Rabbi Frand on Parshas Noach
These divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Tapes on the weekly portion: Tape # 165,Euthanasia. Good Shabbos!
Unchecked Pursuit of Pleasure Leads to Worse Things
The Medrash says, "Had Iyov only come to explain the incident of the Flood,
that would have been sufficient." According to our Sages there are many
verses in the book of Job that refer to the sins of the generation of the
Flood.
For example, the verse in Iyov [24:18] says, "He is light upon the face of
the water, their portion in the earth is cursed, he does not turn by way of
the vineyards." The Medrash relates this verse to the sin of the generation
of the flood: They were cursed that they should perish in water. Why? The
Medrash tells us that they were cursed because they lived with their wives
not for procreation or for their wives' sake, but only for their own pleasure.
The Medrash in fact already alludes to this in last week's parsha. "The
custom of that generation was to take two wives, one for having children
and one for pleasure. The one taken for having children would sit ugly and
neglected like a living widow; the one taken for pleasure would be
sterilized and would sit by him, made up with cosmetics like a harlot."
There are two things that require understanding. First, while this is
certainly a terrible practice, it is also not the worst of crimes. We all
know cases of domestic violence and abuse, things much worse than these.
There are hosts of crimes and perversions which we would consider more vile
and worthy of destruction. As we know, there are many people today who live
for worldly pleasures, neglecting their spouses and families. They aren't
nice people. But are they the worst criminals which society has to offer?
Furthermore, what does the Medrash do with the literal interpretation of the
verses? The verses themselves tell us what happened to the generation of the
flood and why they were punished. "The earth was decadent before G-d, the
land was filled with violence." [Bereshis 6:11]. The Torah tells us that
there was so much perversion that it even affected the animals.
This is a whole different story. We can understand sending a Flood to
destroy the world for that reason. We can understand such an extreme
punishment for decadence, perversion, theft and violence. However, the
Medrash tells us that their problem was that they lived with their wives
for the purpose of their own pleasure. How can one understand this
discrepancy?
The explanation is that the Medrash is not contradicting the verses. The
Medrash is speaking of root causes. The verses are speaking of the eventual
effect. How is a Generation of the Flood produced? How did they wind up so
decadent and perverted that they were deserving of destruction? Our Sages
tell us it comes from a philosophy of life that says, "Have a good time".
If the pursuit of pleasure goes unchecked, it will eventually deteriorate
into a Generation of the Flood. One thousand five hundred years earlier,
when Lemech took two wives -- one for children and one for pleasure -- that
was not the absolute worst of crimes. But, it was a philosophy of life.
"Eat, Drink, be Merry, have a good time, and enjoy yourself; self-
gratification, live-for-today." When people pursue pleasure with a
vengeance, it eventually gives way to "the land became corrupted before the
L-rd".
One has to go no further than to look at society today to discover what
happens to a culture that is only interested in pleasure and self-
gratification, in enjoying the moment -- whether it be with passions of the
heart, with alcohol, with drugs, or whatever provides a 'good time' right now.
Noah's Failure to Learn the Lesson of the Flood
With this idea, we can understand a teaching of the Rabbis at the end of the
parsha. The verse tells us [Bereshis 9:20] "And Noach, the man of the earth,
profaned himself and planted a vineyard." The Sages comment that Noach went
from being a "righteous and perfect man in his generation" [6:9] to being a
"man of the earth", an ordinary farmer.
This is contrasted with Moshe who starts out as being called "an Egyptian
man" [Shmos 2:19] and ends up by being called a "Man of G-d" [Devorim 33:1].
Noach was not able to maintain his stature. He went in the other direction -
- starting out as being called a righteous man and ending up by being called
a man of the earth.
What was his terrible crime? Why did he fall so much in the eyes of G-d?
Because he planted a vineyard.
So what is his terrible crime? True, he should have planted wheat; he should
have planted string beans, because they are more of a necessity of life. But
for that the Torah castigates him that he "profaned himself" (va'Yachal
Noach)?
The answer is that Noach failed to learn the lesson of the Flood. Why did
the Flood come about? How did it all start? The root cause was that people
were into pleasure. What is the first thing one should NOT DO, after a
Flood? Seek out pleasures.
Noach chose to plant a vineyard, to plant wine, something he could have
lived without. Wine can be wonderful, but it is just for pleasure.
This is precisely the lesson he failed to learn and that is how Noach
profaned himself.
How did Noach make such a blunder? Noach was a Tzadik. Why did he plant a
vineyard? The answer is because we have our Sages to point out the root
causes of the evil in the Generation of the Flood. Noach's mistake was to
only look at the results and to fail to see the cause. Had he realized that
the root cause of the behavior of that generation was the tendency to pursue
pleasure, he would never have planted a vineyard. He was smarter than that.
