2022/5783
Rashi on “Make for yourself an ark” (BeReishit 6:14) says: There are numerous ways by which HaKadosh Baruch Hu could have saved Noach; why, then, did he burden him with this construction [of the Teivah]? So that the men of Dor HaMabul see him busy with it for 120 years and ask him, “What do you need this for?” And he says to them, “HaKadosh Baruch Hu will bring a flood upon the world.” Perhaps they will do Teshuvah [Sanhedrin 108b]. Siftei Chachamim poses a difficulty in understanding “Perhaps they will do Teshuvah” (Rashi, BeReishit 6:14): On the contrary, the building of the Teivah will lead them not to do Teshuvah, for they will answer Noach: “If it was true that you built a Teivah for you to be saved from the flood, are there not many ways to save you even without a Teivah?!”
Hashem indeed has many ways to save Noach, even without the Teivah, but this answer is due to a lack of understanding. The Ramban on “From all flesh” (BeReishit 6:19) explains: They made it (the Teivah) large in order to reduce the miracle for such is the way with all miracles in the Torah and the Nevi’im: to do what is in the hand of man to do, and the remainder is in the hands of Heaven.
Siftei Chachamim (on Rashi, BeReishit 6:14) concludes: The answer is: They knew the flood would come, as Rashi explained in connection with the story of Lemech's wives (4:24). But, they thought it would come in the distant future. From Noach building the Teivah, they saw that now it would come; thus, they might do Teshuvah (Nachalat Yaakov).
Anaf Etz Avot says on “Rabbi Tarfon said: The day is short” (Pirkei Avos 2:20): This sentiment is expressed in the Passuk (Divrei HaYamim I 29:15), “As a shadow are our days upon the earth.” Our Sages comment upon this (Midrash Rabbah, Vayechi 96:2): It would be fortunate for us if this were referring to the shadow of a wall or a tree! Instead, it refers to the shadow of a passing bird, as the Passuk says (Tehillim 144:4), “His days are like a fleeting shadow.” (See also Midrash Rabbah, beginning of Kohelet.) The Passuk continues (Divrei HaYamim I 29:15), “And there is no hope” — there is no hope to escape death, as everyone knows they will eventually die, as the Passuk says (Tehillim 89:49), “Which man shall live and not see death?” The Gemara says (Eruvin 65a): As Rav Chisda would often learn all night long, his daughter said to him, “Do you not wish to sleep a little bit?” He responded, “The day shall come, the day of death when I shall have a long time to sleep and little opportunity for Torah and mitzvot.”
Torah Temimah, son of the Aruch HaShulchan, says on “And there is no authority over the day of death” (Kohelet 8:8): Rabbanan say, “no man is authorized to say to the Angel of Death, ‘give me until I think of my account and afterward I’ll come.’”
Pirkei De’Rebbi Eliezer (ch. 34) brings a Mashal: Three friends a man has in his life, and they are these: his sons and household, his money, and his good deeds. In the hour of his departure from the world, he calls to his sons and his household and says to them, “I beg you to remove me from the judgment of this evil death.” They say to him, “haven’t you heard: “And there is no authority over the day of death” (Kohelet 8:8)? And, is it not thus written, “A brother cannot redeem a man” (Tehillim 49:8)?”
Pirkei De’Rebbi Eliezer (ch. 22) says about Dor HaMabul: “They said, “if the waters of the flood came upon us, behold, we are of high stature, and the waters will not reach up to our necks. And if the waters of the depths rise upon us, behold, the soles of our feet can close up the depths.” What did they do? They put forth the soles of their feet and closed up all the depths. What did HaKadosh Baruch Hu do? He heated the waters of the depths and burnt their flesh and peeled off their skin from them, as it says, “At the time they become hot, they retreat; when it is hot, they jump from their place” (Iyov 6:17). Do not read, ‘when it is hot (בְּ֜חֻמּ֗וֹ)’ rather, ‘in his hot waters (בחמימיו).’”
