Transcript
Good morning, בוקר טוב Boker tov and welcome back to Parsha Perspectives for today. So great to be together again and to be able to have the privilege of studying פרשת נח Parshas Noach. I want to thank our generous sponsors for the series for the year, our dear friends Becky and Avi Katz and family in loving memory of David Grossman, Becky's father, לעילוי נשמת דוד בן מנחם מנוש L'ilui nishmas Dovid ben Menachem Manush, whose נשמה neshama should have an עליה aliyah. Thank you so much. If you'd like to sponsor a future class, please be in touch with Lee at BRSonline.org. Okay, let's jump in. פרשת נח Parshas Noach, so much to talk about. All of ספר בראשית Sefer Bereishis is so rich, not only with narrative and with stories, but with lessons and ideas that we can extract and apply to our daily lives today. אלה תולדות נח Eileh toldos Noach, we're on page 30 in the ארטסקרול סטון חומש Artscroll Stone Chumash. אלה תולדות נח Eileh toldos Noach, נח איש צדיק תמים היה בדורותיו Noach ish tzaddik tamim haya b'dorosav, את האלוקים התהלך נח es ha'Elokim hishalech Noach. This is the lineage, these are the תולדות toldos, this is the legacy, the story of נח Noach, who was a righteous man in his generation. את האלוקים התהלך נח Es ha'Elokim hishalech Noach, נח Noach walked with God, the Torah, the Torah tells us and promises us. There are two legacies of נח Noach and each year we we remind people of this. And of course Rashi famously quotes it. Was נח Noach a צדיק tzaddik relative to his generation? Was he subjectively righteous? Or was נח Noach objectively righteous? Is this something just compared to the corruption of his time? But if he lived in a normal time, with otherwise normally moral and ethical people, there would be nothing special about נח Noach? Or no, נח Noach is extraordinary and נח Noach is exceptional and נח Noach deserves to be acknowledged for that. It's an age-old debate. It goes back till the time probably of נח Noach himself and earlier. This is not anything new to us. And every year there are the נח Noach haters, and every year there are the נח Noach lovers, and the two perspectives of נח Noach. But I may have mentioned before, the היוצא חיים Hayotzei Chaim points out something interesting. If you look at רש\"י Rashi, רש\"י Rashi tells us יש מרבותינו yeish mei'rabboseinu דורשים אותו לשבח dorshim oso l'shvach. Among our teachers, we have those who teach לשבח l'shvach to praise נח Noach. כל שכן אילו היה בדור צדיקים היה צדיק ביותר kol shekein ilu haya b'dor tzaddikim haya tzaddik yoser. If in that generation that morally corrupt and empty generation נח Noach was righteous, all the more so he would be righteous in another generation. יש מרבותינו Yeish mei'rabboseinu, some of our teachers, some of our leaders דורשים dorshim, they learn from the פסוק לשבח pasuk l'shvach to praise him. ויש שדורשים אותו לגנאי v'yeish she'dorshim oso l'gnai. And there are others who use the same פסוק pasuk to conclude the opposite, to say that what? לפי דורו היה צדיק l'fi doro haya tzaddik. Relative to his generation he was righteous. אילו היה בדור של אברהם לא היה נחשב לכלום ilu haya b'dor shel Avraham lo haya nechshav l'klum. But if he lived in the generation of אברהם Avraham, he'd be a gornisht, he wouldn't measure up to anything. Does it occur to you? Does it occur to you the following? Why does it say יש מרבותינו yeish mei'rabboseinu? The first interpretation says there are among our teachers who learn it positively, and then it says יש דורשים yeish dorshim, there are those who learn it לגנאי l'gnai in a negative or critical fashion. What happened to מרבותינו mei'rabboseinu? So רבי ישראל מקוז'ניץ Rabbi Yisroel of Kozhnitz, the קוז'ניצער רבי Kozhnitzer Rebbe says that why does it teach us this? Because it's saying the following, anyone who learns it לגנאי l'gnai is not מרבותינו mei'rabboseinu. If you look at someone and you try to see what's missing, if you look at someone and you try to come with criticism and hypercriticism to condemn, to marginalize, to reject, if you look at someone and you come לגנאי l'gnai to find what's wrong, you're not מרבותינו mei'rabboseinu. So only the ones who are דורשים לשבח dorshim l'shvach, only the ones who look at and read the story and draw a conclusion in praise, they are מרבותינו mei'rabboseinu. Those who learn לגנאי l'gnai are not מרבותינו mei'rabboseinu, those are not to be considered among our teachers. Okay, that is to begin. אלה תולדות נח Eileh toldos Noach, these are the offspring, the generation, these are the storyline of of נח Noach. And then the Torah tells us, ויולד נח שלושה בנים Vayoled Noach shlosha banim. What are his legacy? What is his lineage? What did he leave? He had three sons, את שם את חם ואת יפת es Shem, es Cham, v'es Yafes. So on this רבי שמחה בונים מפשיסחה Rav Simcha Bunim of Pshischa, the great רב שמחה בונים Rav Simcha Bunim says, the תולדות toldos of נח Noach are שם חם ויפת Shem, Cham, v'Yafes. He had three sons, and of course the Torah here is identifying their names, שם חם ויפת Shem, Cham, v'Yafes. But says רב שמחה בונים מפשיסחה Rav Simcha Bunim of Pshischa, you can learn a little bit deeper, a little bit differently. שם חם ויפת Shem, Cham, v'Yafes are not only descriptions of the names of his sons, who are in fact his legacy, but really they are the עבודת השם avodas Hashem. His legacy are his attitudes, his personality, the work he put in to living a virtuous and righteous life. And how is that reflected in these three words? These three words are not just names, they are descriptions. את שם es Shem, and he writes על האדם לזכור תמיד את שם השם ולקיים את מאמר הכתוב שיויתי השם לנגדי תמיד al ha'adam lizkor tamid es shem Hashem ul'kayeim es ma'amar hakasuv, shivisi Hashem l'negdi samid. שם Shem, he named one son שם Shem, it means he was committed to שם shem. What שם shem? שם השם shem Hashem. An awareness, a mindfulness, a consciousness, a conscientiousness that wherever and whenever we go, השם Hashem is with us. נח Noach lived that way. What made him righteous, what made him a צדיק tzaddik is that his תולדות toldos were שם חם ויפת Shem, Cham, v'Yafes. Number one, says רב שמחה בונים Rav Simcha Bunim is שם Shem, that שיויתי השם לנגדי תמיד shivisi Hashem l'negdi samid, wherever I go, השם Hashem is opposite me always. He's with me, he's watching over my shoulder, he's listening in, he is recording. Number two, את חם es Cham, על האדם לקיים כל מצווה בחום ובהתלהבות al ha'adam l'kayeim kol mitzvah b'chom uv'hislahavus. A person has to be חם chom, you have to be warm. You have to be alive, you have to be vibrant, you have to be חם chom, you have to have a ווארמקייט varmkeit, you have to have passion and enthusiasm. So את שם es Shem, one of our תולדות toldos, our offspring has to be our legacy, our reputation has to be שם Shem, that we always walked with השם Hashem before us. Number two, חם chom, we have to be alive and vibrant and warm. And number three, את יפת es Yefes. על האדם לעשות אך ורק מעשים יפים al ha'adam la'asos ach v'rak ma'asim yafim. You have to do good deeds, kind, יפה yafeh, beautiful. שעליהם נאמר במשנה she'aleihem ne'emar b'mishnah. רבי אומר במשנה בפרקי אבות Rebbi omer b'mishnah b'Pirkei Avos, איזו דרך ישרה שיבור לו האדם כל שהיא תפארת לעושיה ותפארת לו מן האדם eizo derech yeshara sheyavor lo ha'adam, kol shehi tiferes l'oseha v'tiferes lo min ha'adam. Person should be יפה yafeh, you have to be יפת Yefes, יפת es Yefes. A person should be beautiful inside and out. should be, someone should be able to identify and admire those parts. So רב שמחה בונים Rav Simcha Bunim in a very חסידישע תורה Chassidishe Torah says that these three names are not just the names of נח Noach as in אלה תולדות נח Eileh toldos Noach, these are their names, but rather אלה תולדות נח Eileh toldos Noach, נח Noach's legacy is a commitment and devotion to these three things. Number one, את שם es Shem, that שיויתי השם לנגדי תמיד shivisi Hashem l'negdi samid, he always had השם Hashem opposite him. Number two, את חם es Cham, he was alive, he was vibrant, he was passionate, he was enthusiastic. And number three, את יפת es Yefes. Everything was יפה yafeh, everything was beautiful and methodical and admirable, a very beautiful trait. I want to show you now from רב דרוק Rav Druck. רב דרוק Rav Druck, the great ראש ישיבה של ירושלים Rosh Yeshiva of Yerushalayim, the great תלמיד חבר talmid chaver of רב חיים קניבסקי Rav Chaim Kanievsky, has a magnificent set of ספרים sfarim. We introduced it last year in the פרשה שיעור parsha shiur, and we often incorporated it. It's called אש תמיד Eish Tamid. And I'm very fortunate actually, he gave me my copy and wrote a beautiful inscription inside, for which I am very grateful. And his תורות Toros are magnificent. Has beautiful תורות Toros. His father was the דרש מרדכי Drash Mordechai. רב מרדכי דרוק Rav Mordechai Druck, his father was a great דרשן של ירושלים darshan of Yerushalayim