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Parshat Noach
2000
THE Ways of the Righteous
Genesis 6:9-13, 18-19, 22
"These are the begettings of Noah. Noah was a righteous, wholehearted man in his generation; in accord with God did Noah walk. Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham and Yefet. Now the earth had gone to ruin before God, the earth was filled with wrongdoing. God saw the earth and here: it had gone to ruin, for all flesh had ruined its way upon the earth. God said to Noah: An end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth is filled with wrongdoing through them; here, I am about to bring ruin upon them, along with the earth. ... But I will establish my covenant with you: you are to come into the Ark, you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you, and from all living-things, from all flesh, you are to bring two from all into the Ark to remain alive with you. They are to be a male and a female (each)... Noah did it, according to all that God commanded him, so he did."
Your Torah Navigator
1. Why does the Torah interrupt the description of Noah's begettings with the statement that Noah was a righteous man?
2. The text doesn't mention Noah's relationship with the people around him. Can you read between the lines and describe what it might have been like?
3. What might have been God's reasons for telling Noah what was about to happen?
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev (1740-1810) wrote in his Torah commentary, Kedushat Levi, about four kinds of righteous people. The first serves God with great devotion, but is content to concentrate on his/her own spiritual growth. The second kind of tzadik both serves God and strives to bring others, even the wicked, closer to God as well. The third tzadik, does not recognize his or her spiritual power and does not attempt to change God's decrees, while the fourth tzadik has the spiritual awareness and inner humility to argue humbly with God to reverse a Divine judgment.
Your Levi Yitzchak Navigator
1. What kind of righteous person is Noah?
2. How would you rank these four kinds of tzadiks? How does this ranking impact the way you think of Noah?
3. How much ego does a righteous person need?
(For more material from Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev, look at David R. Blumenthal's book, "God at the Center.")
A Word
There is a responsibility that comes along with being a spiritual person. Noah was certainly a righteous man - he walked with God, but he walked alone; he did not plead with God to save the world or warn his neighbors about their impending doom. Judaism judges Noah as less righteous than Abraham because Abraham was concerned with others' needs, even to the point of arguing with God to save a town full of wicked people. The most righteous person tried to make things better within his/her own soul but also in the larger world. The righteous person believes in his or her own power to make a difference. Sometimes that is all we need to make it happen.
Prepared by Rabbi Lisa L. Goldstein, Executive Director, Hillel of San Diego
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