SAN DIEGO — In the whole of the Torah, there are only six portions that are named after an individual. Don’t look for parasha Avraham or Moshe. But we do have the Noach Ish Tzaddik Tamim Hayah BeDorotav the wholehearted, righteous man, “perfect in his generation.” Yes, there are of course many interpretations of tzaddik, tamim, dorosav, and even ish.
And there are many who focus on aspects of Noach’s life that may not be especially “perfect.” After all, who isn’t fallible? Trauma, as the Zohar explains, can surely lead to a “mind that is addled,” and make it difficult to move forward with wisdom and equanimity. But the Torah describes Noach as righteous, with all its meanings.
For example, the Rambam explains, “A person should always see himself as though he is half guilty and half meritorious. If he performs one mitzvah, he is fortunate, for he has tilted himself to the side of merit. If he commits one transgression, woe unto him, because he has tilted himself to the side of guilt” (Kiddushin 40b). Only one merit more is all it takes to be seen as righteous. And in Mishlei (24:16) it says of a righteous person, that s/he falls seven times, rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity. Shlomo HaMelech reminds us in Koheles (7:20) that even righteous people sin. It appears that what one does following a sin makes the difference. Do you give up and continue down a path of self-destruction? The righteous don’t. This is a reason Noach is considered righteous.
Regardless of one’s understanding of the terms to describe Noach in the parasha, one thing is clear – words found in the Torah describing Noach reflect essential components of ideal humanity: integrity, devotion, compassion, righteousness, just, wholehearted, humble, kind, grateful, unblemished, blameless, and more. Noah was the first to be faced with the task of growing spiritually as his generation was corrupt. He does so, as we know, by “walking with Hashem” and completing the task of the Ark.
But let’s remember that our Sages did not describe Noach as a flawless character. Rashi brings the view that Noach may have been righteous in his generation, but had he lived in Abram’s generation, this would not have been so. T’mimut, “wholeness,” is the model that Noah and other wholehearted righteous individuals provide Jews throughout the ages. Today, more than ever, this is a reminder of the best ways in which we would be wise to lead our lives. Rav Bahya ben Joseph ibn Pakuda, the author of Chovot Halevavot, the Duties of the Heart, describes the ideal of t’mimut as “…complete harmony between inner and outward actions.” We see in Psalm 15:2, that this ideal refers to someone “who lives without blame, who does what is right, and in his heart acknowledges the truth…”
One thing is clear to me through the lens of psychological wellbeing. Noach only went into the ark mipnei mei ha-mabul when he was forced to do so by the flood before him. Many commentators struggle with the notion that Noach declined to go into ark mi’katnei emunah haya, ma’amin v’eno ma’amin she’yavo ha-mabul, because essentially, he lacked faith, not believing there would even be a flood. Could a tzaddik tamim lack emunah? I find the explanation on this of R. Levi Yitzchok of Beritchev, the Kedushas Levi, quite compelling. He asserts that Noach did not lack faith in Hashem, but rather he was m’katnei emunah because he lacked confidence in himself. Noach did not believe in his own worthiness to argue with Hashem about His decree to destroy the world. This is not modesty or humility. This is unhealthy, self-depreciating, paralyzing, conditionally self-rating, and self-doubt. Believing in oneself, with trust in Hashem, are key ingredients to moving forward with success. Noach, by literal definition, was serene, calm, and though he demonstrated significant self-doubt, nevertheless he was filled with clear-sighted F.A.I.T.H. – “Feelings Anchored in Trust and Hope.” For it is said that when we grow in emunah, then happiness, joy, health, success, and power may follow.
Look at the world Noach lived in. Greed, oppression, corruption, sexual excess and worse. Wait. What’s changed? Look at our world. How do we cope with no ark to escape into? Floods, figuratively at least, surround us. Our response, our Jewish response, is to continue to be resilient, to build, to grow, to move forward…always as menschen.
Recall that in last week’s Torah reading, in Parasha Bereishis, it began with Hashem calling His work tov only to soon be introduced to the first murder in the world. Hashem comes to the seeming end of His patience with the world’s violence and was determined to rebuild the world fresh once again. He chooses Noach to be the rescuer from the flood He was to bring.
Noach serves as a special role-model. He is a mensch in a world where there were no menschen. Noach was told to make a tzohar, a window, in the ark to bring in light. He did so and we see that even in the darkness of the ark, there must be room for, and always is, light. Every step of our lives ideally brings light to our world, and like Noach, we must build – or be – a window to reflect light in the darkness surrounding us…to be a tzaddik tamim.
Noach was a man of chesed. Rav Eliahu Dessler zt”l, tells us about a midrash in which a lion was once fed late and attacked Noach who screamed “Ach!” The midrash comments, “vayishaer ach Noach,” suggesting that Noach fed the lion and other animals on time all the rest of the time. His chesed to the animals reflected the protection Noach experienced during the flood and was the ultimate spiritual dimension of the ark.
The people of Babel present a different narrative. Their emunah-less desire for personal greatness, their concern with personal reputation and fame was their undoing. When they uttered, “Let us make a name for ourselves,” they sealed their fate. Unlike Noah who was free of arrogance, the tower builders were filled with one purpose – making their own name great.
The lesson is clear. Let’s seek out the righteousness of Noach, not the arrogance we read in the parasha, of Babel. Perhaps a simple song, Yom Shabbaton, at the Shabbos table can help us bring this to mind. “The dove found a place to rest on the Sabbath (Yonah Maz’ah Bo Manoah)” written by Yehudah Halevi, the great Spanish poet of the 12th century. Admittedly, with its five stanzas, it’s one of my favorites. Read carefully, we see many references to Noach, many rhymes with his name, and filled with hope that “Thou who did calm the flood, preserve us from ill, Safe in green pastures, safe by the brook to rest…” “Ha’am asher na k’tzon ta’ah yizkor l’fokdo b’rit ushvua, l’val ya’avor bam mikreh ra’ah ka’asher nishba’ata al mei noach.” No other Shabbat song references Noach. When we slow down on Shabbat and enjoy singing zemirot at the table, particularly on this Shabbat, let’s pay attention to the words, see the parasha pop through the melody and feel, deeply, the hopeful future for our civilization. We are each faced with our own search for meaning as we strive to be a “tzadik” and “tamim,” growing spiritually so that we, too, can “walk with Hashem.”
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Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D., prepares a weekly D’var Torah for Young Israel of San Diego, where he and his family are members. They are also active members of Congregation Adat Yeshurun. He may be contacted via michael.mantell@sdjewishworld.com