and he inherited that quality. He has a set of ספרים על הפרשה sfarim on the parsha which are לומדס lomdus which are incredible, and he has the אש תמיד Eish Tamid which is the דרוש על הפרשה drush on the parsha, very worthwhile and I wanted to share a few pieces with you. So he says the following. What does it mean אלה תולדות נח Eileh toldos Noach? This is נח Noach's legacy. And as I said at the outset, and we say each and every year, נח Noach, people clearly line up and divide into two teams. There are the נח Noach haters and there are the נח Noach lovers. The people who see what's wrong with נח Noach and those who see what's right with נח Noach. Of course, only the ones who are לשבח l'shvach are רבותינו rabboseinu. The ones who choose to look and see and focus on the merit and the virtue and the assets, that's who are מרבותינו mei'rabboseinu, those are our teachers. So what does it mean את האלוקים התהלך נח es ha'Elokim hishalech Noach? The end of the פסוק pasuk describes that נח Noach was a צדיק tzaddik. And how do we know נח Noach is a צדיק tzaddik? Because את האלוקים התהלך נח es ha'Elokim hishalech Noach. נח Noach walked with God. What do those words mean? So the תרגום אונקלוס Targum Onkelos says, if you look in your חומש Chumash, we're on page 30 in the ארטסקרול סטון חומש Artscroll Stone Chumash, the תרגום אונקלוס Targum Onkelos translates Aramaically and he says, what does it mean את האלוקים התהלך נח es ha'Elokim hishalech Noach? So the תרגום אונקלוס Targum Onkelos says, בדחלתא דהשם הלך נח b'dichlasa d'Hashem halach Noach. נח Noach's great מעלה maila, his great virtue is that יראת שמים yiras shamayim. He has an awe of God. He identifies השם Hashem as the source of all, the omnipotent, infinite creator of the universe. He walks with God, it means that everywhere he looks and everything he listens to, he sees and feels and hears השם Hashem everywhere. That's פשט pshat number one. תרגום אונקלוס Targum Onkelos. Number two, the ספורנו Sforno. The ספורנו Sforno says שנח התהלך בדרכיו של הקדוש ברוך הוא she'Noach hishalech b'drachav shel Hakadosh Baruch Hu. What does it mean את האלוקים התהלך נח es ha'Elokim hishalech Noach? He walked with נח Noach? It means that he emulated, he imitated. What does it mean to walk with God? What is the greatest form of flattery? Imitation. He imitated God, as the גמרא בשבת דף קל\"ג עמוד ב Gemara Shabbos daf kuf lamed gimmel amud bais learns from the pasuk, זה אלי ואנוהו zeh keli v'anveihu, הוי דומה לו hevei domeh lo. How do we praise God? How do we glorify Him? By being like Him. How? מה הוא חנון ורחום אף אתה היה חנון ורחום ma hu chanun v'rachum af ata heyei chanun v'rachum. Like He is kind and compassionate, that is who we should be. אף נח דמה להקדוש ברוך הוא במידותיו af Noach damah l'Hakadosh Baruch Hu b'middosav. So נח Noach studied, admired השם Hashem, and then he tried to imitate and emulate him. And says the ספורנו Sforno, that's what the פסוק pasuk is testifying, את האלוקים התהלך נח es ha'Elokim hishalech Noach. נח Noach walked with God, it means quite literally, he imitated God, he walked with God. That's the ספורנו Sforno. The third interpretation is the בעל הטורים Baal HaTurim. The בעל הטורים Baal HaTurim, רב יעקב בן אשר Rav Yaakov ben Asher says, את האלוקים התהלך נח es ha'Elokim hishalech Noach. אלקים התהלך נח Elokim hishalech Noach. סופי תיבות חכם sofei teivos chacham. The מם mem, the כף chaf and the חת ches. Spell the word חכם chacham. The last letter of each of the words אלקים התהלך נח Elokim hishalech Noach spell the word חכם chacham. שמעלתו של נח שבחמתו נאמר עליו בתורה שהיה חכם she'ma'alaso shel Noach she'b'chachmaso ne'emar alav baTorah she'haya chacham. So says the בעל הטורים Baal HaTurim, a third interpretation and insight. What does it mean that נח Noach walked with God? It means he was a חכם chacham. He was wise and judicious and thoughtful. So three interpretations, what is the Torah testifying? את האלוקים התהלך נח es ha'Elokim hishalech Noach. Why did God love נח Noach? Why did השם Hashem consider him a צדיק tzaddik? Why did he choose נח Noach through whom to save and continue humanity and the universe? אונקלוס Onkelos says because he had יראת שמים yiras shamayim. The ספורנו Sforno says because he imitated השם Hashem. And the בעל הטורים Baal HaTurim says because he was a חכם chacham. So of now goes and expands, how did נח Noach perfect each of these three qualities in the areas of their life, of his life, and it very much complements what we just saw from רב שמחה בונים of פשיסחא Pshischa. And he says the following. These מידות טובות middos tovos, these three qualities of יראת שמים yiras shamayim, imitating השם Hashem, and acting with חכמה chachma. Number one, יראת שמים yiras shamayim. The הגר\"א Gra writes on the הרמ\"א Rama. The הרמ\"א Rama on שולחן ערוך Shulchan Aruch begins, the very first סימן siman, the very first סיף seif of שולחן ערוך Shulchan Aruch, the הרמ\"א Rama writes, רב שמחה בונים Rav Simcha Bunim quoted this too, שיויתי השם לנגדי תמיד shivisi Hashem l'negdi samid, הוא כלל גדול בתורה ובמעלות הצדיקים אשר הולכים לפני האלוקים hu klal gadol baTorah uv'maalos hatzaddikim asher holchim lifnei ha'Elokim. That the righteous people walk around and our bumper sticker, our motto, what appears on the mirror of our, it can't be in the bathroom because it's a פסוק pasuk, but what appears on our computer screen and what appears in our kitchen refrigerator and what appears in the back of our car, שיויתי השם לנגדי תמיד shivisi Hashem l'negdi samid. It's not that I see השם Hashem when I'm in שול shul or when the סידור siddur is open, but then I close it and I go on with my day and I left השם Hashem outside of the gym and I left him outside of work and I left him outside of the supermarket. שיויתי השם לנגדי תמיד shivisi Hashem l'negdi samid. השם Hashem is opposite with me always, consistently and constantly. I take him everywhere. That is a כלל גדול klal gadol, it's a major axiom and principle of Torah. It is מעלות הצדיקים maalos hatzaddikim. כי אין ישיבת האדם ותנועותיו ועסקיו והוא לבדו בביתו כישיבתו ותנועותיו ועסקיו והוא לפני מלך גדול ki ein yeshivas ha'adam u'tenuosav v'askav v'hu l'vado b'veiso k'yeshivaso u'tenuosav v'askav v'hu lifnei melech gadol. It's not that we're isolated or alone. We're never away or apart from השם Hashem. We are always before him. That has consequences in terms of our accountability to him. He's always watching, he's always listening, he's always recording. And it also has consequences in a very positive sense. One can always lean on השם Hashem. One can always feel the love and support of השם Hashem. He's reliable, he's dependable, he is always there. This is the way a Jew is supposed to wake up and start their day. This is the very first הלכה halacha of the day. שיויתי השם לנגדי תמיד shivisi Hashem l'negdi samid. We wake up and we say, השם Hashem, you're equal and you're opposite me always. And the הגר\"א Gra writes on this הלכה halacha, זהו שנאמר את האלוקים התהלך נח zehu she'ne'emar es ha'Elokim hishalech Noach, היינו שהתהלך נח שיויתי השם לנגדי תמיד hainu she'hishalech Noach shivisi Hashem l'negdi tamid. That's Mr. אומר, רב שמחה בונים Rav Simcha Bunim got it from too, that the וילנא גאון Vilna Gaon writes the same thing in his commentary on שולחן ערוך Shulchan Aruch. נח Noach lived this very first הלכה halacha, this very first mandate of the שולחן ערוך Shulchan Aruch, that a Jew wakes up and opposite him or her sees שיויתי השם לנגדי תמיד shivisi Hashem l'negdi tamid. השם Hashem, you are always before me. Before I choose what to watch and what to say and where to go and what to listen to and what to do, I have an acute awareness you are always in the room. When I'm prepared to collapse, when I'm about to implode, when I feel despondent and depressed and I'm ready to give up, I know you're always in the room. You're by my side. שיויתי השם לנגדי תמיד shivisi Hashem l'negdi samid. And that says the הגר\"א Gra is what נח Noach, נח Noach excelled at. And that's what the Torah is testifying, את האלוקים התהלך נח es ha'Elokim hishalech Noach, because נח Noach always lived שיויתי השם לנגדי תמיד shivisi Hashem l'negdi tamid, with השם Hashem opposite, השם Hashem opposite him. We also find this with אברהם אבינו Avraham Avinu, as it says with אברהם Avraham that we see with חנוך Chanoch, ויתהלך חנוך את האלוקים vayishalech Chanoch es ha'Elokim. We see it with אברהם Avraham as well. We see it with יעקב אבינו Yaakov Avinu, האלוקים אשר התהלכו אבותי לפניו אברהם ויצחק ha'Elokim asher hishalchu avosai l'fanav, Avraham v'Yitzchak. This notion of תמיד tamid. This was the quality of our great matriarchs and patriarchs. And this is the quality to which we aspire, to be like נח Noach, not like Mike. We want to be like נח Noach. And what it means to be like נח Noach is to feel השם Hashem's presence in accountability and in love and support always and forever around us. את