The Blogs: Defending Noah

Our Bible remembers some characters more positively than others.

The patriarchs; Abraham, Jacob and Isaac, along with Joseph and Moses, have a more favorable association, while others have questions lingering about them.

Noah for example, seems to have a questionable rating, and as such, I feel the need to rehabilitate his reputation.

While acknowledged as a righteous man, some sages suggest that Noah deserved censure because he was preoccupied with saving himself and his family, while ignoring the desperate plight of those around him. These sages remind us that Abraham argued with G-d, while trying to save Sodom and Gomorrah from destruction (Breshit Vayera) and that Moses, interceded on Israel’s behalf, begging God not to destroy them (Exodus Ki- Tisa).

In essence, Noah is blamed for not interceding on mankind’s behalf to stop G-d from destroying humanity.

Additionally, there’s the classic read of Noah’s “relative” righteousness, compared to his generation, suggesting that had he lived in Abraham’s times, he wouldn’t have even merited to be considered righteous.

And lastly there is the issue of his drunkenness at the end of his story, which further denigrates him.

Yet after examining the text carefully, I’d like to challenge these views:

Early in the biblical story, prior to bringing the flood on the world, G-d does not consult with Noah as he had consulted with both Abraham or Moses in later chapters: וַיִּנָּ֣חֶם יְהֹוָ֔ה …

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהֹוָ֗ה אֶמְחֶ֨ה אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֤ם אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָ֨אתִי֙ מֵעַל֨ פְּנֵ֣י הָֽאֲדָמָ֔ה ֵ….כי נִחַ֖מְתִּי כִּ֥י עֲשִׂיתִֽם: / God said, I will destroy humanity,….……, for I have changed My mind after having created them.

G-d decides to destroy humanity, and Noah is instructed to fulfil G-d’s command but not consulted with. In essence, he is being treated like a caretaker executing G-d’s directions.

G-d gives detailed and specific instructions to Noah as to how to board the ark. וּבָאתָ֙ אֶל־הַתֵּ֔בָה אַתָּ֕ה וּבָנֶי֛ךָ וְאִשְׁתְּךָ֥ וּנְשֵֽׁי־בָנֶי֖ךָ אִתָּֽך/ You must enter the ark, you and your sons, and your wife and your sons’ wives . (Breshit Noah 6– 18), which Noah follows exactly, as it says: Noah did as G-d asked.וַיַּ֖עַשׂ נֹ֑חַ כְּ֠כֹ֠ל אֲשֶׁ֨ר צִוָּ֥ה אֹת֛וֹ אֱלֹהִ֖ים כֵּ֥ן עָשָֽׂה / Noah did all that God had commanded him. (* boarding separate from his wife is seen as suggesting that there should be no ‘relations’ between husband and wife in the ark).

When we jump to the end of the long and devastating flood, G-d instructs Noah to leave the ark and again, gives him specific instructions: צֵ֖א מִן־הַתֵּבָ֑ה אַתָּ֕ה וְאִשְׁתְּךָ֛ וּבָנֶ֥יךָ וּנְשֵֽׁי־בָנֶ֖יךָ אִתָּֽךְ / Leave the ark, you with your wife, and your sons with your sons’ wives; וּפָר֥וּ וְרָב֖וּ עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ / be fruitful and multiply on the earth.

But this time, following his distress at seeing the devastation of the earth and the death of all mankind, Noah does not follow G-d’s instructions, and he disembarks in different order: וַיֵּ֖צֵא־נֹ֑חַ וּבָנָי֛ו וְאִשְׁתּ֥וֹ וּנְשֵֽׁי־בָנָ֖יו / Noah went out with his sons, and his wife with his sons’ wives.

