.  And it’s in our hands to determine what that means.

May we each be zocheh to realize our true potential.

Gut Shabbos and a Good Chodesh.