האלוקים התהלך נח es ha'Elokim hishalech Noach to feel his love. That was interpretation number one, the תרגום אונקלוס Targum Onkelos, יראת השם yiras Hashem, to see השם Hashem all the time. Number two, we saw was the ספורנו Sforno, and the ספורנו Sforno says, what does it mean את האלוקים התהלך נח es ha'Elokim hishalech Noach? It means that נח Noach walked in the way he emulated and imitated השם Hashem. He felt השם Hashem's presence in that way. Where do we see this? So of Druck writes the following. מצאנו ששלימות במידה זו של הטיב לזולתו matzinu she'shleimus b'mida zu shel heitiv l'zulato. נח Noach excelled that חסד chesed. השם Hashem is מה הוא רחום אף אתה רחום ma hu rachum af ata rachum, as השם Hashem is loving and kind and we have to be loving and kind, נח Noach excelled at this. Where do we see this? The מדרש Midrash writes in מדרש תנחומא Midrash Tanchuma. אמרו רבותינו amru rabboseinu, שנים עשר חודש עשה נח בתיבה לא טעם טעם שינה shneim asar chodesh asa Noach ba'teiva, lo ta'am ta'am sheina, לא ביום ולא בלילה lo ba'yom v'lo ba'laila, שהיה עסוק בזונות ובנפשות שהיו עמו she'haya asuk b'zonos u'v'nafashos she'hayu imo. נח Noach the entire time he was in the תיבה teiva, he didn't sleep, not during the day and not at night. Why? What was נח Noach doing? Was he binge watching Netflix, חס ושלום chas v'shalom? What was נח Noach doing? Was he exercising like a madman? No. What was נח Noach doing? Nothing that served himself. נח Noach was selflessly taking care of all the other creations and creatures in that תיבה teiva with him. The whole time, his eyes never shut, he never had a sound sleep. He was always responding to the call, the needs of the animals who were with him. Says the מדרש Midrash, פעם אחת שהה נח לזונות ארי pa'am achas sheha'a Noach l'zonos ari, one time he hesitated, delayed to feed the lion, והכישו ארי ויצא צולע v'hikisho ari v'yatza tzoleia, and the the lion, the lion lashed out and hit him in the rib and the פסוק pasuk describes this. ואמר רב הונא בשם רב יוסי יצא נח מן התיבה גונח מליבו v'amar Rav Huna b'shem Rav Yossi yatza Noach min ha'teiva gonach m'libo. And that knocked the wind both physically and spiritually out of נח Noach, that experience. נח Noach was incredibly devoted and dedicated to his family of course, but also to all the creatures of השם Hashem. He imitated השם Hashem in loving all of השם Hashem's creations. Not just human beings who are בצלם אלוקים b'tzelem Elokim, but animals too. A love, a sensitivity, a thoughtfulness, a kindness. שכל חייהם מסירות הנפש של נח להטיב לברואיו של הקדוש ברוך הוא shekol chayahem mesiras hanefesh shel Noach l'heitiv l'bru'av shel Hakadosh Baruch Hu. ובעשך הקדוש כותב שמה שהכניס הקדוש ברוך הוא את נח בתיבה אף שיכול לעשות ניסים אחרים להחיות את נח שהיה על נח תביעת אכילתו להטיב לזולתו Uv'Alshich Hakadosh kosev she'ma she'hichnis Hakadosh Baruch Hu es Noach ba'teiva, af she'yachol la'asos nissim acheirim l'hachyos es Noach, she'haya al Noach t'via achilaso l'heitiv l'zulato. Why didn't השם Hashem save נח Noach and the animals separately? There were all kinds of other means and mechanisms through which השם Hashem could have preserved the continuity of humanity and he could have spared the animals, seven of each of the כשרים kosher ones, two of each of the non-kosher ones. He could have achieved the exact same result without having to make נח Noach build the תיבה teiva and נח Noach live in the תיבה teiva and have נח Noach be the captain of that ship and the social planner and the chef and the garbage collector and every other position. Wonders the אלשיך הקדוש Alshich Hakadosh, quotes of Druck, why didn't he do it easily, more easily? So we know the answer, the זוהר הקדוש Zohar Hakadosh says because נח Noach didn't דאווען daven for his generation. And he didn't דאווען daven for his generation and that's why the נביא navi describes, they're called מי נח Mei Noach. They associate the waters that destroyed the world, they're called the waters, the flood of נח Noach. נח Noach is responsible, he's accountable. He could have intervened, he could have interceded, he could have advocated, and he relinquished his leadership. He failed. He didn't save anyone other than himself and his family and the animal kingdom, which of course preserved continuity, but he didn't save the whole world. He didn't stop the מבול mabul from happening and therefore they're called the מי נח Mei Noach. What was the antidote, says the אלשיך Alshich? נח Noach did not step up and care and save others. The answer was he had to go into this incubator, he had to go into this intense place where all he would do is care for others. He had to cultivate and refine and learn and realize this quality within himself that all he would do is respond and care about others, namely the animal kingdom, and that's exactly what he did. He didn't sleep, he didn't relax, he didn't have a moment to unwind, he didn't stop, he didn't sit down for a minute. All he did was care for others. So that is the second interpretation, את האלוקים התהלך נח es ha'Elokim hishalech Noach, מה הוא רחום אף אתה רחום ma hu rachum af ata rachum. נח Noach was beloved and נח Noach walked in the ways of השם Hashem in the sense that he imitated השם Hashem and he ultimately perfected that by being in the תיבה teiva and in that intense experience and place caring so deeply and so effectively for everyone around him. Number three we said was the בעל הטורים Baal HaTurim. The בעל הטורים Baal HaTurim said, if you look at the last letter of each of the three words, אלקים התהלך נח Elokim hishalech Noach, you get the word חכם chacham. נח Noach was a חכם chacham. If you're in Florida right now, could be there's a מבול mabul happening outside right now. We've been having a lot of rain lately, so there's ממש געווען א מבול mamash gevein a mabul outside. So what was the third interpretation of the בעל הטורים Baal HaTurim? חכם Chacham. What does it mean את האלוקים התהלך נח es ha'Elokim hishalech Noach? נח Noach was a חכם chacham, חכם chacham not in the derogatory sense, he was a חכם chacham in the most positive sense. Where do we see that he achieved מעלת השלימות והתמימות בחכמה ma'alas ha'shleimus v'ha'temimus b'chachma? Says רב דרוק Rav Druck, we see the הרמ\"א Rama. Very, very interesting. Listen to this ווארט vort from the from רב דרוק Rav Druck. The הרמ\"א Rama says the following. The הרמ\"א Rama in the end of הלכות תלמוד תורה Hilchos Talmud Torah, it's in יורה דעה סימן רמ\"ו Yoreh Deah siman reish mem vav, and he says the following. The הרמ\"א Rama quotes two הלכות halachos. You ready? Number one, כשמסיים מסכתא מצווה לשמוח ולעשות סעודה ונקראת סעודת מצווה k'she'mesayem masechta, mitzva lismoach v'la'asos seudah v'nikreis seudas mitzvah. When you finish a מסכתא masechta, there's a מצוה mitzva to celebrate. It's an accomplishment, it's an achievement. I would have thought you finished a מסכתא masechta, a tractate of Talmud, get back to work, open the next מסכתא masechta, start again. But we say no, pause and lean in, pause and celebrate, celebrate the achievement. It's a very important idea. Secular research shows that what actually encourages us more is not always being on the move with ambition and aspiration, but marking the achievements and accomplishments in our lives and setting aside time, actually rewarding ourselves to pause for a moment and celebrate an accomplishment. So the רמ\"א Rama writes, when you finish learning a מסכתא masechta, stop and make a סיום siyum and serve Chinese food. That's not in the רמ\"א Rama, neither are Deli Hoagie sandwiches. But that's the מנהג minhag. But serve some delicious food and make a סיום siyum and that's a סעודת מצווה seudas mitzvah. הלכה Halacha number one. Next הלכה halacha, at the very end of הלכות תלמוד תורה Hilchos Talmud Torah, the רמ\"א Rama concludes, ואסור לעסוק בדברי תורה במקומות המטונפים v'asur la'asok b'divrei Torah b'mekomos ha'metunafim. You're not allowed to learn Torah, you're not allowed to share Torah, you're not even allowed to think in Torah in a dirty, disgusting, repulsive place. ולכן אמרו שאסור לתלמיד חכם לעמוד במקומות המטונפים v'lachen amru she'asur l'talmid chacham la'amod b'mekomos ha'metunafim. And therefore, a תלמיד חכם talmid chacham, a righteous scholar, should not be in a disgusting place. Don't stand in a dump, don't be in a smelly place. Why? שלא יהרהר בדברי תורה she'lo yeharher b'divrei Torah. Because the תלמיד חכם talmid chacham who knows so much Torah by heart, who's tempted to think in learning, is forbidden, is not allowed to do it in a place which is degrading, which is disgusting. And therefore, don't go in those places. ומכל מקום מותר להיכנס למרחץ אף עם תפילין בכיסן לא חששו שמא יהרהר ומרחץ שומר עצמו מיהרור תורה u'mikol makom mutar l'hikanes l'merchatz af im tefillin b'kisan, lo chashshu shema yeharher, u'merchatz shomer atzmo mei'hirhur Torah. In the bathhouse, in the מקוה mikvah, you're not