Noach: True Strength
The Mabul, the flood! Let’s point our focus on Hashem through this entire episode. The Gemara in Shabbos 88a tells us that when Hashem first created the world He said, “If the Yidden accept the Torah you (creation) will exist, otherwise I will return you to emptiness and void,” or in big words, confusion and pandemonium. Now as the world went corrupt and the giants roamed the land with their unprincipled free will, Hashem declares (Bereishis 6:13) “The end of all flesh has come before Me…” (Do the chapter and verse numbers hold a clue?) It seems as though the original agreement with creation was about to be ripped to shreds much before the allotted time. How so?
The Gemara in Shabbos 133b notes the greatnesses of Hashem. “Just as He is merciful and graceful, so too you shall be.” Similarly in Sota 14a “Just as He dresses the naked, visits the sick, buries the dead, so too you shall.” Our duties as human beings, although at this point in time we already have the Torah which is the guidebook to our behaviors and morals, is to be decent human beings. We call this the fifth part of Shulchan Aruch, but I’d argue that it is actually the first, as we see in Vayikra Raba 9:3, Derech Eretz has predated earth by twenty six generations. Maybe that’s why the Torah starts with a Beis, and all Mesechtos of Shas start on page two.
When Hashem figured to destroy the world, the Pasuk (Bereishis 6:8) states, “And Noach found grace in the eyes of Hashem.” The reason for the entire destruction lies in this word alone, Chen, grace. Noach was the only one in his generation who stuck to the ways of Hashem. He recognized the ways of his Creator and emulated His way, and just for acknowledging the character of Hashem he was worthy enough to save himself and our entire creation along with him. The twenty six generations that “Derech Eretz” predated the Torah are from Adam to Moshe, and it was through grace and mercy that the entire creation hung on.
When the gentile arrived to Hillel in Shabbos 31a and asked to convert to Judaism on the condition that he be taught the entire Torah while standing on one foot, Hillel simply replied, “What you hate, don’t do to your friend, and to know ‘all the things that you hate’ go learn and you’ll know (Rashi).” The basic knowledge to know before learning is how to be a decent human being, even the fallen angels with all their wisdom had to contend with the instincts of mankind, the power of will.
This brings us to Tehillim 146. King David lists a whole bunch of the amazing character traits that Hashem possesses. “Keeps to the truth, brings justice to the swindled, gives bread to the starving, releases the prisoner, gives vision to the blind, stands the bent upright, loves the righteous, protects the foreigner, strengthens the orphan and widow, and the ways of the wicked He distorts.” We enumerate some of these in our morning Brachos, and some more in the second Brachah of Shemona Esrei, Ata Gibor, because at the start of all beginnings these traits must be established for the rest to continue properly.
Ben Zoma in Avos 4:1 quotes King Shlomo, “Who is the strong one, one who conquers his creative forces.” Ata Gibor Le’olam Hashem, You, Hashem, are the strong one forever. Nothing stands in the way of Hashem’s will, and it is enacted as soon as it is thought. Forever is a big word because it literally means ‘forever!’ Hashem’s will spans beyond our comprehension, which means that His strength and power is perfectly weighed and specifically targeted. As King David says in Tehillim 148:5, “He has commanded it and it was created.” His will is to be merciful and graceful, and therefore it lasts forever.
Mechayei Measim Ata Rav Lehoshia. In our small minds, the end of time will be as the dead return to life. So much of Hashem’s will is slowly being unveiled through time and it becomes abundantly clear that His entire creation was formed on the basis of kindness. He helps us so many times, and brings us back to life metaphorically, but through His rule our belief becomes stronger and stronger that He will physically do the same for us. As the Radak explains the song of King David in Tehillim 119:125: “I will know Your testimony to be true through the reward You give.”
Mashiv Haruach u’Morid Hatal, Umorid Hageshem. Ben Zoma we quoted earlier brings a Pasuk in Mishlei 16:32, “Better one who prolongs his anger that the mighty, and a ruler of their Ruach – spirit, than the capturer of a city.” Moshe Rabbeinu tells us in Devarim 11:10-12, “The land that you are coming in to isn’t like Egypt that you left where you plant your seeds and water the ground with your feet like vegetable gardens: and the land that you are crossing to inherit is a land of mountains and valleys, to the rain of the heavens will you drink water: It is a land that Hashem your Lord inquires about her, steadily are the eyes of Hashem upon her from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.
Hashem’s power isn’t just to have a plan for the ending by seeing the endgame before the outset. He manages his Ruach at every given moment in time. He looks to see when to implement His plan based on how we conduct ourselves. Since we are heavenly creations formed in His Godly image with the creative force and willpower, we become, so to say, eligible and worthy of His gifts.
