Parshas Noach
The Taiva (Ark) was a towering and impressive structure built to last through a torrential rain pour and the most extreme weather conditions out there. However, the chances of surviving a humongous simmering sulphur bath, with raging super - power geysers shooting up from down below that would melt the world apart must have been no less than a miracle. Such a piece of art could not realistically endure such an ordeal. A lining of tar inside and out could not have been enough to protect the inhabitants of the Taivah. Still, Noach did have a challenging construction job to complete before the rains came and flooded the world away.
The World Trade Center towers took almost four years to build.
The Titanic was completed in less than three.
The complete construction phase of Noach’s ark lasted for more than a century.
Granted they had no cranes on the ark (besides the bird) but what took Noach so long to get the wood floating and rocking those waves?
Rashi tells us that that the intentional delay to was to inform bystanders who noticed Noach banging those nails to inquire about the enormous floating devise that he was busy with for all of those years. He would tell them that Hashem planned on destroying the corrupted universe and that they should get moving to do Teshuva (repentance) before they got washed away.
This leads us to a penetrating question. Noach and his family were the only ones to enter the safe haven of the Taiva. We don’t find anyone who was moved to change.
Perhaps Noach wasn’t a great public speaker, but he did have 120 years to perfect his delivery and the way he intended to inspire the public.
At least one of his mussur shmoozin (rebuke speeches) should have hit the spot! Why wasn’t he successful with even one poor soul?
No one in R’ Moshe Sherer’s elementary class remained frum. He was the only one fortunate enough to remain a Shomer Torah U’Mitzvos (Obsevant Jew).
A letter once arrived at R’ Sherer’s office criticizing some of the policies of the Agudas Yisroel. R’ Sherer recognized the signature of his old elementary school Rebbe. R’ Sherer made up to meet with the man in a restaurant to discuss the contents of the letter. We he arrived at the meeting place he found his old Rebbe sitting and eating without a yarmulka on his head. R’ Sherer told him, “Now I understand why none of my classmates remained observant. You didn’t believe in what you were selling and therefore you were ineffective.”
R’ Sherer answered that Noach never fully believed that Hashem would destroy the world. (See Rashi, “maiman veienui maimin”) He didn’t enter the ark when it began to rain but waited until he was forced to do so. With that attitude one cannot persuade even one guy to join his side. If you want to have a real impact on someone else, you must be real and passionate about what it is you’re trying to sell.
The Midrash states that Og Melech Habashan was permitted by Noach to find shelter on a board attached to the ark which was covered by a roof. (Hence the expression “all aboard”)
One would think that Og, who witnessed the Divine retribution of the mabul (Flood) and the devastating destruction of the entire world would be moved to become a righteous person. Yet, we find that he wasn’t such a good guy after all. Not too many years down the line, he deliberately attempted to knock off Avrohom in order to take Sarah as his own wife.
A couple of centuries after that, he went head-to-head with Moshe in a battle that threatened the very existence of Klal Yisroel (the Jewish Community).
We don’t find that he was moved to change as a result of observing such a powerful event.
R’ Chatzkel Levenstein zt”l was present in a room in which a young girl was possessed by a dibbuk. R’ Elchonon Wasserman Hyd’ suddenly entered the room and shouted, “Rasha! My rebbe (the Chofetz Chayim) commands you to leave this instant!” Immediately the girl turned back to normal.
R’ Chatzkle related that he was so stunned that he was unable to sleep that night. The next morning, the whole town of Radin was buzzing about the occurrence. Bystanders pointed to the window that the dibbuk broke as it exited.
R’ Chatzkle commented that despite this phenomenon, “the shoemaker remained the same shoemaker and the tailor the same tailor!”
Frequently, we observe actions that can move us to change. We have the opportunity to internalize the inspiration and act on it. The whole world knew of Krias Yam Suf (splitting of the Reed sea) but Yisro was the only one to make a move. Indeed, it was possible for Og to get a very good view of what happens to man when he corrupts himself and destroy his own world and still not change. He had a long time to think about it with no distracting company. Even giants don’t always grow so tall.
R’ Chatzkel was once riding in a cab when the driver related to him how his friend became a Chozer Betshuva (newly observant). “We were backpacking in the dense jungles of India when a monstrous king cobra slowly wrapped himself around my buddy in the middle of the night. The deadly snake was tightening his grip around the poor guy’s body and he was beginning to lose oxygen. Suddenly I remembered the words I had learned as a child and I shouted at him to cry ‘Shma Yisroel!’ He said those holy words and immediately the reptile loosened his grasp and slithered away into the night.”
“And what about you?” inquired Reb Chatzkel to the man at the wheel. “Me? The story didn’t happen to me, it happened to him!”
“Of every pure animal take onto you seven.”