going to, there you're allowed to. Last two הלכות halachos. So wonders of דרוק Druck says, I understand the הלכה halacha at the end of הלכות תלמוד תורה Hilchos Talmud Torah that if you make a סיום siyum, pause and celebrate, and that סיום siyum has the status of a סעודת מצווה seudas mitzvah. I get it, makes a lot of sense. Why does it make a lot of sense? Because the end of הלכות תלמוד תורה Hilchos Talmud Torah is where you're going to be making a סיום siyum. But why are you putting the הלכה halacha of don't ever frequent a place which is smelly, which is putrid, which is malodorous, don't be in a place which is disgusting, degraded, repulsive, reprehensible, because you're not allowed to learn Torah, can't share Torah, can't even think in Torah there. Why would you put that at the end of הלכות תלמוד תורה Hilchos Talmud Torah? Where should you place that, logically? At the very beginning of הלכות תלמוד תורה Hilchos Talmud Torah. That's where it belongs, not at the end. Asks of דרוק Druck. And listen to what he says. What do you see from here? That a person should become so committed to learning, a person should become so connected and attached to learning, that they can't bear to not think about learning even when they're in such a place. That's why it's the end of הלכות תלמוד תורה Hilchos Talmud Torah. When you begin, it's unrealistic and it's unfair to expect that a person will achieve that level at the very beginning. But by the end of הלכות תלמוד תורה Hilchos Talmud Torah, our hope and our aspiration is that a person, a Jew, a man or woman, has accustomed themselves to be so devoted to learning Torah that they can't even stop thinking about it and therefore they have to be careful to avoid going to the places where you're not allowed to think about it. So what does this have to do with נח Noach? You see that נח Noach also achieved this level of תלמוד תורה Talmud Torah. וזהו מעלות של נח שהיה לו השלימות והתמימות אף במעלה זו של חכמה שהגיע לדרגה זו שבכל עת ובכל שעה היה עסוק בלימוד תורה v'zehu ma'alos shel Noach she'haya lo ha'shleimus v'ha'temimus af b'ma'ala zu shel chachma, she'higia l'darga zu she'b'chol eis uv'chol sha'a haya asuk b'limud Torah. He was always learning, he was a חכם chacham. את האלוקים התהלך נח es ha'Elokim hishalech Noach, אלקים התהלך נח, סופי תיבות חכם Elokim hishalech Noach, sofei teivos chacham. He reached this level of a חכם chacham that he was always thinking. And now we understand רש\"י Rashi, when the פסוק pasuk says מכל הבהמה הטהורה תקח לך שבעה שבעה איש ואשתו mikol habeheima ha'tehora tikach l'cha shiva shiva ish v'ishto, from all the כשר kosher animals take seven. Why did he need more כשר kosher than the non-kosher? רש\"י Rashi tells us, what does he do with the כשר kosher? When he gets off the תיבה teiva, he offers קרבנות על המזבח karbanos al ha'mizbeach. So, if you're going to create continuity, you're not going to achieve it when you slaughter the ones through whom you need the continuity. So we needed seven of the כשר kosher because he needed to be able to offer them as קרבנות karbanos as opposed to the non-kosher. So the פסוק pasuk describes מכל הבהמה הטהורה mikol habeheima ha'tehora, take seven by seven, איש ואשתו ish v'ishto. הטהורה ha'tehora, רש\"י Rashi writes, הטהורה עתידה להיות טהורה לישראל למדנו שלמד נח תורה ha'tehora asida l'hiyos tehora l'Yisrael, lamadnu shelamad Noach Torah. Says רש\"י Rashi, how did נח Noach know? How did נח Noach know which were כשר kosher, which were non-kosher? How did נח Noach know? Says רש\"י Rashi, what do you see from here? That נח Noach learned Torah. So why is רש\"י Rashi telling us נח Noach learned Torah? חכם Chacham. את האלוקים התהלך נח es ha'Elokim hishalech Noach, נח Noach's greatness was, he was a חכם chacham. The third interpretation of what it means, why he was beloved, why he was a צדיק tzaddik, why he was chosen, את האלוקים התהלך נח es ha'Elokim hishalech Noach. Okay, let's keep going. Now the Torah tells us ויאמר אלוקים לנח קץ כל בשר בא לפני Vayomer Elokim l'Noach, keitz kol basar ba l'fanai, כי מלאה הארץ חמס מפניהם ki malah ha'aretz chamas mipneihem. Of course, it's not lost on me or you or anyone whenever we read פרשת נח Parshas Noach that how do we describe corruption? חמס Chamas. חמס Chamas, the terrorist organization that is bent on destroying Israel and driving all Jews into the sea shares the same name as the most corrupt generation that God decided to wipe out and bring a flood. A coincidence, I think not. So אלוהים Elokim says קץ כל בשר keitz kol basar, this is the end. בא לפני ba l'fanai, it's come before me. Why is it just come before me? It should be קץ כל בשר keitz kol basar or just מלאה הארץ חמס malah ha'aretz chamas. It's come to my attention, says the Almighty. It has come to my attention that there is corruption in the world. It's come to God's attention? Everything comes to God's attention. So of דרוק Druck says, there's so many beautiful pieces, we don't have time to read them all, but he says, what was the generation guilty for? What was the מכה בפטיש makkeh b'patish? What was the, what what put it over the top? That השם Hashem says done. They've so violated the purpose through which I created the world. They're so corrupt that they so don't deserve to continue that I've got to press reset. Not a soft reset, I've got to do a hard reset. A flood, wipe it all out and start again. What drove השם Hashem to that conclusion? גזל Gezel, because they stole. And רש\"י Rashi tells us they stole less than a שוה פרוטה shaveh pruta. Now, a שוה פרוטה shaveh pruta means a penny, a minimum amount. What does it mean when you steal less than a שוה פרוטה shaveh pruta? When you steal something that has no value, if you steal something of value, you're corrupt. It's terrible. We should criticize you. But the reason maybe you stole is you were unsure of how you would provide for yourself. You were jealous or envious, you were driven by temptation or lust or desire, you so badly wanted that thing of value that you stole it. But what does it say about you when you're willing to steal something that has no value? Is there a greater corruption in the world than you're taking something that belongs to someone else that objectively has no value to you? What does it mean about why you took it? Because חמס chamas, you're just corrupt. You're evil, you're wicked, you're just a terrible, terrible, terrible person. It's not that you're taking something which then has functionality, it's pragmatic, it has utility for you, it has value. You're just taking something to take it from the other. You're a lowlife, earthver, reject, terrible human being. That's what it means קץ בא לפני keitz ba l'fanai. Because a בית דין beis din will only hear a case of גזל gezel that is שוה פרוטה shaveh pruta. It has to rise to the minimum amount of value for the בית דין beis din to adjudicate upon it. So what does השם Hashem mean that קץ כל בשר בא לפני keitz kol basar ba l'fanai? It's come to my attention that so morally corrupt are they that they're even stealing things of no value that you cannot try in a בית דין beis din, but בא לפני ba l'fanai, says השם Hashem, it's come to my attention. It's not lost on me. It's גישמאק geshmak, no? אש תמיד Eish Tamid, you gotta get the ספרים of דרוק's sfarim of Druck's interpretations are are beautiful. But what does it mean בא לפני ba l'fanai? What came to him? מלאה הארץ חמס malah ha'aretz chamas. And what was the thing that put it over the top, we said רש\"י Rashi tells us, גזל gezel. The אור גדליהו Or Gedalyahu, רב גדליהו שור Rav Gedaliah Schorr says beautifully, I want to share a Torah with you. Says the אור גדליהו Or Gedalyahu, why was גזל gezel what put it over the top? They had violated all the three big cardinal sins. גילוי עריות, שפיכות דמים, עבודה זרה gilui arayos, shfichus damim, avodah zara. They had been murderers, idolaters, and they were and they were promiscuous. So they violated the three big cardinal sins. גזל Gezel, they also stole something of no value and that's what put it over the top? That's what drove השם Hashem to do a hard reset? What's פשט pshat? Why גזל gezel? Why גזל gezel? Listen to this interpretation of the אור גדליהו Or Gedalyahu from רבי גדליהו Rav Gedaliah, sure, I love this פשט pshat. Says, you know why it's גזל gezel? What does it mean by גזל gezel? It's not the גזל gezel that they stole from one another. You know what the גזל gezel, the stealing that they did is, says the אור גדליהו Or Gedalyahu? They stole the very purpose of creation. השם Hashem gave us this magnificent world and he deposited every one of us in it and he said, enjoy it, enjoy it. There's a beautiful world, explore it and conquer it and enjoy it and derive pleasure from it. Make barbecues and learn to enjoy delicious food, have relationships and experiences, enjoy intimacy and physical pleasure, enjoy this beautiful world. Just follow