Noach superimposed his own misgivings about the wicked onto Hashem and
thus felt that Hashem had given up all hope on them, and therefore did
not care for them any longer, abandoning them to their fate of
destruction. Noach didn't realize that Hashem still loves the wicked
despite their evil ways, and insists that the righteous make every
attempt to bring them back to Him (through prayer and by befriending
them, influencing them to repent). Since Noach mistakenly thought as
many people do, that Hashem is devoid of understanding and compassion
for human frailty, and that He has such demanding and harsh standards
that even Noach himself was not sure if he would be fortunate enough to
be saved from the fate of his generation. Noach realized that the evil
deeds of his generation had a bad influence even upon someone like
himself. This is why Noach feared for his own survival, and
disassociated himself from the people of his generation. He didn't want
to take any chances of being dragged down even further, therefore he
made no attempt to bring them back to Hashem. So Noach ignored the
spiritual plight of his generation and resigned himself to focus on his
own survivial, contrary to Hashem's wishes.
Noach was commanded by Hashem to enter the ark together with his family,
all the animals, all the vegetation and food supplies that the ship
could hold. Since Noach lacked the proficiency to save the world from a
physical and spiritual holocaust, he was forced to reside together with
the lowest elements of this earth, the animals and vegetation for one
year. The ark functioned like a spiritual escalator, automatically
elevating its residents to a special closeness with Hashem. Noach had
failed to do this on his own. Nevertheless, Hashem gave Noach this gift,
and through the spiritual energies contained in the ark, assisted Noach
to spiritually elevate his family and all of the lowly animals that were
on board. The result would be to empower Noach to elevate the lowest
elements of society to the side of holiness after he left the ark,
facing a new and different world. In addition, Noach's ride up the
spiritual escalator in the ark together with the lowly animals, would
emphasize that his failure to attempt to influence the lowest elements
of society to remm to Hashem, despite his own personal righteousness,
was the specific area where he had failed, and would need to correct.
We therefore see the importance and awesome responsibility of the
leaders of each generation. They must carefully direct society and each
individual, through the guidance derived from Hashem's word, to follow
the middle path as outlined by the Torah. Any deviation is the path that
leads to malcontent, degeneracy, and destruction. May we soon see the
coming of the righteous redeemer who will restore the world to the
proper path. Amen!
It was reported that when Nicanor had gone to fetch doors [for the great
eastern gate of the Temple Court] from Alexandna, Egypt on his return a
storm arose in the sea and threatened to drown him. The other passengers
took one of his doors [the massive door for the Temple's gate] and cast
it into the sea and yet the sea would not stop raging. When they
prepared to cast the other [door] into the sea, he [Nicanor] arose and
clung to it saying, "Cast me in with it!" [They did so, and] the sea
immediately stopped raging. He [Nicanor] was deeply grieved about the
other [door]. As he arrived at the harbor of Acco, it [the first door
which had been lost at sea] broke through and came up from under the
sides of the ship. - Another version says that a great fish swallowed it
and spat it out on the dry land... [Years later, when the Jews became
wealthier (Rashi),] all the gates in the Temple were changed for golden
ones with the "exception of the Nicanor gates, because of the miracles
wrought for them. But some say, because the bronze of which they were
made had a golden hue. Rav Eliezer bar Ya'akov said, "it was Corinthian
bronze which shone like gold. [The reason why Nicanor did not try to
prevent the other passengers from casting the first door into the sea
was because the craftsman in Jerusalem could have fashioned another door
using the remaining door as an example. However, when they wanted to
cast the remaining door into the sea, the craftsmen in Jerusalem would
not have had any means of reproducing it. Nicanor risked his life for
the door, because he based his act upon the rule, all those who are on a
mission in the perfommce of a commandment of Hashem are protected from
harm both going and returning. In the merit of his risking his life he
was saved. (Ain Ya'akov)] (Talmud: Yoma 38a)
The holy Zohar mentions that when Noach left the ark, after the waters
of the flood had abated, and saw that the population of the entire world
had been destroyed, he began to cry over the massive carnage. Hashem
then said to Noach, "Foolish leader. Now, after the world's population
has been destroyed, do you choose to cry for them, you should have cried
for them before the flood [in order to gain atonement for them].