He was a bigger Tzadik than that.
His problem was -- as is so often the problem -- that he looked at symptoms
and failed to see the disease. We, too, look at outcomes and don't look at
causes. This is not a sin of malice or disregard, but a sin of failure to
recognize underlying causes.
The underlying cause of the sin of the generation of the flood was not
initial decadence. It was a philosophy of "Have a Good Time". That is what
Noach failed to see. He looked at the bottom line, rather than at the whole
picture.
The Role of Bricks In The Rebellion Against G-d
At the end of the parsha, the Torah tells us of the incident of the
Generation of Dispersion (Dor haHaflaga). We all know the story -- they
built a tower that reached into the sky. The Torah describes their dialog
[11:3] "They said to one another, 'Come, let us make bricks and burn them in
fire.' And the brick served them as stone, and the lime served them as
mortar."
Rash"i tells us a novel fact -- "In Babylonia there were no stones..." This
is what the Torah is telling us, because there were no rocks, they made
bricks.
The next thing we find after they made the bricks is [11:4] "Come, let us
build a city and a tower with its top in the heavens..." In other words, the
flow of the verses is (a) we make bricks; (b) we build a tower and challenge
G-d.
What is the significance of the making of bricks in connection with the
rebellion against G-d? Why does the Torah have to mention this fact? Why is
this the crucial introduction to the rebellion?
Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, zt"l, once explained the matter: The Generation
of Dispersion became enamored with technology. Imagine -- bricks in
Babylonia -- it was a revolution that at least rivaled the FAX machine!
There were no stones, how could one build? Some guy came up with a
brainstorm -- one can take mud, bake it, and he has a brick! It was
unbelievable. He patented it. He made a fortune. It was a revolution!
Technology! "Ah -- what man can't come up with." What is the next step after
one becomes enamored with technology? A person starts to think, "my strength
and the power of my hand made me all this wealth" [Devorim 8:17]. A person
thinks that the sky is the limit -- literally.
That is the message of this parsha. They became so intoxicated with their
ingenuity and they were so overwhelmed with their own intelligence -- for
inventing bricks that they said, "Who needs G-d anyway? We are in control.
Let us build and make for us a name."
Two weeks ago [1989] there was a horrible earthquake in San Francisco.
Whether people called it nature or whether they were a little more religious
and called it G-d, everyone's reaction was that such an event was a humbling
experience. In spite of the FAX machines and in spite of the computers and
in spite of all that we can do, a man is a man and he is here today and gone
tomorrow.
There is no such thing as "Let us make for ourselves a name." We live here
by the Grace of G-d. Sometimes it takes an earthquake to make us realize
what we are and what significance we play on this planet. It is an old
mistake. It is a mistake that goes back as far as the Generation of the
Dispersion.
Someone told me that he once had a kidney stone. This is an excruciatingly
painful experience. He could not pray, he could not talk, he could not eat,
and he could not find his place. He literally could not exist. Finally he
passed the stone. The Doctor showed him the stone. It was the fraction of
the size of a raisin. This little spec of sand made him a non-functional
person. "...For if one of them becomes opened or one of them becomes
closed, it is impossible for us to stand and exist before you..." [From the
Asher Yatzar prayer, said after using the bathroom].
There is a urologist here in Baltimore who has a plaque in his office. On
that plaque is the Asher Yatzar prayer. This is no joke. We don't need an
earthquake, we don't need a highway to collapse or the [Chesapeake] Bay
Bridge to fall to pieces. One needs only a speck of sand to remember who we
are and how fragile life is. In spite of 'let us build bricks' and all the
other modern technologies, a man is a man and he lives by G-d's Grace.
Glossary
Tzadik-- righteous person
Asher Yatzar prayer -- (literally Who Creates), Blessing recited after using
the bathroom, which praises the Divine Providence
inherent in our bodily functions.d
Sources and Personalities
Rash"i-- (1040-1105) Rav Shlomo ben Yitzchak; Troyes and Worms, France.
Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld -- (1849-1932) Rav of the Old Yishuv, Jerusalem.
This week's write-up is adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi
Yissochar Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Torah Tapes on the weekly Torah
portion (#252). The corresponding halachic portion for this tape is:
Buying Seforim. The other halachic portions for Parshas Nitzavim and/or
VaYelech from the Commuter Chavrusah Series are:
Also Available: Mesorah / Artscroll has published a collection
of Rabbi Frand's essays. The book is entitled:
and is available through your local Hebrew book store or from
Project Genesis, 1-410-654-1799.