my rules, follow my guidelines, live moral and ethical lives, have respect for yourselves and others. And in that framework and in that context and with that set of rules and regulations, enjoy my beautiful world. And you know what happens? The generation who violate the rules and regulations, the generation who squander their time here on earth, who waste it on nonsense and נארישקייט narishkeit and worse, who rob and steal from others, who take their talents, who take their skill sets, who take that strength and stamina and energy, who take the resources and they use it for negative things, they have stolen the ultimate gift that השם Hashem has given us, which is life itself. When we abuse our lives and forfeit our lives and concede our lives and waste our lives, we have stolen. Not in the sense of stealing from someone else, we have stolen from the רבונו של עולם Ribono shel Olam. When a day goes by that we didn't maximize, when we have talents and skills and potential that we squander and waste and don't realize, we have stolen from the Almighty. Every one of you, every one of us, I don't care how old or young you are. I don't care whether you're in the middle of work or whether you're retired from your profession. Whatever stage of life, we are here for a reason. We are here for a mission, we are here for a purpose. It's to enjoy להתענג על השם l'hisaneg al Hashem, derive pleasure, enjoy the world, but also contribute and give to the world, repair the world, mold and shape the world in Hashem's image. And when we don't, we have stolen from him. We've stolen from above. And says the Or Gedalyahu, or Gedalyahu Shor, that's the גזל gezel. What put it over the top is Hashem said, \"Look, גילוי עריות, שפיכות דמים, עבודה זרה gilui arayos, shfichus damim, avodah zarah, terrible, egregious. But you know what? I'm not going to do a hard reset of the world because of them. But when the world has become so corrupt, so absolutely corrupt, have so lost their way, that the whole reason I created the world is now being violated and not realized, I've got to do a hard reset.\" גזל Gezel, they've stolen from me why I created a world. And therefore I have to do an entire hard new reset. The כלי יקר Kli Yakar writes that the term קץ כל בשר keitz kol basar, קץ כל בשר keitz kol basar, the end of all בשר basar, the end of all flesh, is referring to the יום המיתה yom hamisa. קץ כל בשר Keitz kol basar בא לפני ba lefanai. The day of death came before me. Hashem tells Noach, \"The day of death has come before me and it's complaining.\" He says, \"Nobody thinks about me. Nobody's thinking about their mortality. Nobody's confronting their fragility. Nobody is realizing that they're not going to live forever. Everybody's just living like they are, like they are immune.\" Not in the good sense, but like they are not vulnerable. They're not confronting their mortality. קץ כל בשר Keitz kol basar בא לפני ba lefanai. Says Hashem, \"Death came before me and said, 'Nobody's confronting their mortality. They all think that they are going to live forever.'\" And therefore Hashem says, הנני משחיתם hineni mashchisum. I have to destroy the world. I have to remind them that they're in this world for a very short period of time. Everyone's in this world for a finite amount of time. And even if you live 120 years, it's a tiny blip of time in the context of eternity. We are all mere mortals, we have mortality. And therefore we have to take advantage of all of our time here and all of our gifts and talents and skill sets and all the resources we've been granted here. And when we do, we fulfill the reason that Hashem created the world. And when we don't, and when we fail, then we have violated גזל gezel. We have stolen from the Almighty, we have stolen from the רבונו של עולם Ribono shel Olam. He has no tolerance for that, and therefore he resets the world.Moving right along. פרק ו, פסוק כב Perek Vav, Pasuk Chaf Beis. We are turning the page. Now we're flying. פרק ו פסוק כב Perek Vav, Pasuk Chaf Beis. Page 32 in the Artscroll Stone חומש Chumash. So Hashem tells them, \"Build a תיבה teiva, take a long time. Everyone's going to ask you what you're doing. It gives you the opportunity to stand on your soap box, on your תיבה teiva box and to preach to the world.\" Noach failed to preach, and then we said he was accountable they're called מי נח mei Noach. But he does build the תיבה teiva. ויעש נח ככל אשר צוה אותו אלקים כן עשה Vaya'as Noach kechol asher tziva oso Elokim kein asa. Noach does as God commanded him, כן עשה kein asa, so he did. Notice anything strange or funny in that formulation? It's a very unusual פסוק pasuk. Which two words do not need in this פסוק pasuk? Read the text with some attention, mindfully. ויעש נח Vaya'as Noach, Noach did, he complied, ככל אשר צוה אותו אלקים kechol asher tziva oso Elokim, he complied according to everything God had commanded, כן עשה kein asa, so he complied. What do you need the words כן עשה kein asa? What are they adding? כן עשה Kein asa, so he did. You know, when we started this פרשה שיעור parsha shiur many years ago, we used to go through and read the פסוקים pesukim one by one. We take a different section every year and we'd read. And we'd raise questions and then we'd examine Rashi, the Ramban, the Ibn Ezra, the Sforno, the Ohr Hachaim, the Kli Yakar, we'd go through the Chizkuni. How do each of them address the same question and give a different answer? And we point out that the מפרשים meforshim, the medieval ראשונים rishonim, their style is not to actually ask the question and give the answer. They don't write in a question and answer format, they simply give a commentary, and our job is to realize what was driving them, what was their question. And we are to emulate them and to learn in the same way as them, namely to read the פסוקים pesukim and say what's our question. Things should jump out at us, we should be bothered. We should be stimulated to think, to explore, and to use our minds. שבעים פנים לתורה Shivim panim laTorah, and to offer our own novel interpretations to Torah. There's room for our own innovation and creativity in interpretation of Torah. We're encouraged to do that. So, read this פסוק pasuk again. ויעש נח Vaya'as Noach, Noach did, ככל אשר צוה אותו אלקים kechol asher tziva oso Elokim, according to everything God commanded him, כן עשה kein asa, so he did. You just told me so he did. So why are you telling me so he did again, when you already told me so he did? אזוי זאגט, אזוי פרעגט Azoy zogt, azoy fregt Rav Druk. This is the question Rav Druk writes in his איש תמיד Eish Tamid. By the way, I don't get a cut of his ספרים seforim. Not yet, maybe I should negotiate it. But as of now, I'm not promoting it because I get a cut out of any of the ספרים seforim I tell you. It's because I've fallen in love with them and I want you to love what I love. So I tell you, but I don't get a cut. הנה הכתוב כפל עצמו Hinei hakasuv kofal atzmo. אמר בתחילה ויעש נח ככל אשר צוה אותו אלקים, ושוב שנה ואמר כן עשה, למה? Amar b'tchila vaya'as Noach k'chol asher tziva oso Elokim, v'shuv shana v'amar kein asa, lama? וכבר אמר בזה רמב\"ן U'kvar amar b'zeh Ramban. Rav Druk calls our attention to the רמב\"ן Ramban, and we are not the first to wonder this. We are not the first to ask this. The רמב\"ן Ramban also was bothered by this. And the רמב\"ן Ramban also asked this question. And the רמב\"ן Ramban says, why the repetition? So writes the רמב\"ן Ramban, ויעש נח ככל אשר צוה אותו אלקים, שהועשה את התיבה ואסף המאכל vaya'as Noach k'chol asher tziva oso Elokim, she'osa es hateiva v'asaf hama'achal, ודרך הכתוב לומר ויעש וכן עשה, לבאר כי לא הפיל דבר מכל אשר צוה v'derech hakasuv lomar vaya'as v'chein asa, l'va'er ki lo hipil davar mikol asher tziva. You know why the redundancy? You know why the repetitiveness? In order to emphasize that Noach did not omit, he did not leave out any detail. It's not that Noach just accomplished the big picture. He didn't just do the gist. He didn't just do the bare minimum. He did every single detail. ויעש Vaya'as, he did what he was asked. כן עשה Kein asa, so he did to every minute detail, to every specific focused detail. That's the Ramban. However, Rav Druk quotes his great father, אדוני אבי מורי ורבי adoni avi mori v'rabi זצ\"ל zatzal, his great father the דרש מרדכי Drash Mordechai, who says differently. And he says the following: נח Noach עשה את התיבה asa es hateiva, he built the תיבה teiva. הכניס את החיות והמאכלים Hichnis es hachayos v'hama'achalim, and he shlepped in, he didn't have express movers, he didn't have help. He did it alone. He shlepped in all the animals, all the food, לא מחמת המבול lo machmas hamabul. Why did he do it? אלא הכל עשה מחמת צווי השם Ela hakol asa machmas tzivui Hashem. וזה מה שבא הכתוב לומר V'zeh ma sheba hakasuv lomar, ככל אשר צוה אותו אלקים כן עשה k'chol asher tziva oso Elokim, kein asa. רצה לומר שעשייתו לא היתה מחמת חששות מהמבול Ratza lomar she'asiyaso lo hayta machmas chashashos meihamabul. אלא עשייתו היתה מחמת הציווי אלקי שנצטוה ללא שום פניות וכוונות אחרות של עשייה מחמת המבול Ela asiyaso hayta machmas hatzivui Eloki shenitztava l'lo shum pniyos v'kavanos acheros shel asiya machmas hamabul. Why did Noach build and construct and shlep everything in and supervise an ark? Why did he do it? If you'd ask me, I'd say, \"You know why he did it? Because he wanted to survive.