Conversely, Moshe (Moses) was even willing to die in order to gain
forgiveness for the Jews for the sin of the Golden Calf. (Zohar Chodash:
Parshas Noach: pp. 24, 25) Rav Noson says that Noach did not pray for
the sinful people of his generation because he did not understand, as
other great Tzaddikm such as Moshe understood, the extent of Hashem's
compassion for His creatures, even for the wicked. Although Noach
himself was a very righteous man, as the Torah describes, "Noach was a
righteous man, perfect in his generations; Noach walked with Hashem."
(Genesis 6:9), he was unable to lower himself, in order to to associate
with the wicked people of his generation and relate to them on their
level so he could slowly influence them to return to Hashem. In
addition, when a Tzaddik associates with the wicked, with the intention
to bring them back to Hashem, he inevitably discovers the good character
traits that every human being has hidden within him. If Noach would have
associated with the sinners, he would have eventually discovered their
good points. This would have caused Noach to truly feel for their poor
spiritual plight, inspiring him to pray on their behalf, to enlist
Hashem's help in orchestrating their eventual return to Him. Futhermore,
the good points that he would have found in the wicked could have been
cultivated, develooed and used as a starting point for Noach to
influence them to return to Hashem.
Noach feared for his own spiritual survival. so he did not associate
with the wicked. His lack of personal involvement with sinners distorted
his perspective of them. Since he viewed them from a distance, he was
unable to detect any good in them, and therefore was not motivated to
pray on their behalf, for he felt that their spiritual situation was
irredeemable. Conversely, the greatness of Moshe and other Tzaddikim of
his ilk, was that they were able to descend to the filthy places,
associating with the most wicked and vile sinners, and as a result of
their unrelenting efforts, influence them to return to Hashem. They
understood Hashem's great compassion, even for the wicked, and that He
desires that they return to Him. Therefore, they persisted in
extricating the wicked from the side of evil.
Due to these misconceptions, Hashem rescued Noach through the ark and
not some other means. Noach's ark was no mere boat. The Zohar relates
that its construction, on the spiritual level, involved and was
associated with the deepest mysteries of the universe which imbued it
with the most awesome spiritual energies. "Noach's ark is Yom Kippur
(Day of Atonement)," meaning that everything associated with the ark's
construction hints and alludes to all the aspects and ramifications
associated with repentance. In other words, the ark was not only a
physical haven from the destructive flood waters and the corruption of
his generation, but it was a spiritual refuge which enabled Noach, his
family, the animals, and vegetation (his food supplies) to absorb and be
nourished from the powerful spiritual energies that were contained in
the ark.
After the flood waters dried from the face of the earth Hashem
conunanded Noach and all those who were inside the ark with him to
leave, as the verse says, "Hashem spoke to Noach, 'Go forth from the
ark: you and your wife, your sons -- every living creature that is with
you..." (Genesis 8:15-17) "[The fact that Hashem had to command the
residents of the ark to leave implies that they didn't want to leave due
to the spiritual bliss they experienced there. Therefore, this verse
implies that] if they refuse to leave, then force them to leave even
against their will!" (Rushi) Every incident mentioned in the Torah is
recorded not merely as a historical notation, but so we can derive
guidance on how to successfully conduct our lives in accordance with
Hashem's will. Therefore, every person interested in spiritual pursuits
can relate to the incident of the refusal of the ark's residents to
leave. Every person interested in coming close to Hashem dreams and
wishes that he could be relieved of having to deal with the material
world and its obligations, free to spend all of his time in the study
hall and synagogue communing with Hashem. The voyagers of the ark found
it very difficult to leave the spiritual bliss of the ark, to confront
the very difficult challenges that are associated with the material
world. The same is true of the spiritually inclined individual who finds
it equally as difficult to leave the spiritual haven of the study hall
and synagogue in order to confront the challenges of the material world,
an environment that is hostile and runs contrary to his goals.
