Noah: Withstanding the Flood

If you've studied the Torah portion Noach, which deals with Noah and the flood, there's a good chance you've come across the big question of how righteous Noah really was. The reason for the discussion comes at the start of this week's parasha, where it says "Noach Ish Tzaddik, Tamim Haya Be-dorotav" - "Noah was a righteous man; he was blameless in his generation." So why does the Torah tell us he was blameless in his generation? Would he not have been a righteous person in a different generation?

The Etz Chayim Torah commentary states the question as follows, "is [this] a true compliment or qualified praise"? Is the Torah trying to tell us that in a time of complete corruption and debauchery, Noah was as good as it gets? In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is Noah? OR, are we praising him to the skies, that with so much lawlessness around him, Noah remained honest and continued to walk with God. Anyone could be righteous living in a time of peace, tranquility, and affluence! But only someone as amazing as Noah could keep it going even while surrounded by crooks and criminals.

In writing this post, I actually discovered something I'd never seen before in this line. There are two parts to the statement! "Noah was a righteous man... he was blameless in his generation." This age-old debate might be as simply resolved as to say that the second half of the verse is only further demonstrating his righteousness. Noah was a good person, AND he took no part in the evil that surrounded him.

But if you were to demand of me that I take sides in the debate (which wouldn't be very nice of you, I don't like being bullied!), I would have to say that I see it as a true compliment, and NOT qualified praise. Noah was surrounded by total corruption and chaos! It's amazing to me that he was able to maintain any sense of dignity and honesty, and how can we chastise him and say he should have done more?? Could most of us survive in a society of evil and still remain good? Could we challenge the ubiquitous status quo and remain faithful to God and to our own sense of morality?

The story of Noah teaches us that we cannot hide behind peer pressure, or the prevalent attitudes of society around us. We all know of examples of heroism, where individuals went with their gut feelings, their internal compasses which told them what was right and wrong, and who did not bow to the will of the corrupt majority. May we all find such inner strength, and become righteous people in our own, and in any generation.

Shabbat Shalom!