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Video Study for Parasha Noach

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muman613:
Rabbi Svirsky talks about this portion of Noah and the six constant Mitzvot:

muman613:
http://www.atorahminute.com/2012-10-18

Nowah: In Praise of Noah
Rabbi Ya'aqob Menashe
Thursday, October 18, 2012/Heshwan 2, 5773

את האלהים התהלך נח "And Noah walked with G-d" (Bereshith 6:9). This phrase can be used as praise of Noah.

The Hid"a, 'a"h, explains that this means that Noah put into practice the concept of "Shiwithy H' Leneghdi Thamid" (I have placed G-d before me always [Tehillim 16:8]). The Rambam (Maimonides) explains that it is a great principle in the Torah, that the way a person acts and behaves when he is alone at home must be the same as the way he would behave if in front of a great king.

"And Noah walked with G-d" means that Noah always envisaged in his mind that he was standing in front of G-d at all times. The fact that the term "Elokim" is used to describe G-d, shows that Noah always had fear of G-d, because "Elokim" refers to G-d's attribute of justice.

Rabbenu Bahye writes that only certain individuals attain the trait of "walking with", which is a term used for the righteous who achieve the understanding of the wisdom and workings of the sun, the stars and constellations. Even though they understand their power, they understand that there is G-d above them. In Noah's case this is all the more praiseworthy since, in his generation, people worshipped the sun and the stars as if they were gods.

(See Homath Anakh. Rabbenu Bahayyei on the Torah, Parashath Nowah)

muman613:
In another thread I was talking about miracles. Here is another example of a miracle which not a lot of people witnessed and the written Torah only provides clues to. Yet the miracle of Noahs ark is an incredible miracle...

http://www.atorahminute.com/2010-10-07
The miracle of Noah's Ark
Rabbi Ya'aqob Menashe

Thursday, October 7, 2010/Tashri 29, 5771

When G-d commanded Noah to build the Ark, He gave him specific instructions as to its size. When one considers the multitude of animals that were supposed to enter the Ark, even fifty arks of this size would have been much too small to hold all these animals. Clearly, the fact that they all entered the Ark was a very great miracle.

The question that begs to be answered is that if a miracle took place, why did G-d specify the particulars of the Ark, including what type of wood needed to be use, its specific dimensions and the fact that it had to have three levels? G-d could have used His miracles to save them without the Ark.

The answer is simply this: the way of the Torah is to command a person to do whatever is within his capacity within the course of nature. Whatever is lacking after that, G-d completes with a miracle.

(See Rabbenu Behayye on the torah, Parashath Nowah)

muman613:
Here is a different look at the question of whether Noah was as righteous as Abraham. In the end I am left with questions as to this view. I will list them after the article.


Why did Noah not pray to save his generation?
Rabbi Ya'aqob Menashe

Friday, October 23, 2009/Heshwan 5, 5770

Rabbenu Bahayye (Bahya) states that the question begging to be asked, is why didn't Noah, who is described by the Torah as being righteous, pray on behalf of the people of his generation to save them. We see that Abraham Abinu 'a"h, prayed repeatedly on behalf of the wicked people of Sedom (Sodom). Indeed, we see that the Prophets and others prayed on behalf of their generations.

The answer is that Noah was not remiss in not praying for the people of his generation. Rather, it was because Noah understood that for the world to exist there must be at least 10 righteous people, as Hazal (our Rabbis of Blessed memory) tell us. Indeed, G-d would not have brought the Mabbul (the great flood) on the earth had there been ten righteous individuals.

Infact, the only people permitted to enter the Ark were Noah and his family, who were a total of only eight. As a matter of fact, Abraham Abinu also stopped praying to G-d when he realized that there were not ten righteous people in Sedom. Not only that, but the people in Noah's time had been given 120 years warning to change their ways (which was the time it took to build the Ark), but paid no heed.

(See Rabbenu Behayye on the Torah, 6:14)


My question is this.... If Abraham did not know if there were 10 righteous individuals in Sodom, how did Noah know that there were not 10 righteous individuals in the world? Abraham still prayed to Hashem to spare the people, and only after negotiating (50 righteous, 40 righteous, 30 righteous, 20 righteous, 10 righteous) did he give in and accept Hashems condemnation of the people of Sodom. Why didn't we see a similar request from Noah?


--- Quote ---http://www.oztorah.com/2008/11/righteous-in-the-city-of-sodom-vayyera/

Abraham tried hard to save the city of Sodom. Maybe, he said to G-d, there are 50 righteous people there, and for their merit the city deserves to survive? Maybe there are a few less than 50, but still enough to keep the city from destruction?

In the end the negotiations did not work, and Sodom went under. But there are interesting features about Abraham’s argument, in particular in Genesis 18:24. In speaking of the possible righteous people of Sodom, Abraham uses the word tzaddikim, the word we would expect – but with a difference: one yod is missing from the text.

Does this mean that there might be something lacking in the righteousness of these tzaddikim? Presumably yes, and Abraham is arguing that even if the tzaddikim are not perfect, they still deserve to be rewarded. It is true that according to T’nach no tzaddik is ever perfect, for “There is no righteous person on earth who is completely righteous and never sins” (Eccl. 7:20), but in Sodom righteousness must have been especially difficult, and what mattered there was how much one tried to be a tzaddik when it meant fighting against the environment and one’s own limitations.

A second feature of the verse is Abraham’s reference to where any possible tzaddik was to be found. He says, “If there are 50 righteous people in the city” – in the city, not in the synagogues and houses of study (if indeed there were any in Sodom). In the synagogue or bet midrash it is easier to be a tzaddik, but the real test is b’toch ha’ir, “in the midst of the city”.

If a person can be a tzaddik at work, in the street, wherever they deal with people, when all the temptations are to take the line of least resistance and adopt the grey morality of most other people – that’s the sign of success. Abraham knew where to look for his tzaddikim, and it was such a pity that there were so few of them there.
--- End quote ---

muman613:
Here is the new Rabbi Richman, talking about how Bereshit and Noach teach that humanity is responsible for the world.




The first lesson we are taught by Torah concerning the ten generation epoch spanning from Adam to Noach is that man's behavior toward his fellow man has a direct and powerful effect on the natural world around him. Proper human conduct is a prerequisite for any effective environmental activism to succeed in preserving the magnificent ecosystem that G-d has blessed us with. A civilization that loses its moral compass will come crashing down, and take the natural world with it. A cautionary tale.

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