Hashem demands that we leave the study hall and synagogue, especially
according to the necessity to fulfill our material obligations, in order
to improve and develop the material world, so that it will be a better
place to live, providing more opportunities and a better environment
through which Hashem can be served. Therefore, Hashem was not only
addressing those in the ark to leave their spiritual haven and cultivate
the world, but all people who pursue spirituality, that in order to have
the proper balance between the needs of the soul and the body, one must
temporarily leave his spiritual environs in order to take care of his
physical needs. This is not merely a good suggestion, but it is an
imperative and the will of Hashem. Since this world is comprised of many
opposite and conflicting elements, one must experience both sides of the
spectrum in order to have the proper balance. When one experiences a
broad base, from both sides, his intellectual horizons and capacltv are
increased. The more we increase our intellect the better we are able to
perceive and discover more about Hashem. Therefore, as Rabbi Nachman
taught, Hashem demands that we traverse both tracks, that of the study
hall and that of the material world. This enables us to experience
Hashem both on the intellectual level, in the study hall, and on the
emotional level, through our encounters with the material world which
can give us the opportunity to experience every aspect of Hashem
possible for humans, as the verse commands, "In all your ways [through
your every spiritual and physical activity get to] know Him Hashem)."
(Proverbs 3:6) This is why Hashem designed the Torah and the world such
that it can only function properly through balance and the middle road,
as the verse says, "You shall not deviate from the word that they (the
spiritual guides and experts) will tell you to the right or the left
[but follow the middle path, just like the spiritual experts who emulate
Hashem and themselves serve Him in a balanced way]." (Deut. 17:11)
BETWEEN SPIRITUALITY AND PHYSICALITY
Noach was well aware of the awesome power of the forces of evil to lure
a person away from Hashem, and was therefore reluctant to leave the
confines of the ark. In order to reassure him, Hashem showed Noach the
sign of the rainbow, which represents the pathways of repentance and the
ability to find Hashem everywhere, even in the darkness of the material
world, as the verse says, "I (Hashem) have set My rainbow in the cloud,
and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth."
(Genesis 9:13) Rav Noson savs that the cloud refers to the spiritual
darkness of the material world. The Zohar says that the tricolored
rainbow represents the Tzaddik HaEmes (the most righteous person of the
generation). This means that the Tzaddik HaEmes has the ability to
reveal Hashem's light even through the thickest and darkest cloud which
obscures all light, to those people who have fallen to the depths of
evil, as the verse says, "If I make my bed in hell, behold You (Hashem)
are there [through the Tzaddik shining Hashem's light to the those most
remote from Him, they come to realize that Hashem is with them even in
their place of darkness]." (Psalms 139:8) [The three colors of the
rainbow are associated with the right, left, and center, indicating that
the Tzaddik embodies every aspect of the spectrum and in particular the
middle path, the way of Hashem. The rainbow is referred to as the
rainbow of the covenant. The Zohar says that each Tzaddik is strongly
connected to Hashem through the bond of a strong covenant. This is why
the rainbow symbolizes the Tzaddik]. (Lekutai Halachos: Orach Chiam:
Hilchos Shabboss 7:69, 70)
REPRESENTING PATHWAYS OF REPENTANCE AND THE TZADDIK
The underlining cause for the sins committed by the generation of the
flood was that society established laws and customs that were in direct
conflict with the good and proper ways of Hashem's middle path, which He
had taught them. Their laws and social customs were based upon their own
rationalizations, which made all forms of extreme, degenerate behavior
permitted. What impact did this degenerate behavior have on the
universe? The world was created and is controlled by Hashem. This finite
world is unable to bear or tolerate Hashem's infinite light therefore
Hashem constricted His great light into the letters of the Hebrew
alphabet. Through these spiritual letters, He was able to create and is
able to safely manipulate the universe, much the way one uses a
computer. Knowledge is limitless, therefore the spiritual energies
associated with knowledge are limitless as well. Knowledge is associated
with the same spiritual energies that are contained in water, as the
verse says, "The world shall be full of the knowledge of Hashem, as the
waters cover the sea." (Isaiah 11:9) Thus the spiritual energies
associated with knowledge creates a limitless spiritual ocean. On the
physical level, this means that the possible solution for any decision
or problem is limitless, having many different points of view. Which
method or opinion is right? For example, in our modern society there are
many conflicting views on how to deal with society's problems, issues
such as crime, abortion, drugs, poverty, race relations, etc. There are
countless points of view on each issue. Since each viewpoint has its
merits and deficiencies, which opinion should we follow? Due to the fact
that man's intelligence is limited, he might come to destructive and
wrong conclusions. Therefore, Hashem provided man with the guidance on
how to properly deal with every conceivable problem, through His word.
