The Torah states: “Noah was a completely righteous man in his generation” (Gen. 6:9).The Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin 108a, is bothered by the seemingly superfluous words “in his generation.” What are these extra words coming to teach us? There are two opinions: 1) Praise of Noah. Even in an evil generation he was righteous. However, if he were in a righteous generation, he would have been even more righteous. 2) Denigration of Noah. In his own generation he was considered righteous, but had he lived in Avraham’s generation he would not have been considered righteous in comparison to Avraham. The Chasam Sofer, a great rabbi, explained that there really is no argument between the two opinions. If Noah would have stayed the way he was in his own generation, then in Avraham’s generation he would not have been considered that righteous. However, the reality is that Noah would have been influenced by Avraham and have reached even greater heights of righteousness.
Rabbi Zelig Pliskin comments that this teaches us that we are all affected by our environment. When we are close to people of good character, we are automatically influenced in positive directions. We must choose our friends and your community with care as they strongly impact our lives.
The Torah states: “And Noah, man of the earth, profaned himself and planted a vineyard” (Genesis 9:20). Previously the Torah called Noah “a righteous man.” What happened? Rabbi Yeruchem Levovitz comments that by planting the vineyard first, Noah revealed his essence. He should have planted more essential produce first. His choice of priorities lowered his previous spiritual level. He concludes that we should learn that whenever you have a number of things to choose from, note what you choose first. This is a powerful tool to gain greater self-awareness. Regardless of your present level, strive to build up such a love for doing good that it will be first on your list of things to do!
The Torah states: “One who spills the blood of a person shall have his own blood spilled by man, for in the image of the Almighty He has made man.” (Genesis 9:6) This verse is also cited as a source that we must not embarrass another human being. What is the connection between murder and embarrassment? Rabbi Moshe Alshich explains that when a person is embarrassed, his blood flow changes – his face reddens. The Torah tells us in this verse that every person is created in the image of the Almighty. Therefore, every person must be shown great respect. An attack upon a human being – whether it be upon a person’s body or upon his sense of self – contains an aspect of an attack on the Almighty. When one is embarrassed, he is in great pain. The suffering can be even greater than from a physical wound. The harm, however, is much more than the present pain – the person suffers a loss of self-esteem. Humiliating someone can cause a person to fail to realize his true greatness. The ramifications of this are awesome.
Prepared by Devorah Abenhaim