Despite his bringing a sacrifice to G-d upon exiting the ark, Noah refuses to follow G-d’s suggested ‘relations’ with his wife (G-d repeats ‘be fruitful and multiply on the earth’ three times within one paragraph, intending for Noah to replenish the earth with new populace), and disembarks in defiance to demonstrate his refusal. We might dismiss this as not truly significant but as we can see immediately thereafter, G-d changes His tone and makes a covenant with Noah and all future generations saying; וַאֲנִ֕י הִֽנְנִ֥י מֵקִ֛ים אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֖י אִתְּכֶ֑ם וְאֶת־זַרְעֲכֶ֖ם אַֽחֲרֵיכֶֽם/ I hereby am establishing My covenant with you and with your offspring after you ַֽוהֲקִֽמֹתִ֤י אֶת־בְּרִיתִי֙ אִתְּכֶ֔ם וְלֹֽא־יִכָּרֵ֧ת כָּל־בָּשָׂ֛ר ע֖וֹד מִמֵּ֣י הַמַּבּ֑וּל וְלֹא־יִֽהְיֶ֥ה ע֛וֹד מַבּ֖וּל לְשַׁחֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ :

/ … Never again will there be a flood that will destroy the earth; אֶת־קַשְׁתִּ֕י נָתַ֖תִּי בֶּֽעָנָ֑ן וְהָֽיְתָה֙ לְא֣וֹת בְּרִ֔ית בֵּינִ֖י וּבֵ֥ין הָאָֽרֶץ / I have placed My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the world;

This covenant follows Noah’s insistence that he will not fulfil G-d’s instructions, (he sees no reason to repopulate the world if G-d will destroy humanity yet again). And only after making G-d promise never to destroy the world again, does he follow with planting a vineyard, symbolizing the renewal of life, representing humanity’s cultivating and nurturing life once again. וַיָּ֥חֶל נֹ֖חַ אִ֣ישׁ הָֽאֲדָמָ֑ה וַיִּטַּ֖ע כָּֽרֶם/And Noah … planted a vineyard.

In this part of the story Noah is transformed from being a mere messenger, to influencing G-d, which results in the first covenant between G-d and man.

While Noah knows that he cannot change G-d’s resolve to destroy the world, in his small act of defiance, he changes the future relationship between G-d and man, creating a partnership between them.

One can argue that G-d’s original vision of man, following his creation, is some form of partnership: וַיִּקַּ֛ח יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֑ם וַיַּנִּחֵ֣הוּ בְגַן־עֵ֔דֶן לְעָבְדָ֖הּ וּלְשָׁמְרָֽה /God placed man in the Garden of Eden, to cultivate it and guard it. Yet, in response to the corruption on earth, G-d changes his mind and decides to destroy the world. Subsequently, starting with Abraham, G-d consults with the patriarchs and prophets regularly.

In my reading of the text, it is Noah who return’s G-d to his original plan, which is as great a contribution as any hero in our bible. In essence, Noah is the bridge between meeting G-d the creator and G-d who partners with mankind.

Even for a biblical hero, seeing the devastation around him might have been too much, and we can hardly blame Noah for losing himself in the bottle. It is his deed that stays with us, and the world owes its existence to him. וַיִּֽהְי֣וּ בְנֵי־נֹ֗חַ הַיֹּֽצְאִים֙ מִן־הַתֵּבָ֔ה שֵׁ֖ם וְחָ֣ם וָיָ֑פֶת וְחָ֕ם ה֖וּא אֲבִ֥י כְנָֽעַן / The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. שְׁלשָׁ֥ה אֵ֖לֶּה בְּנֵי־נֹ֑חַ וּמֵאֵ֖לֶּה נָֽפְצָ֥ה כָל־הָאָֽרֶץ / These three were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole world branched out.

After defending Noah and recognizing his contribution, I wonder if there’s a lesson in it for me.

Evaluating Noah’s reputation relative to Abraham, reminds me how often I questioned my own self-worth, in comparison to my father. While I navigated life in ways that can be viewed as successful, my father has literally done the impossible. Being subjected to harrowing conditions and surviving the war while serving in the Russian army, and building a family in Romania, while being persecuted, makes me wonder if I could have survived or would I have given up had I lived in his time. It is a question many children of survivors ask themselves. Yet I realize it is an unfair comparison. We all face challenges, and we must accept our role in our time, without assessing one’s self-worth relative to others. Noah lived in his generation and had to contend with a different challenge than Abraham or Moses had in their time. We are all placed here for a purpose, and we must accept our role and follow it to the best of our ability without distracting ourselves with futile questions.