Noach was commanded to take seven pairs of all of the kosher species and two of the non kosher animals. Rashi comments that from here we learn that Noach learned Torah because he was able to distinguish this difference by using his own discretion.
This Rashi begs explanation. It doesn’t take much of a talmid chacham to learn the signs that constitute a kosher animal. In fact there are many individuals that hail from China and Mexico who are employed in Kosher restaurants who are aware of this data and are complete Amaratzim (ignorami)! How could a factual check of split hooves and chewed up cuds be a significant indicator that Noach studied Torah? Furthermore, the Torah testifies that Noach was a Tzadik. It ain’t easy to be classified as a righteous guy without having a substantial amount of Torah study under your belt. Isn’t this enough of a proof that Noach learnt Torah? And even more, the Torah sates later on “And Noach built a Mizbeach” One must be proficient in the laws of Kodshim and shecita in order to start firing up korbonos on an Alter? This should have been the greatest testimony that Noach studied Torah?!
Perhaps the answer is that Rashi isn’t saying the animals weren’t the real indicator that reveals that Noach learned Torah. Our Rabbis tell us that if one ingests non kosher food, it can cause a spiritual blockage in his Neshama. The buildup of these foreign edible substances can limit ones ability in his comprehension of Torah related matters and can corrupt his way of way of thinking. (Timtum Halev.)
Rashi is telling us that from the fact that Noach was careful and fully aware of what made an animal kosher, he was able to allow the Torah to penetrate his being. By being scrupulous in the area of kashrus, Noach was in essence enabling his being to become a vessel that absorbed the holy Torah within. Otherwise the Torah he would have studied would not have been legitimately absorbed within.
A bizarre incident occurred during Noach’s tenure as a full time zookeeper in the Taivah. He was a bit delayed in serving the lion’s dinner and as result was injured by an ungrateful lion.
Let’s examine the precarious position that Noach was in during the stormy days of the Flood.
Noach had just spent the last 120 years building a massive floating station that was to save anyone who was genuinely serious about repenting and had a will to survive. He was also very much occupied with researching and gathering the pure animals as they did not come on their own accord like the impure animals did. As people witnessed the construction they curiously inquired why he was so busy with his unique project. (The bottom floor must have raised lots of questions like, “Why do you need an entire floor allocated for waste and not just throw the extra garbage overboard?”) His mission was to inform them of God’s plan to sink the world if the people wouldn’t desist in their evil ways. No one listened to even one of the Mussur Shmoozin that he delivered nonstop for over a century. This feeling could eventually lead one to burn out. Despite that, he kept on moving and preparing for the rainy days up ahead.
His popularity continued to plummet as mobs that didn’t appreciate his ominous Armageddon predictions attempted to prevent his entry into the ark. A vicious wildlife escort was needed to ensure his safety for him and his family as they entered the Taivah. That was the last he ever saw of his old neighbors as they all perished in the crashing waves. He must have been haunted with feelings of “I told you so!”
The weather for that period was never too rosy, as ‘partly sunny’ never appeared on the forecast. Life on the ark was no walk in the park for any man, let alone for Noach who was pushing six hundred plus years. Let us keep in mind that here were also many species of owls that have the overnight shift and the midnight snacks were only the entrée for their hearty breakfast.
On a personal level Noach had his own business to tend to. With all of his sons about 100 years old (relatively young back then) there was immense pressure to be Mechanech them on the right path as mankind would start anew. His boys (whom he waited 500 years to be born!) were the first kids that would populate the world.
Rationing the right proportions for the suppers of the giraffes, blowfish and gnats was no easy feat. (He did get off easy from the recycling cud - chewers.) The fact of the matter is that Noach was a harried older man overwhelmed with the awesome responsibility of saving the world. Why was he injured by the lion? Why wasn’t the poor guy cut any slack?
Simply, we could assume that the wildlife aboard the ark did not take lightly to this offense. The centipede and ladybug were probably thinking, “If the lion, who is the king of beasts received his supper in a belated fashion, who knows if we will ever get served?” This prompted the species to request from their leader, the lion, to assure that Noach would get the message and be more vigilant regarding the scheduled lunches and their special diets.
R’ Avrohom Kalmanowitz Ztl’ answered that this lion was not just an ordinary lion. This was the motherof all lions; the lion that would ensure the survival of all future lions. The entire kingly species would eventually emanate from this hungry guy. Had this lion become weak and expired as a result of this incident it would mean the extinction of this mighty beast for eternity. When undertaking a vital mission like this, one does not procrastinate. This was the Tainah on Noach.
It has been noted that this P’shat is really autobiographical. R’ Kalmanowitz was extremely active in the Vaad Hatzoltah that tirelessly worked in order to save Jewish lives form the Nazi regime during World War II. He perceived every Jew as if he was the last lion on this world. Every Yid is a world by himself. If we don’t do our best to help a fellow Jew, we might lose a precious lion that can build future generations.