\" There was a massive storm. There was a flood. It was going to wipe out humanity. He wanted to survive, so therefore he built a תיבה teiva, he got in it in order to survive. Says the דרש מרדכי Drash Mordechai, says Rav Druk's father, that the פסוק pasuk is coming along to tell us, that's not why he did it. You know why he did it? Because God said so. ככל אשר צוה אותו אלקים Kechol asher tziva oso Elokim. When God says, \"Jump,\" we say, \"How high?\" That means to say that even the מצוות mitzvos that we do that are rational and that are compelling and that we can understand the reason behind it, we should be driven to do it not because it makes sense and not because it enriches our lives, but we should strive to do it because Hashem said so. That should be the reason, because Hashem said to do it. And if Hashem says, \"Jump,\" we say, \"How high?\" And maybe that's the פשט pshat of why Noach, why it says this redundancy, כן עשה kein asa. And then Rav Druk quotes that he leaves the תיבה teiva. Listen to this evidence that he brings to this interpretation. לאחר המבול, מאימתי יצא נח מן התיבה? אף אחר שיבשה הארץ L'achar hamabul, mei'eimasai yatza Noach min hateiva? Af achar she'yavsha ha'aretz. When does he leave? Even though the ground has been proven to be dry. Even though land is now safe, נח Noach only exits the תיבה teiva, descends when, when Hashem says, צא מן התיבה tzei min hateiva, leave the תיבה teiva. Why did he send out the יונה yonah? Why did he send out the dove and the raven to see if the water had withdrawn? What's the נפקא מינה nafka mina? Who cares if the water had withdrawn, if he wasn't willing to leave until God said it's time to go, צא מן התיבה tzei min hateiva. היה אפשר לבאר Haya efshar l'va'er, so you can explain, שצורת הנהגה כשיש דין בעולם שונה shetzuras hanhaga k'sheyesh din b'olam shona, וכמו שמצינו שעשה משה רבינו רמב\"ם מחמת שלום רב הצר U'kmo shematzinu she'asa Moshe Rabbeinu Rambam machmas shelo yar'eh b'tza'ar. And so on and so forth. לפי ביאור הנ\"ל יש מקום לומר ששלח את היונה והעורב לדעת אם כלו המים Lefi be'ur ha'nal yesh makom lomar she'shalach es hayona v'ha'orev lada'as im kalu hamayim, in order to know whether he could leave. He wanted to know, had the land dried up? Is it safe to leave? But ultimately, why does he go out only when Hashem says, צא מן התיבה tzei min hateiva. So maybe the extra words are to teach us that even when things make sense and we have a compelling reason to do something, we should be driven to do it ultimately, and we should try to learn to do it ultimately because Hashem tells us to. That's Rav Druk. The Rav, Rav Soloveitchik, and the Rav, חומש האורים Chumash Ha'Urim, Rav Chomesh also jumps on these words. And listen to what the Rav, Rav Soloveitchik says. ויעש נח ככל אשר צוה אותו אלקים Vaya'as Noach kechol asher tziva oso Elokim. That is פרק perek, פרק ו פסוק כב Perek Vav, Pasuk Chaf Beis, the last פסוק pasuk of פרק ו Perek Vav. The very first פסוק pasuk of the next פרק perek, ויאמר השם לנח Vayomer Hashem l'Noach, בא אתה וכל ביתך אל התיבה bo ata v'chol beischa el hateiva. Hashem says to Noach, \"Oh, you built it, you followed everything I told you, you and your whole family enter the תיבה teiva, כי אותך ראיתי צדיק לפני בדור הזה Ki oscha ra'isi tzaddik lefanai bador hazeh.\" Because I have seen to be righteous before me in this generation. And says Rav Soloveitchik the following. Avram's greatness was based on his firm belief in Hashem's promises. Many events occurred in his life that seemed to contradict the promise that the land would be his and that his children would inherit it. Avram often found himself in situations where he was ridiculed due to his faith. Therefore, with all of Avram's accomplishments, the one attribute that Hashem explicitly praises is his pure belief, that he believed in Hashem and he accounted it to him as righteousness. תמים Tamim. Noach's belief was similarly tested. He built an ark for many years, explaining to onlookers that God was set to destroy the world while they derisively laughed at him. Despite all the obstacles and the taunts of his contemporaries, Noach did not deviate from Hashem's command. Once Noach clearly demonstrated his belief by completing the ark, Hashem remarked on his righteousness. Says the Rav, \"You know what causes Hashem to respond, צדיק, ראיתי צדיק לפני בדור הזה tzaddik, ra'isi tzaddik lefanai bador hazeh.\" Hashem says, \"Ooh, ah, I've seen a צדיק tzaddik before me in this generation.\" What causes Hashem to react and respond, to give his approbation, to give his his his support in that way, his endorsement in that way? What causes it is when Hashem sees that we're willing to follow what's right and what's righteous even in the face of ridicule, even in the face of opposition. And this comment of the Rav I find very empowering, gives a lot of strength in our generation, in our time, because you know, not all of what we believe, not all of Torah's moral values and code are synonymous or easily compatible with the world today. It's hard. Avram is called an עברי Ivri. He's willing to live מֵעֵבֶר mei'ever, when the whole world is on this side seeing it this way, and the Jew is asked to be on the other side seeing it a different way. And it's hard. It's hard to withstand the pressure. It's hard to withstand sometimes the hate. It's hard to withstand being labeled or boxed in or called a name because we maintain and preserve a certain Torah or Jewish value. And yet, that says the Rav, is what Hashem ultimately will endorse, is what Hashem calls a צדיק tzaddik, when we're willing to do what he asks of us even in the face of ridicule, even in the face of adversity, even in the face of opposition. It's difficult, but ultimately it is the greatest testimony to us. פרק ז, פרק ז, פסוק ז Perek Zain, Perek Zain, Pasuk Zain. Turn to the next page. ויהי המבול ארבעים יום על הארץ Vayehi hamabul arba'im yom al ha'aretz. Page 34 in the Artscroll Stone חומש Chumash. The מבול mabul, this flood was for 40 days on the land. Excuse me, 40 days on the land, וירבו המים vayirbu hamayim and the water rose, וישאו את התיבה vayis'u es hateiva ותרום מעל הארץ vatarom mei'al ha'aretz. What happened? The water increased and it raised the ark, and it was lifted above the ארץ aretz, above the land. So the simple understanding of the פסוק pasuk is that as the rain fell and accumulated, and as the flood spread, the water caused the ark, the תיבה teiva, to raise, to rise, and it rose above the land. That's the simple understanding. However, I saw a beautiful חסידישע תורה chasidishe Torah. says read it this following way. This is not the פשוט פשט pashut pshat. It's דרוש drush. And the דרוש drush is to read it this way. You ready? וישאו את התיבה Vayis'u es hateiva, it lifted the ark, ותרום vatarom, and it became elevated, מעל הארץ mei'al ha'aretz, above the ground. That word תיבה teiva. תיבה Teiva can mean two things. תיבה Teiva means, as we've been translating it as, תיבה teiva means an ark. תיבה Teiva means ark. What else does תיבה teiva mean? תיבה Teiva means a word. תיבה Teiva means ark, and תיבה teiva, תיבות teivos are words, תיבה teiva is a word. So he says the following. למדונו לימוד גדול על מעלת קדושת הדיבור Lamdeinu limud gadol al ma'alas kedushas hadibur. We see the power and the importance of being careful and mindful with our words. שכן על ידי שאדם מקדש את פיו Shekein al yedei she'adam mekadesh es piv, when we sanctify our mouth and our words, מנשא את התיבה menasei es hateiva, when we lift speech, היינו את תיבות המילים שמוציא מפיו Haynu es teivos hamillim shemotzi mipiv, זוכה למעלת ותרום מן הארץ zoche l'ma'alas v'tarom min ha'aretz, להתרמם מעל הארציות l'hisromem mei'al ha'artzius. How do we rise above being physical beings? How do we rise above the lowliness of earthliness, of being mundane, profane? How do we achieve holiness? וישאו את התיבה Vayis'u es hateiva. Let's raise speech, let's elevate. You know, they talk about, and we need to talk about right now, when you look at the the rhetoric and the hate and the vitriol that's going on not just in the election, but the divisiveness in general in our world over politics, Corona, sports, any topic in the world. There's divisiveness and horrific vitriol and rhetoric. And what's the in the vernacular, what do we describe it when we call on people, that we need to elevate the conversation. We need to elevate the