When 120 Years Finally Arrives

Now, when humanity began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born to them, the princes and judges saw how pretty the girls were, and they took themselves wives from whomever they chose. [Genesis 6:1-2]

The story of any man is rooted in his father. If his father was just and honest then chances are his child will act the same way. The junior has seen the value of following G-d’s ways and will respond accordingly. And, of course, the opposite is true: A man who has seen cruelty and lies in his home will see this both as normal and necessary.

How man turned bad can be traced to one thing: He forgot who created him. He marginalized and then dismissed G-d. Now man becomes god and that always ends up ugly.

So, here’s the chronology: Adam and Eve defy G-d and eat from the Tree of Knowledge. They are expelled from the Garden of Eden. Adam’s elder son Cain introduces a new element in humanity — jealousy — and kills his brother Abel. Cain, too, is expelled.

Eventually, Adam has more children and even Cain is allowed to multiply. They form the elite — princes and judges, known as the “sons of G-d.” Some of them even claim to be messengers of G-d. They declare that they own the world; everything belongs to them. Their greed is boundless. Their challenge to their prey is “Try and stop me.”

G-d could have eradicated the evil elite. But he allowed them to continue. The question was not whether the elite would repent; they wouldn’t. The question was whether the ordinary people would join the evil or hang back and disassociate from the false promises of the elite. Neutrality was not an option. G-d gave them 120 years to think about it.

G-d said, “My spirit will not continue to deliberate over humanity forever, since they are mere flesh and nonetheless behave arrogantly. I decree that they will have 120 years to repent.” [Genesis 6:3]

There was virtually nothing of significance in the mainstream media, but this marks the 120th year since the death of Theodor Herzl, celebrated as the father of modern Zionism. The last year of his life was plagued by turbulence and failure. First, he was unsuccessful in gaining the support of Pope Pius X for a Jewish homeland. Then, he encountered virulent opposition to his British-supported initiative to accept a Jewish haven in Uganda, today Kenya. One of Herzl’s fiercest opponents was Chaim Weizmann, who engaged in a power struggle with his much older and prominent rival even after the British rejected the plan.

Nearly 20 years after Herzl’s death, Weizmann would wage another war in the Zionist movement — this time against Louis Brandeis, the U.S. Supreme Court associate justice who had legitimized Zionism in America and brought more than 150,000 to become members. Once again, the conflict was over money and power. Weizmann had established Keren Hayesod, meant to serve as both the movement’s fundraising and investment arm. Brandeis opposed the idea of a charitable group to develop the Land of Israel that was actually a profit-making venture. Weizmann launched a campaign that vilified Brandeis and the Americans as “Yankee Doodle” Jews with a goyische kop or gentile heads. Weizmann won, and the American Zionist movement was left in shambles for nearly the next 20 years. It would continue a heritage of conflict and hatred throughout Zionist history.

One hundred and twenty years could be a long time. G-d used that period to deliberate whether to destroy the world or show mercy. Shlomo Yitzhaki, or Rashi, writes that the decision depended on whether the people would repent. During the generation of Enoch, G-d caused a massive flood that destroyed one-third of the globe. The people refused to get the message. Instead, they allowed the “sons of G-d” to reign. The children of the elite — Adam, Seth and Enoch — created a cruel dictatorship. They would break into bridal suites and rape those being adorned for the marriage canopy. Homosexuality and bestiality were rampant.

G-d’s patience ended up exacerbating the evil. Joining the sons of G-d were the Nefilim, or “fallen ones.” They, too, stemmed from the elite, those who served as princes and judges who had failed to restrain their children. The old men joined the orgy and even fathered children from their victims. Some of them, including the children of Cain, were huge men who cowed ordinary people. Even their names — Irad, Mechuyael and Metushael — inspired fear. Their illegitimate offspring were just as large and scary.

The “fallen ones” were on the earth in those days. [Genesis 6:4]

Enter Noah. The Torah lavishes more praise on Noah than anybody in Scriptures, including the patriarchs and Moses.

Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with G-d. [Genesis 6:9]

The commentators have debated over whether Noah could match up with Abraham or Moses. The Midrash even quotes Moses as berating Noah, saying that he had presided over the destruction rather than the salvation of the world. Rashi goes so far as to say that Noah was a righteous man in his generations. Had he lived in Abraham’s era, he would have been “nothing.”

Moses Ben Nachman, or the Ramban, who lived some 200 years after Rashi, disagrees. The Ramban refuses to compare Noah to Abraham or anybody else. Abraham was brought to save the world. Noah’s job was to build an ark that would survive the global flood and destruction of mankind. For 120 years, Noah would suffer jeers, insults and threats on his life as he built the ark and then brought his family and a tiny portion of the animal kingdom to safety. Neither Abraham nor Moses faced that challenge.

G-d’s litmus test was whether Noah would obey. He would not play the hero or leader. He would not plead for the evildoers. When asked, he would tell the curious that the world would be destroyed by G-d, angry over the corruption, robbery and violence by men who knew better. Whether they realized it, the clock toward doom was ticking.

Noah did everything that G-d commanded him to do exactly. [Genesis 6:22]