Geshem and Tal are two distinct gifts that we praise Him for since they hold all gifts within them. Geshem is the root of the word Gashmiyus, which is our word to describe materiality and physicality, while Tal is the root of the word, Talis, covering, (see Sukkah 29a for example). This refers to our spiritual needs that are high above us in the spiritual realms in the heavens. Hashem sends us our needs based on our worthiness, depending on our behavior with the mighty tool called will.
And now we go about enumerating the aforementioned, amazing character traits we must emulate in order to receive them. Mechalkeil Chayim Bechesed, Mechayei Measim Berachamim Rabim, through which pipe does Hashem send us all those amazing kindnesses? Through the path called mercy. Someich Noflim, v’Rofei Cholim, u’Matir Asurim, which are our examples to follow.
U’Mekeiyem Emunaso L’[ye]sheinei Afar, by cleaving to Him and following His ways we can see how our entire life turns around. We become happier and more filled with light. And hence, the belief in Him awakens the dead, lowly, and depressed. It is clear to us, through our mortal lenses, that if our souls reawaken through enacting such acts periodically over our lives, so much more so that Hashem’s beloved soul, us, will reawaken from our sleep in the literal dust.
Now we praise! Mi Chamocha Ba’al Gevuros u’Mi Domeh Lach? There is no other who can compare their powers to You! The ultimate power is to be decent at all times, and Hashem, the One and Only Creator and Force of all forces, contains this Middah perfectly. Beloved King David hints to this Bracha in Tehillim 24:3, “Mi, Who will ascend the mountain of Hashem, u’Mi, and who will stand in His holy place?”
Melech Meimis u’Mechayeh u’Matzmiach Yeshua, such a King has the power to kill, bring back to life, and sprout us out of the ground like flowers to find our salvation. We see this clearly in Parshas Noach as the dove brought back a leaf of the olive tree. As “Noach knew” in Bereishis 8:11, “that the waters have eased from the earth.” Rashi quotes the Gemara in Eruvin 18b, “The dove said before Hashem, may my nourishment be bitter as an olive, but in Your hand, and not sweet as honey and be dependent on the hand of flesh and blood.”
As we die, even metaphorically in our depression and lost states, we hope, wish, and pray that we are returned to the way we used to be before this problem ever arrived. But the truth is that once we experience such a state of being we become like seeds that get devoured by the soil which slowly return as great blossoming creations. We grow into the great and powerful tree we are meant to become as we learn to be principled with our will and creative forces. We come back bigger and better than before. Salvation is a process of Meimis and Mechayeh.
V’Ne’eman Ata Lehachyos Measim! Back to our original question, “Wasn’t the plan all along for the world to hang in the balance until the Yidden accept the Torah, why then did Hashem consider destroying everything at the Mabul?” The answer is clear. We know for a fact that when we follow Hashem’s ways we ourselves become loved and trustworthy people. We follow through on our word and return to do more each and every opportunity we have. Hashem finds His opportunities to do what is right, and even when there is a slim chance to restart He will take it.
We see in Bereishis 18 as Hashem went to destroy Sodom and Amorah, Avraham pleaded with Him to save it for the sake of a Tzaddik. When it was clear that this must happen and that there was no option for saving, Hashem went as He finished talking to Avraham (Bereishis 18:33). Similarly we see Moshe instructing the spies in Bamidbar 13:20 to check if there is a ‘tree.’ Rashi notes the Gemara in Bava Basra 15a, that the tree means a decent man. For one simple decent man can save an entire city. As Shlomo Hamelech said in Mishlei in the aforementioned Pasuk, “Better… a ruler of their spirit than the capturer of a city.
Hashem revives us, and His word is good for it. All He seeks and inquires is “If there is even one person who inquires and seeks wisdom from Him,” (Tehillim 14:2).
Baruch Ata Hashem, Mechayei Hameisim. It is unbelievable to fathom His greatness. The common sense He instilled into the nature and fabric of the world is one that is a reviving force. May He be blessed forever and ever for giving us the opportunity of life, and so many opportunities within it to save our souls from loss and death.
Our world is one of Tohu and Bohu where everything hangs in the balance until we turn around and find Him. All we need to do is seek out decency and from there we will find the Teivah in the flood. We learn to harness the God given strength within us and emulate His path, and we are instantly graced with revival. We are brought out of pandemonium and resuscitated with a Ruach Chadash, (Yechezkel 36:26).
Good Shabbos
Duvi Lemmer
LemmerHypnotherapy.com