communication. We need to elevate the way we talk to one another. We desperately, desperately need to elevate what we talk about and how we talk about it, with whom we talk about it, and when we talk about it, where we talk about it. And that's the beautiful interpretation of this פסוק pasuk. וישאו את התיבה Vayis'u es hateiva, lift את התיבה es hateiva, lift speech, lift the word, lift the power of communication. And when we do, ותרום מעל הארץ vatarom mei'al ha'aretz, we will all be elevated as a result, will all be exalted, we'll all transcend the lowliness and the earthliness, we'll all be elevated as a result. Wow, how how how important for our time, how beautiful, how very much not the פשט pshat, but how very beautiful nonetheless, this way of understanding this פסוק pasuk. ויזכור אלקים Vayizkor Elokim. What happens? Noach's on the תיבה teiva, he's done everything, he hasn't slept, he hasn't been with his wife. He is exclusively dedicated to this project, to this cause, to this commitment. פרק ח, פסוק א Perek Ches, Pasuk Aleph. We're on page 36. Chapter 8 verse 1. ויזכור אלקים את נח Vayizkor Elokim es Noach. God remembers Noach, ואת כל החיה ואת כל הבהמה אשר אתו בתיבה v'es kol hachaya v'es kol habeheima asher ito bateiva. He remembers all the animals, everything that's with Noach in the תיבה teiva. ויעבר אלקים רוח על הארץ וישוכו המים Vaya'aver Elokim ruach al ha'aretz vayashoku hamayim. And Hashem passes a wind over the earth and the water begins to recede. ויזכור אלקים את נח Vayizkor Elokim es Noach. Recognize those words? Unfortunately, anybody who says יזכור Yizkor recognizes those words. Those are the opening words of יזכור Yizkor. Not the קל מלא Kel Malei that we say together, but יזכור Yizkor proper. The יזכור תפילה Yizkor tefila begins with the words ויזכור אלקים Vayizkor Elokim. Which is very interesting, why are we invoking Noach? ויזכור אלקים את נח Vayizkor Elokim es Noach to start יזכור Yizkor? Much more peculiar is, why are we invoking memory with Hashem? Hashem is immortal. He's omnipotent, he's immutable, he's perfect. He doesn't have a failing memory. He doesn't struggle with memory loss, dementia. So ויזכור Vayizkor, God remembered Noach. What does that mean? Why יזכור Yizkor? Again, this is not the time to talk about יזכור Yizkor. So on my list of books one day that I want to write, but is יזכור Yizkor, who is יזכור Yizkor for? Is יזכור Yizkor for the deceased? Is יזכור Yizkor for us? We start יזכור Yizkor by saying it's for God. יזכור אלקים Yizkor Elokim, God, could you remember my loved ones, as if he could forget. For whom is יזכור Yizkor? That's a separate question. See my book, hopefully it'll come out in my lifetime. But I want to go to a comment of Rav Soloveitchik. On these words, ויזכור אלקים Vayizkor Elokim, Rav Soloveitchik says the following. This פסוק pasuk is the first cited in the זכרונות Zichronos section of ראש השנה Rosh Hashana. We know it from יזכור Yizkor, but those who don't say יזכור Yizkor also should recognize it from where? From the first part of the זכרונות Zichronos section. The מוסף עמידה Musaf Amida, the longest עמידה amida of the whole year, is divided into three sections. מוסף Musaf is divided into מלכיות, זכרונות ושופרות malchuyos, zichronos, v'shofros. So the first פסוק pasuk of the middle section, זכרונות zichronos, is ויזכור אלקים את נח Vayizkor Elokim es Noach. One theme of זכרונות zichronos is divine providence. Hashem sees and remembers everything. He's concerned, I'm reading from Rav Soloveitchik. He is concerned simultaneously with the universe as a whole, as well as each person individually. The moral corollary to this idea is the notion that one should never discount the value of the individual. Just as Hashem exhibits both universal and individual concern, so too should man. One should thus not dedicate all of his efforts on behalf of the communal needs while ignoring individual needs. Hashem is concerned with infinity itself, both in the historical sense, regarding all the generations of mankind, and the physical sense, regarding the boundless cosmos. At the same time, he remains concerned as well with each and every individual. Noach was rescued from the flood for two reasons. First, through Noach, humanity itself was saved. Second, Noach was saved because as an individual, he was deserving. Even had humanity been saved by another means, Noach himself would have been spared of his own merit. So it's a beautiful interpretation. Says the Rav, and the Rav says this in many places, the Rav says that's why there's a whole פרק perek of איכה Eicha dedicated to יאשיהו המלך Yoshiyahu Hamelech, because the destruction of the בית המקדש Beis Hamikdash and the Temple is not just about the millions who were murdered and the exile of our entire people, but we have to remember the individual. And the Rav says this in his commentary on קינות kinos, that we have קינות kinos that are dedicated to the crusades and the Holocaust. We have קינות kinos dedicated to the loss of countless. And then we have קינות kinos dedicated to one or two individuals, because we have to simultaneously pay attention to the whole, to the community, to the people, and not lose perspective or sight of the individuals who comprise it. And it's true both in directions, in mourning and in grieving, and also in supporting and in caring and in loving. And that's what he says on these words, ויזכור אלקים את נח Vayizkor Elokim es Noach. God didn't just remember humanity as a whole, God didn't just tap Noach through him to continue humanity because he cared all about this experiment called the world and the people and humanity. ויזכור אלקים Vayizkor Elokim את נח es Noach. God cared also about Noach specifically. He cared about, he cared about both. And we too, part of our mission and mandate to emulate and imitate Hashem, is to simultaneously live in both places and to simultaneously care about both. We care about the collective, but we also have to care about the individual. And I think about that too in terms of a contemporary message and our פרשה parsha perspective for today, I think about that because you know with Corona, we hear these statistics. I don't know רחמנא ליצלן rachmana litzlan. It's up to 230, 250,000 in America and the number in our beloved ארץ ישראל Eretz Yisrael in Israel, and the number around the world is growing to a number and a magnitude which is beyond our comprehension. And we can lose the perspective of what it means. And that's why it's so important to remember the individuals. Every life, every individual that's lost, what that means and the impact that it has. And so this notion of ויזכור אלקים vayizkor Elokim, this message of simultaneously being focused both in mourning and in grieving, but also in caring and supporting for the collective, but simultaneously also seeing and caring about the individual, is particularly important and relevant in our time. Moving right along. פרק ט, פסוק א Perek Tes, Pasuk Aleph. פרק ט, פסוק א Perek Tes, Pasuk Aleph. Noach comes off the תיבה teiva. He saved humanity and he saved all the animals. Hashem says, צא מן התיבה tzei min hateiva. Again, Rav Druk and his father, צא מן התיבה tzei min hateiva, he doesn't get off because he saw it was dry because the raven and dove confirmed it. He only exits when God says, צא מן התיבה tzei min hateiva, because when God says \"Jump,\" Noach says \"How high?\" And what does he do when he gets off? What he does when he gets off is he plants a vineyard. And he harvests the grapes and he produces wine and he drinks from it. And a disaster ensues. ויחל נח איש האדמה ויטע כרם Vayachel Noach ish ha'adama vayita kerem. ויחל Vayachel, this notion of ויחל vayachel means, Rashi tells us, חולין chulin. חולין Chulin means profane, mundane. Noach goes from being holy to mundane or profane. Moshe goes from being an איש מצרי ish Mitzri to an איש אלקים ish Elokim. Noach goes from being an איש אלקים ish Elokim to an איש אדמה ish adama. ויחל נח איש אדמה ויטע כרם Vayachel Noach ish adama, vayita kerem. Noach is exhausted, he's spent, he spiritually implodes and collapses. And Noach becomes mundane, profane, ויחל vayachel, חולין chulin, and he becomes an איש אדמה ish adama. He's no longer the איש אלקים ish Elokim. And he plants a garden, וישת מן היין vayesht min hayayin, and he drinks from the wine. The כלי יקר Kli Yakar and we're going to run out of time, but the כלי יקר Kli Yakar here draws a lot of analogies and parallels to none other than אדם הראשון Adam Harishon. That Noach goes through a similar process to אדם הראשון Adam Harishon. Noach is regaining paradise lost. אדם וחווה Adam v'Chava are born and they marry one another and they have children on the very first day in גן עדן Gan Eden. And Noach has an opportunity to cash in. This is a new beginning, it's a fresh start. It's a new ability, this hard reset that's done on the