by Rabbi Shlomo Goldberg

Al Pi Darko - According to His Way
Insights into Chinuch from the Weekly Sedra

At the beginning of this week's Torah portion, Rashi quotes the famous disagreement of early rabbinic sages (Chazal) as to the extent of the righteousness of Noach. Was Noach, in fact a perfectly righteous person, a tzadik tamim, or was he only righteous b'dorotav, in his generation, i.e., had he lived in the generation of Avraham Avinu (our father, Abraham), he would not have been deserving of any special recognition? Rashi does not take sides in this disagreement, but Rav Ovadia Seforno most definitely does.

The Seforno (Bereshis 6:8) explains that Noach survived the flood not because he was deserving, but only because HaShem, so to speak, did him a favor. Even though the Seforno conceded that Noach was indeed a perfect tzadik in both his intellect and his deeds, his fault lay in his desire to use his righteousness to gain only his own personal perfection. Therefore, he merited to save only himself and his family, for "the tzadik who desires to perfect himself alone, is fit to save only himself alone."

The Seforno's penetrating criticism of Noach's selfish attachment to Torah seems to stand in conflict with Chazal's teaching that for the time that Noach was building the ark, he was attempting to warn his generation about the impending destruction of the world and to inspire them to do teshuva (repentence). For this the Seforno also has a criticism. Although he admits that Noach did attempt to reprove his generation, he faults him for doing so by "criticizing their actions as destructive to the environment and the building of society, but he did not teach them to know the Al-mighty and to follow in His ways." In other words, Noach couched his reproof of his generation in secular humanist terms that improper living will cause a destruction of the ozone layer and thievery will render it impossible to create an ordered and structured society. Evidently, the Seforno feels that although such an approach is palatable to secular tastes, it does nothing to perfect or change a person. Only by teaching that morality is decreed by G-d on high, and that only by imitating His ways to the extent that we are able can we acquire perfection of character, can we hope that our educational efforts will in fact change people. The Seforno concludes that if one is concerned with the true perfection of others, then he can save others, for HaShem will then give them time to do true teshuva, since there is a tzadik in the generation exhorting them to do so.

Thus, there seem to be two qualifications to be a "perfect tzadik". First, one must be concerned with the spiritual perfection of others. Second, he must do so by teaching of the ways of Hashem, and not by secular approaches. If the exhortation to do good is only for social or environmental benefit, then it still remains a basically selfish motivation. One's personal view of what is the best for society in scientific or sociological terms will reign supreme. Unfortunately we have seen, and continue to see daily, that world leaders have very warped views as to what is considered the best for society. Only by subjugating our opinions to the desire of the Al-mighty can our actions gain the accuracy and consistency required of true righteousness. As the Rambam states in Hilchos Teshuva, (the Laws of Teshuva) the definition of love of G-d is the ability to do what is true, because it is true, and for no other motive.

Such was the path of Avraham Avinu. He succeeded in saving not only his family, but brought tens of thousands of people to a knowledge of HaShem, not through polemics or politics, but by following the ways of HaShem through abundant and abiding chessed (kindness). Therefore, he and Sarah are seen as true partners of HaShem in creation, as the Torah states, hanefesh asher asu beCharan, the souls that they made in Haran. This is true righteousness, which serves all of humanity.

Therefore, Chazal tell us that we should not read b'nayich, "your children," but rather bonayich, "your builders" (in Isaiah 54:13). For if our children are to be true limudei Hashem, students of HaShem, then they must be builders as well, concerned not only with themselves and their own growth, but always motivated by the notion that the Torah they are learning will one day be communicated to others. Rav Aharon Kotler, ztz''l stated that since HaShem decrees a person's material success on Rosh HaShana, when we do chessed in material terms, we are really just seeing to it that a person gets what he has already been promised. If it doesn't come through us, it will come from elsewhere. But in the world of the spirit, we say that fear of HaShem, choosing to use our free will correctly, is totally in our own hands, out of G-d's control. Therefore, true chessed is a spiritual chessed, for if one can bring his friend to a greater knowledge of Hashem in life, then he has given him something which he never would have otherwise obtained.

Rav Simcha Wasserman, ztz''l, was fond of saying that the reason that Noach planted a vineyard when he exited the ark, was because the sight of the total destruction of the world was so depressing that he felt that he needed a drink - quite an understandable feeling under the circumstances. However, Rav Simcha, said, when one has been saved from destruction, he must realize that there is no time for self-pity and remorse. If one has been saved he must realize that he has been saved for a purpose. If others have perished and he is still alive, then he must begin to build. Therefore, Noach should not have planted a vineyard in which to drown his sorrows, he should have planted wheat, planning on building for the future.

The virtue of Avraham over Noach lies in the knowledge that successful chinuch, education, must include the message that we need to live spiritually with others in mind, and that "tikun olom"(the human responsibility to contribute towards reparation of the world) can be achieved only by bringing others to know and to love Hashem.

Parsha-Parenting, Copyright (c) 1999 by Rabbi Shlomo Goldberg and Project Genesis, Inc. Rabbi Goldberg is the menahel (spiritual advisor) of Yeshivas Ohr Eliyahu, and a highly acclaimed and popular speaker in Los Angeles.