I would like to suggest an alternative explanation. Had Noach come late to the snail or the turtle it would not have been a big deal. The Shulchan Aruch - Book of the code of Jewish law begins his monumental work by saying that that one should arise like a lion in the morning. We learn the concept of Zrizus from the lion. You do not come late to the animal whose essence is Zrizus. Perhaps this was the lesson of the incident with Noach.
I once heard another explanation. The fate of the generation of the Mabul was sealed on the account of Gezel - robbery. Giluy Arayis was also a major contributor to the verdict to wipe out all of humanity. Inside the ark, it was of paramount importance to correct the flaws that dealt with the interaction between man and his fellow. The world was destroyed on the account of lack of respect and basic decency in matters of Viahavta Komocha and the world would only be sustained with the tenacious performance of Chesed which symbolizes the bond of love between man and his friend. Olam Chesed Yibaneh. The world was to be rebuilt by caring for another. This is why Noach suffered for procrastinating while tending to the lion.
Tuval Kayin was a brother in law of Noach. You won’t find a lot written about this character. He was the brother of Na’ama, who was Noach’s wife. We don’t know much about this fellow except for the way in which he was tragically killed. Rashi describes the catastrophic scenario how he met his ultimate demise. Tuval was leading his blind father during Lemech hunting expedition. Thinking that there was an animal in the distance, he told his father to shoot an arrow which ultimately killed Kayin. Upon being informed what happened he smacked his hands together and accidentally killed his son Tuval.
Kayin had a pending death sentence that was scheduled to occur after seven generations. This is when it actually happened. However, why did Tuval die such an awful death that warranted such a horrible ending?
Perhaps Rashi provides the answer. Rashi comments earlier that Tuval was the first man to ever fashion tools of iron and copper. In fact, he supplied weapons to murderers. Possibly, he reasoned that since he had connections to the dangerous rogues in the streets he would be safe. After all he was the supplier! He thought that his Kochi Ve’otzem Yodi (my own might and prowess) would be a protection and no one would dare lift a finger against him Not only did he die for these sinful acts (for being an accomplice to murder), but he died by the force of someone’s bare hands. Neither a Swiss army knife, nor brass knuckles was even needed to get the job done.
Hashem commanded Noach to take animals into the Taivah using the terminology “Ish ve-ishto - man and his wife.” Isn’t it more appropriate to use the words “Zachor and Nikeiva” (male and female) when referring to animals, and not humans?
Perhaps the Torah is alluding to what Rashi points out earlier. Rashi writes that preceding the Mabul, even the animals cohabited with species not from their own kind. The only animals that were admitted to the Taivah were the ones that stayed loyal to their own species. The Torah is hinting that Noach should only take those animals that stayed loyal to each other like man and wife.
Litvaks say: know the Torah.
Chassidim say: know The Ribono Shel Olam.
Modern people say: know the world.
Ba’alei Mussar say: know yourself.
The last Possuk at the end of Parshas Beraishis says “Vinoach matza chain beinie Hashem.”
The word ‘chain’ could be read backwards to read Noach.
Perhaps the Torah is sublimely hinting that Noach was righteous and knew himself - Noach matza Noach - in the Eyes of Hashem. (The reason why it is written backwards is because in order to know oneself you must know yourself backwards and forwards. He knew his strengths and weaknesses and exactly at what madraigah he was at. He was the yachid (sinle one) in his time in this regard which made him special. (Possibly this was the reason that he wasn’t mispallel (pray) for the rest of the generation. He felt at the point at where he was he was only capable of saving himself.)
The possuk also states: ”And Hashem said,” I will blot out man whom I created from the face of the ground - from man to animal to creeping things and to the birds of the sky; for I have reconsidered (nichamti) My having made them. The word “nichamti” can also be rearranged to spell “masai Noach - when will Noach (come)”
Perhaps this is hinting that Hashem only reconsidered the decision to destroy the world until Noach came along, because Noach would ensure the survival of humanity.
Random facts that you may have never known
• Before the mabul children were conceived and born on the same day.
• Noach planted trees to be used for the specific measurements of the ark.
• During the 7 days that proceeded the mabul the sun set in the east and rose in the west.
• Noach was a vegetarian for more than 500 years.
• Og swore to Noach and his sons that he would be their slave if they allowed him access to the ark.
• An animal called Zikis refused to eat anything on the Teivah until Noach fed it worms.
• Each raindrop that fell during the flood was boiled in Gehenom first.
• Cham’s wife gave birth to the giant Sichon in the Taivah.
• The dove which plucked the olive branch had found it in Gan Eden.
Copied from an eMail dated 28 October 2011, by Zvi Soroka of The Scoop
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