world. And the כלי יקר Kli Yakar here points out that just like what was Adam's downfall in גן עדן Gan Eden? He ate from the עץ הדעת eitz hada'as. And there's many opinions about what the עץ הדעת eitz hada'as is. We know one thing it's not. What is the עץ הדעת eitz hada'as not? You can thank medieval and renaissance art and Christian leaders for corrupting what the עץ הדעת eitz hada'as is. One thing it was not is an apple. We know it wasn't an apple. I enjoy apples. A nice honey crisp apple, dipped in peanut butter. I love apples, but it wasn't an apple. What was it? It might have been a fig, it was wheat, it was a grape. There's a lot of it was an אתרוג esrog. So a lot of other suggestions that are offered. So the כלי יקר Kli Yakar here, he creates all these parallels to אדם הראשון Adam Harishon. Adam was the beginning of the first creation, and Noach is beginning the second creation. And there are a lot of a lot of connections and overlap and parallels between the two. But here the כלי יקר Kli Yakar writes, ויחל נח איש האדמה Vayachel Noach ish ha'adama. ויחל מלשון חולין, החולין הפך הקדושה Vayachel milashon chulin, hachulin hefech hakdusha. It's the opposite of קדושה kedusha. היין מרגיל לערוה Hayayin margil l'erva. You know why is why is becoming intoxicated, why is wine חולין chulin and the opposite of קדושה kedusha? Because when a person becomes intoxicated, they misbehave. They become morally depraved and corrupt. They're not in control, they have poor judgment. He's called an איש אדמה ish adama because now instead of striving for lofty, he just wants the physical pleasures of this world. He craves and he lusts for what is here. And that's what wine does. Intoxication and wine draws us to be able to live in that way, it corrupts us. And Noach's legacy ultimately is not the צדיק tzaddik. And it's not the איש אלקים ish Elokim. He is ויחל vayachel, חולין chulin, and he is the איש אדמה ish adama. But here's something incredible. The מדרש רבה Medrash Rabba points out, look at the פסוק pasuk. Has anyone here planted a vineyard? I have proudly planted a garden during Corona. And I've been talking about it nonstop to the point that my kids think I only planted it so I would have things to give דרשות drashos about. It's only partially true. But it's also partially because I'm enjoying it. The first pepper has emerged. It's beautiful. I'm in love with it. I understand the מצוה mitzva of ביכורים bikurim even more now. So we have a beautiful little garden. And I'll tell you that every day we go out and we look at it and we wait. And it's been several weeks, a couple months, and we're still waiting. If you plant a vineyard, how long does it take to get a grape? I started to say the עץ הדעת eitz hada'as was a grape. The downfall of Adam was a grape, and the downfall of Noach is a grape. The parallels run all the way through. How long does it take to plant a vineyard? I don't know, because that didn't make it in my garden. I'm not ready to make wine yet. We'll put it on the list after I publish my book. So, it takes more than a day. But look at the פסוק pasuk. פרק ט, פסוק כ Perek Tes, Pasuk Kaf. What happens? What happens? Sorry, looking a little bit longer. ויחל Vayachel. Where's the פסוק pasuk? He comes out and he plants the garden, and immediately he gets drunk. Doesn't it take time for the vine to grow? Doesn't it take time before he's going to get the grape and produce the wine? Where's the פסוק pasuk? Why can't I find it? וישת Vayesht. ויחל נח איש האדמה Vayachel Noach ish ha'adama. Page 42. פרק ט, פסוק כ Perek Tes, Pasuk Kaf. ויחל נח איש האדמה ויטע כרם Vayachel Noach ish ha'adama vayita kerem. He becomes an איש אדמה ish adama. Thank you, Rav Brander. ויטע כרם Vayita kerem, he plants a vineyard, וישת מן היין וישכר vayesht min hayayin vayishkar. It's like one, in one process. It's in one moment. He plants, he drinks, he becomes drunk. Didn't it take weeks or months? Ask a vintner, ask someone who runs a vineyard. How long does it take before you could produce that bottle? And doesn't the bottle have to age? How was Noach? So you know what the מדרש medrash says? It was a נס nes. It was a miracle. Hashem did a miracle that Noach planted the vineyard and a moment later, it only took one moment until it grew. Ask the דובנא מגיד Dubno Maggid, why in the world would Hashem do that miracle? Of all the miracles Hashem could do, Hashem made that the miracle? I've got some suggestions of miracles he could perform. People who are sick who I want him to miraculously cure. Peace I want him to bring to the world, to miraculously make this election go away, make this Corona go away. Why is that the miracle? Noach was really thirsty, really craved a nice bottle, so Hashem made a miracle where what? He planted and he was able to benefit and produce the wine immediately and right away. That's the miracle? It's a bizarre miracle. So I saw this דובנא מגיד Dubno Maggid quoted from my friend, Rav Asher Brander, a Rav out in LA, and he says the following. He quotes this דובנא מגיד Dubno Maggid, and the דובנא מגיד Dubno Maggid says the following. He gives the following משל mashal. And I'm going to read it to you in Rav Asher Brander's the way he quotes and modifies the דובנא מגיד Dubno Maggid. The דובנא מגיד Dubno Maggid often gives a solution by quoting a parable, a משל mashal. A poor חסיד Chasid Yankel pleads with his Rebbe to grant him a ברכה bracha of wealth. The Rebbe responds by assuring him that the first endeavor he invests in will be wildly successful. So the חסיד Chasid comes home bursting with excitement, even counting the געלט gelt. But when he enters, he rushes to his wife, demanding access to the last few coins hidden in their hovel. His wife refuses to give it to him. She knows what a שלמזל shlimazel, what a failure he is, and she doesn't want to squander those last few coins to him. He's surely going to lose them. But he persists, she refuses, and they get into this huge fight, this huge מחלוקת machlokes. He snoops around and he finds the money, he takes it, he goes to the market, he buys carpets, he sets up a booth. And Yankel waits one day, two days, two weeks, no business. And he has nowhere to turn but the Rebbe. He goes back to the Rebbe demanding the return of his money. The Rebbe listens to his tale and he says, \"Rebbe, I did exactly what you told me. I came home, I got the money, I invested it, and no הצלחה hatzlacha. I wasn't successful.\" So the Rebbe turns to Yankel and he says, \"Have you given me the complete story? Are you leaving something out?\" So Yankel says, \"Well, the whole story is not only did I not succeed even after I invested the money the way you told me, but in fact, I got in the biggest argument, the biggest fight I've ever had with my wife. We have amazing שלום בית shalom bayis. We've always gotten along. And this actually precipitated what became the worst fight that we ever had, the worst fight.\" So the Rebbe looked at him and he said, \"Yankel, the ברכה bracha I gave you was that the first endeavor you would have would be wildly successful. But you know, you squandered it, because instead of the first endeavor being in the investment, the first endeavor you had was a fight with your wife. And it was the most wildly successful, the biggest fight you've ever had with your wife. The ברכה bracha was that the first thing that you put your כוחות kochos into should be extraordinarily successful. And it was. But the first thing you put your כוחות kochos into was to fight with your wife, and it was extraordinarily successful. It was the biggest fight you ever had.\" So says the דובנא מגיד Dubno Maggid, הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu made a miracle. And he said to Noach, \"When you come off that תיבה teiva, and you hit the hard reset on the world and you're starting from scratch and starting from fresh, I give you a ברכה bracha.\" that you should be wildly successful. The problem is that Noach, the first thing he did, was plant the vineyard. So the ברכה bracha was חל chal on the first thing he did, but the first thing he did was חולין chullin. So it's not that השם Hashem chose to do a miracle in this bizarre, unusual place and way, it's that this was the place that השם Hashem that Noach chose to put his energy, and therefore it was wildly successful, instead of what should have been the first place which was to reconstruct and to rebuild the world that was lost. As it is every week, we have a lot more to get to that we did not share, but ברוך השם Baruch Hashem, we're going to read פרשת נח Parshas Noach again next year. Thank you for joining us and until next time, stay happy, stay healthy, stay holy. Continue tomorrow morning, 10 minutes of meaning at 8:15, Living with אמונה emunah 8:45. Tomorrow night another amazing Behind the בימה Bima at 9:00 p.m. Until then, everyone be well and take care.
