5785/2024
In the week's Parashah, Parashat Noach, the Pasuk says וַיָּ֣בֹא נֹ֗חַ וּ֠בָנָ֠יו וְאִשְׁתּ֧וֹ וּנְשֵֽׁי־בָנָ֛יו אִתּ֖וֹ אֶל־הַתֵּבָ֑ה “מִפְּנֵ֖י מֵ֥י הַמַּבּֽוּל׃, “Noach came, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood (BeReishit 7:7).”
Rashi comments that Noach didn’t fully believe Hashem when He said that there would be a flood, so he only entered the Teiva when the Mabul started. However, the Torah mentions that Noach is a big Tzaddik, and it would make no sense to say that a big Tzaddik didn’t have full Emunah in Hashem, so how can Rashi suggest that Noach didn’t have faith in Hashem when he said that there will be a Mabul?!
Rav Yitzchak Kalish interprets Rashi in a different way. He stresses that the same words can be read differently, as follows: “Even Noach was a believer in those of little faith…” Noach was so sure that the people will do teshuvah that he didn’t need to believe that there would actually be a Mabul, because he thought that Hashem would accept their Teshuvah and annul his decree to destroy the world. Therefore, Noach “...didn’t enter the Ark until the waters forced him to.” It was only when Noach saw that the people didn’t do Teshuvah, that he was forced to board the Teivah. This teaches us the valuable lesson that we should always judge people favorably and believe that they will do the right thing.