Masechet Gittin (56b) says about Titus: At sea, a wave rose against him to drown him. He said, “It seems to me that the G-d of these has no might except with water. Came Pharaoh, He drowned him in water. Came Sisera, He drowned him in water. Here too, He stands against me to drown me in water. If he’s a Gibor, He will go up to dry land and make war with me.” Came out a Bat Kol, and it said to him, “Wicked one, son of a wicked one, grandson of Eisav the wicked one, a lowly creature I have in My world, and its name is Yatush. (Why is it called a lowly creature? Because it has an entrance but not an exit.) Go up to dry land and make war with it.” He came up to dry land. Came a Yatush and entered his nostril and picked at his brain for seven years. One day he passed by the gate of a blacksmith's shop. [The Yatush] heard the sound of a hammer, [so it] became silent. He said, “There is a remedy.” Every day they would bring a blacksmith who hammered before him. To a Goy, he would give four Zuz; to a Jew, he said, “it is enough for you that you see your enemy suffering.” For thirty days, he did this. From then onward, since it became accustomed [to the sound], it was accustomed [to picking at his brain]. It was taught in a Braitta: said Rabbi Pinchas Ben Aroova, “I was among Gedolei Romi and when he (Titus) died they split open his head and found [the Yatush] like a bird weighing two Sela’im.” It was taught in a Braitta: like a Gozal (a young pigeon), a year old weighing two Litrin. Said Abayey, “We have a tradition that its mouth was of copper and its claws were of iron. When [Titus] was dying, he said to [his attendants], ‘Burn that man (me) and scatter his ashes across the seven seas, so the G-d of the Jews should not find me and stand me for judgment.’” Onkelos Bar Kalonikos, the son of Titus’s sister, wanted to convert. He went and raised Titus through Negida (Rashi: Ov). He said to him, “Who is important in that world?” He (Titus) said to him, “Yisrael.” [Onkelos said] “Should I attach to them?” He said to him, “Their commandments are numerous and you will not be able to fulfill them. Go battle against them in that world, and you will become the chief, as it is written, “Tzareha have become the head” (Eicha 1:5). Anyone who is HaMeitzar (the one who distresses) Le’Yisrael will become a chief.” He (Onkelos) said to him, “What is the judgment of that man (Titus)?” He said to him, “That which he decreed against himself. Every day his ashes are gathered, and they judge him, burn him, and scatter him over the seven seas.”
Rashi says on “And also after that” (BeReishit 6:4): Even though they saw Dor Enosh's destruction, the ocean rose and flooded Shlish HaOlam, Dor HaMabul did not humble themselves to learn from them.
Thus, like Titus, Dor HaMabul, in their great folly, sought to prevail over a Heavenly decree through a physical remedy. They would not humble themselves or learn from the wicked and do Teshuvah, so they were destroyed in their wickedness. They would not admit the truth explained in Orchot Tzadikim in its Sha’ar HaZechirah: The sun does every day as Hashem Yitbarach commands it, and if there would be one day that it did not rise and there would be darkness — how spectacular would this be in the eyes of the world! Or, if the waters of the sea overrun Hashem's boundary, they would destroy all the world! Or, if the ground would not give its produce and fruit, all the world would be dead! And now, see that all things do as His messengers, so how will man not be ashamed to accustom his limbs that were created to guard the Torah as he teaches and accustoms his limbs to violate the Torah?!
It seems that Dor HaMabul had not done Teshuvah since Noach had not devoted himself to them.
The Zohar (1:67b) says: HaKadosh Baruch Hu had told him that he and his children would be saved by the Teivah, as it is written, “And as for Me — Behold, I will bring the flood waters” (BeReishit 6:17). And it is written, “And I will blot out all existence that I have made from off the face of the earth” (BeReishit 7:4) and, “And I, behold I am setting up Beriti” (BeReishit 9:9) and, “And you will come to the Teivah” (BeReishit 6:18). Since He said to him that He would save him and his children, Noach did not pray for mercy on the world and they (Dor HaMabul) were destroyed. For this, the flood waters are named after him, as it says, “For as the waters of Noach is this to Me: As I have sworn never again to pass the waters of Noach over the earth” (Yishaya 54:9).
Masechet Berachot (10a) says: There were these hooligans in Rabbi Meir's neighborhood who caused him a great deal of anguish. Rabbi Meir prayed for mercy on them, that they should die. Berurya, his wife, said to him, “What is your thinking? Since it is written, “Let sins cease from the land” (Tehillim 104:35)? Is it written, “sinners?” “Sins” is written. Moreover, go to the end of the Passuk, “And the wicked will be no more” (ibid). Because they will stop sinning, “And the wicked will be no more.” Rather, pray for mercy on them, that they should do Teshuvah, “And the wicked will be no more” (ibid). He prayed for mercy on them, and they did Teshuvah.
