Parashat Noah tells the well-known story of the flood which G-d brought upon the world to destroy all of mankind, sparing only Noah and his family.
The previous Parasha, Parashat Bereshit, concludes by telling us that as the rest of the world became wicked and immoral, “Noah found favor in the eyes of G-d” (Bereshit 6:8). Rav Moshe Alshich (Tzefat, 1508-1593) finds it significant that when the Torah speaks of Noah earning G-d’s grace, it refers to G-d with the Name of “Havaya,” which signifies G-d’s attribute of kindness and compassion. The implication of the verse, the Alshich explains, is that Noah did not truly deserve G-d’s grace, and it was only because of G-d’s great mercy that Noah was judged favorably and spared.
The reason why Noah did not truly deserve to be saved, the Alshich writes, is found in the opening verse of Parashat Noah. There we are told, “Et Ha’Elokim Hit’halech Noah” – “Noah walked with G-d.” Meaning, Noah acted righteously, but he remained “with G-d.” He did not go out to the people in an attempt to influence and uplift them. He focused only on his own piety, his own spiritual achievements, without expending efforts to make an impact on his contemporaries. It was thus only through G-d’s kindness and compassion that he was spared.
Indeed, as the Alshich cites, the Midrash (Bereshit Rabba 30:10) notes that in this same verse, the Torah describes Noah as having been righteous “Be’dorotav” – “in his generations.” Noah was righteous only by the standards of his time; had he lived in the times of Moshe or Shmuel, the Midrash comments, he would not have been considered righteous. The Alshich explains that both Moshe and Shmuel worked tirelessly to teach and guide. The Torah in Parashat Yitro (Shemot 18:13) tells that Moshe spent his days with the people, who brought their questions and disputes to him to resolve. And in the Book of Shmuel I (7:16-17), we read that each year, Shmuel would travel throughout the country to offer guidance and instruction. The Alshich writes that Noah did neither. The people did not come to him, and he did not reach out to the people. He was righteous only “Et Ha’Elokim,” with regard to his own relationship with Hashem, without trying to make an impact on others.
The Alshich adds that this is why G-d decided that Noah would be saved specifically by spending a year in an ark. This was a dreadful ordeal, as Noah remained trapped for twelve months, unable to leave, and even unable to sleep, as he was responsible for feeding the animals, who eat at different times. In fact, the Midrash compares the ark to a “prison.” The Alshich writes that the year Noah spent in the ark parallels the twelve months that the wicked spend receiving their due punishment in Gehinam. G-d alludes to this aspect of the ark in His command that Noah plaster the ark’s interior and exterior with tar: “Ve’chafarta” (6:14). This word means “cover,” but also alludes to “Kapara” – atonement. The suffering Noah endured throughout the period spent in the ark served not only to protect him and his family from the flood, but also to atone for his failure to reach out to the people of his generation.
We are here not only to serve G-d ourselves, but also to try to make an impact, to influence and inspire the people around us, to do our part in leading the entire world to the belief in Hashem and to the fulfillment of His will.