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Sh'lah on the Torah |
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Test 7 The following translation by Mr. Eliyahu Munk is an excerpt from the book Shney Luchot HaBrit -- the Sh'lah …we can now understand the difference between Genesis 6, 1 ‘et ha’Elokim hithalech Noach’, “Noach walked with the Lord,” and Genesis 24, 40 when Abraham describes himself in these words: ‘Hashem asher hithalachti lifanav’, “G-d before Whom I walked.” Noach needed G-d to “hold his hand,” so to speak, whereas Abraham was self-propelled, took the initiative. Noach was afraid to mix with the corrupt society he lived in and isolated himself with only G-d as his companion because he was afraid of the possible influence on him of contemporary society. Abraham was not only confident that he would not succumb to the corrupt society around him, but he tried to lead his fellow-men back to the path of monotheism and a life of good deeds. I have elaborated on this elsewhere. This is the plain meaning of those verses. According to the path we generally follow, it will be shown that Noach’s strength was not as great as Abraham’s in other matters. Abraham had “awakened” himself to recognize and serve his Creator. As a result he received considerable input from the Holy Spirit. This is what is meant when I said that rapprochement to G-d must proceed from “the bottom up,” i.e. man must be the initiator. Noach, on the other hand, relied on Divine inspiration to be the first step. Walking with G-d means after G-d had inspired him first. The “awakening” came from Above. On Genesis 6,7 and 8, ‘ki nachamti ki asitim. V’Noach matza chein b’einei Hashem,’ (“…I regret I created them. But Noach found favor in the eyes of Hashem.”) Rav Kahanae comments in Bereshit Rabbah 29, 1 that the end of verse 6 shows that even Noach had not really been found to be worthy. He was “lucky” to have found favor in the eyes of G-d. Whereas Noach matza, “found,” G-d did not “find.” The meaning is that Noach “found” that G-d awakened him, G-d however, did not “find,” i.e. did not see in Noach, something He felt he had to “respond” to. The reverse was true of Abraham, as demonstrated by the verse we have quoted. This is also the meaning of ‘U’matzata et livavo ne’eman lifanecha’, “You have found his (Abraham’s) heart loyal before You.” (Nechemia 9,8) A view quoted in Midrash Rabbah 30, 10 points out that the word ‘bidorotav’, “in his generations,” mean that had Noach lived in another generation, he would not have been considered outstanding, is well known. Whereas the Midrash compares the generations mentioned in our parsha with those of Moses or Samuel, Rashi compares them with the generation Abraham lived in. The Torah says of Moses: ‘b’chol baiti ne’eman’, “He is trusted throughout My household” (Numbers 12, 7). Chronologically, Abraham preceded Moses in this area of self-propelled upward spiritual motion. He did so persistently that G-d revealed Himself to him to an extraordinary extent. When it came to the attachment, dvekut, to G-d and His ways, Moses excelled over Abraham. This is why G-d paid him the compliment recorded in Numbers. The ultimate compliment it is possible to pay a human being is to describe him as a fully-fledged member of G-d’s “household.” The reason that Moses separated from his wife, i.e. from family life and the fulfillment of the commandment to be fruitful and multiply, is that ‘Moshe alla el ha’Elokim’, “Moses ascended to G-d” (Exodus 19, 3). Having reached such a stage, further “upward” motion was not necessary. This is the deeper significance of someone becoming ‘ish ha’Elokim’, as described in the Zohar. If Ben Azzai refused to marry and procreate because “his heart cleaved to the Torah,” this may have been due to his being descended from a root such as that of Moses (cf Yevamot 63). Noach then was righteous in terms of his generation since he responded to inspiration from “above.” G-d “encouraged” Noach during the one hundred and twenty years prior to the deluge. He sent him on a mission to warn his contemporaries to repent of their wicked ways. The Torah however, records only ‘m’kzat shivcho bifaroav, v’kulo shelo beifanav’. The usual meaning of this concept is that one does not reveal all of a person’s merits while he is alive, whereas when eulogizing such a person one must reveal all his merits. In this instance the meaning of shelo bifanov is that Noach did not initiate his role as the conscience of mankind, but he was prompted to do so by G-d. This is the real meaning of “Noach found favor in the eyes of G-d, whereas G-d did not find.” He stood out in his generation, since his generation did not respond to the exhortations, whereas Noach responded to G-d’s “grace,” i.e. ‘v’chonati et asher achon’. He had never become corrupt, nor was he put off by the failure of his fellow men to heed him. Noach’s contemporaries were ‘arlei lev’, had uncircumcised in their flesh and continued in their perversions. This means that at the time of the resurrection their individual “files” will not be re-opened to determine if some of them qualify for another round of life on earth… …Although Noach did not compare favorably with Abraham, it is entirely possible that, had he lived during the time of Abraham, he would have been so inspired by Abraham that he would have equaled the latter in stature. After all, also Abraham had been told by G-d: “Walk before Me and become tamim, perfect” (Genesis 17, 1) |
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Ascent of Safed
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