The nature of a set of rules is that it limits one's actions to a
specific response or course of action. Therefore, Hashem's word and
rules helps man safely navigate through the sea of wisdom, preventing
him from drowning in the flood of information which contains an endless
deluge of possible solutions and points of view. This is why the Hebrew
word for 'word' is taevah, which is the very same name given to
Noach's ark and the basket that Moshe (Moses) was placed in as an infant
(c.f. Exodus 2). Thus, the laws of Hashem -- His word -- is the only way
that man can clearly know what is truly the correct and proper course of
behavior, preventing him from drowning in the sea of wisdom.
MANIFESTED AS A PHYSICAL FLOOD OF WATER
The fact that the generation of the flood chose to ignore the word of
Hashem resulted in them having no vehicle or boat to help them safely
traverse the sea of wisdom. Therefore, they came to the wrong
conclusions about and solutions for their society's problems, causing
society to drown and deteriorate to the point where immoral violent, and
degenerate behavior became the accepted and right practice. As we
mentioned above, when a person uses any form of knowledge he activates
the spiritual energies associated with water. Therefore, Rav Noson says,
that the spiritual energies created by the generation of the flood,
through their use of every point of view other than Hashem's word,
caused the spiritual energies connected with the sea of knowledge to
flood the spiritual worlds. The light associated with these spiritual
flood waters was so great that the ehtereal Hebrew letters that Hashem
uses to constrict His light were unable to contain the massive flood of
light. There is a rule that whatever occurs on the spiritual level Is
eventually manifested on the physical level. Therefore, the flood of
light that was created by their degenerate behavior, legitimizing every
sort of negative philosophy other than Hashem's ways, eventually
manifested itself as an actual world-wide physical flood. Noach and his
family escaped in the taevah, Hebrew for both ark and word. This
teaches us that Noach merited to be saved from the fate of his
generation because he restricted his behavior, following only the word
of Hashein. Just as a boat prevents the boundless waters of the sea from
drowning its passengers, so the word of Hashem saves mankind from
drowning in erroneous wisdom and knowledge. Because Moshe was destined
to convey the word of Hashem to the world through the giving of the
Torah, Hashem orchestrated that as an infant, he was saved in a
taevah, a floatation device, in the waters of the Nile, similar
to Noach's experience at the time of the flood, to teach that man's only
chance for survival and to stay afloat in the sea of wisdom is to be
guided by the word of Hashem. (Lekutai Elalachos: Orach Chaim: Hilchos
Ne'sea'as Ka'pi'yim 5:9)
We mentioned that Noach fulfilled Hashem's will and experienced a
spiritual elevation, coming closer to Hashem through his traveling on
the ark. The following true story mentioned in the Talmud illustrates
how a similar experience occured to another great Tzaddik...