The Mashal continues (Pirkei De’Rebbi Eliezer, ch. 34): And even from money that he loves, he cannot redeem himself, as it says, “He will not give G-d his ransom” (Tehillim 49:8). Why? “And costly is a redemption of their soul, and unattainable forever” (Tehillim 49:9). And he has his money fetched and says to it, “For you have I toiled very much by night and by day. I beg of you, redeem me from this death.” And it answers him, “And have you not heard, “Of no avail is wealth on the day of wrath” (Mishlei 11:4)?”
One should see his money only as a Nisayon and a means of performing Mitzvot. For one to forgo the fulfillment of Mitzvot — such as to read Shema and wear Tefillin — and thereby cast from himself the yoke of Heaven for his livelihood is vanity, as Rashi says on “Under the sun” (Kohelet 1:3): Instead of the Torah that is called “Light,” as it says, “And Torah is light” (Mishlei 6:23), all that labor which he does instead of the toil of Torah, what reward is in it? Rashi explains on (Chaggai 2:8) “The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine”: And it’s in My hand to bring it to whomever I desire.
Kli Yakar (VaYikra 14:34) says: There is no place for
stinginess, to think that “My strength and the might of
my hand accumulated for me this wealth” (Devarim 8:17).
In Tana Debei Eliyahu (Eliyahu Zuta, Chapter 14) Eliyahu HaNavi says: One time I was going from place to place, and I found one man who had in him no Mikrah and no Mishnah and would make fun of and scoff at things, and he came opposite me. And, I said to him, “My son, what answer will you give to your Father in Heaven on the Day of Judgment?” He said to me, “Rabbi, I have things that I would answer Him: ‘understanding and knowledge were not given to me from Heaven that I would read Mikrah and study Mishnah.’” I said to him, “My son, what is your occupation?” And, he said to me, “I am a trapper,” and I said to him, “My son, who taught you and said to you that you should bring linen threads, make nets, throw them to sea and raise fish out of the sea?” He said, “About this, they gave me understanding and knowledge from Heaven.” I said to him, “And what? To bring linen threads and to make nets and to throw to sea and to raise fish from the water, they gave you understanding and knowledge from Heaven, but for words of Torah, about which it is written ‘For the matter is close to you very much — in your mouth and in your heart to do it” (Devarim 30:14), they didn’t give you understanding and knowledge from Heaven?” He immediately began to raise his voice and weep and sigh. And I said to him, “My son, do not be upset; rather, all the rest of the sons of man in the world give this answer on this Inyan that they’re busy with, but their actions are rebuke on them; and on them and the like and those who do like their actions, what is written on them? Yishayah (19:9) says, “And those who work at flax to be combed and those who weave nets shall be ashamed.”
After this, he fetches his good deeds, and he says to them, “come and save me from this death and strengthen yourselves with me.” And they answer him, “go towards peace. Before you go, verily, we will go in advance of you, as it says (Yishayah 58:8), “and will walk before you Tzidkecha” (Pirkei De’Rebbi Eliezer, ch. 34).
Anaf Eitz Avot in its Hakdamah, brings a statement from the Arizal in Sha’ar HaGilgulim (Yerushalayim, 5628, p. 62b): “For a very small act in toiling in Torah and mitzvot in these generations is equivalent to many great mitzvot accomplished in previous generations. For in these generations, “the other side” is very overpowering, to the point of endlessness, and therefore, a small amount is considered a very large one.”
Midrash Tanchuma says on “Eileh Toledot Noach” (BeReishit 6:9): “Thus opened Rabbi Tanchuma son of Aba and said, “Fruit of a Tzadik is a tree of life, and a taker of souls is wise” (Mishlei 11:30). Said Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi, “in the hour that man is removed from the world without children, he grieves and weeps. HaKadosh Baruch Hu says to him, “why are you weeping? Because you didn’t raise fruit in this world, you have fruit better than children.” He says before Him, “Ribono Shel Olam, which fruit did I raise?” HaKadosh Baruch Hu says to him, “The Torah, concerning which it is written, “Fruit of a Tzadik is a Tree of Life” (Mishlei 11:30). ‘Children’, it does not say, rather, “Fruit of a Tzadik” (Mishlei 11:30). And, likewise, a man’s offspring — these are his good deeds. And, likewise, He says, “These are offspring of Noach, Noach — A Man, Tzadik, Tamim” (BeReishit 6:9).