IMREI SHEFER BY RABBI SHLOMO KLUGER
Noach
Imrei Shefer - Parshas Noach
   

In whose merit was Noach saved?

(6,9) “These are the generations of Noach, Noach was a righteous, perfect man in his generations; Noach walked with G-d.”

Chazal teach that even Noach himself was only saved in the merit of his descendants. To this we can add that Noach’s righteousness itself was only in the merit of his descendants. Because if Noach was a Tzaddik through his own merit his righteousness would have been ascribed to him. But he was not righteous entirely by himself, but rather Hashem helped him. Because Hashem sometimes helps a person against his evil inclination, as we see from the gemora in Yoma 22b which says: How little does he whom Hashem supports need to grieve or trouble himself.

Now, Chazal learned from the posuk “Noach walked with G-d” that Noach required Hashem’s support to uphold him in his righteousness. Therefore, it seems that if not for the merit of his descendants he would not have merited to be a Tzaddik. Because if was not within his power to be a Tzaddik without Hashem's help, why did he merit this help? Perforce, it was through the merit of the descendants that Hashem helped him to be a Tzaddik, so that through this the world could continue to exist.

This is what it says “These are the generations of Noach”, and therefore through them Noach merited to be “a righteous, perfect man in his generations”. Because in truth “Noach walked with G-d”, and he required support to uphold him in his righteousness, so how did he merit this support? It could only have been in the merit of his descendants.

Did Noach reprove his generation?

(6,9) “These are the generations of Noach, Noach was a righteous, perfect man in his generations; Noach walked with G-d.”

Another explanation of the phrase “these are the generations of Noach”, is according to Chazal who said that anyone who says that Shlomo HaMelech sinned is completely mistaken. So what does the posuk in Kings Ⅱ 11:6 “And Shlomo did evil in the eyes of Hashem” mean? Because he did not protest against his wives, the sins are ascribed to him. Here also, the commentaries explain the phrase “Noach walked with G-d”, that he was a Tzaddik between Hashem and himself, but between himself and his fellow man he was not a Tzaddik, and he did not protest their actions.

This is what the Torah is saying - “These”, that is, all the evil deeds that were mentioned earlier that the generation of the flood had done, they were all “the generations (deeds) of Noach, as if he had done them. But not that he had actually committed these sins, G-d forbid, but rather “Noach was a righteous, perfect man in his generations” - he himself was a Tzaddik. But since “Noach walked with G-d”, and he was a Tzaddik only between himself and Hashem, and did not protest against others, therefore all the deeds of his generation were ascribed to him, like Shlomo HaMelech.

Why did Noach only have three sons?

(6,10) “And Noach begot three sons: Shem, Cham, and Yefes.”

It seems to me that the matter of the three sons hints to what is written in the Midrash Eichah, concerning one who came from Athens to Yerushalayim and said that the children are the support of the house. That is, the children are called the pillars of the house. Now, Chazal said in Pirkei Avos, that the world stands on three things - Torah, Divine service and Loving kindness. Therefore, since the continued existence of the world came from Noach, Hashem gave as a sign these three sons, to hint to him that he will establish the whole world, and all the pillars of the world will be through him.

And therefore, Hashem gave him commands in connection with the ark, in order that he would be able to strengthen himself in the three pillars that the world stands upon. Rashi explained on the posuk “from the pure animals you shall take seven of each”, that from here we learn that Noach learned Torah, and this is the pillar of Torah. And that he took from these pure animals and offered sacrifices is the pillar of service. And that he sustained and provided for all the living creatures in the ark is the pillar of loving kindness.

This is what it means “these are the generations of Noach”, because really he was fitting to have more children, so why did he only have these three? Because “Noach was a righteous, perfect man in his generations. Noach walked with G-d”, and Hashem wanted that he will cause the continued existence of the three pillars upon which the world stands. And the words of the Ramban are well known, that the benefit of a sign that Hashem gives is because anything which is enacted on earth, symbolic of what has been decreed in the Heavens cannot be annulled, and no accusation of the Satan is effective against it. Therefore, Hashem gave him a sign and he gave birth to three sons, to allude to the three pillars that he will establish so that they will never in the future be annulled.

With this we can understand better that which Rashi explained “Noach walked with G-d”, that Noach needed to be supported, but it is not readily understood what the support was. But according to our words the sign of the three sons which Hashem gave to allude to the three pillars of the world, this itself is the support with which Noach was supported, because a sign is something which can never be annulled.

Why did Hashem wait to destroy the world?

(6,12) “And G-d saw the earth, and behold it had become destroyed, for all flesh had corrupted its way on the earth…And G-d said to Noach: The end of all flesh has come before Me.”

Why did the Torah first relate that Noach had three sons, and only afterwards write that “G-d saw the earth, and behold it was corrupted”? We can answer that Chazal taught that Noach was born barren, but his merit caused him to have children. And therefore as long as Noach had not given birth to children the world stood to be destroyed completely since they were all wicked. Granted if there were some tzaddikim, then Hashem would have preserved them and destroyed the wicked. But since they were all wicked, if so, they were all destined to be destroyed, and from whom could the world continue to exist? It could not be from Noach because he was barren. Therefore, Hashem made Himself as if He did not see.

But after Noach effected with his righteousness that he could have children, and after he had already begotten children, through them the world could continue to exist, and all the wicked could be destroyed. Therefore, at that time “G-d saw the earth, and it was destroyed”, because now it was as if the world was already destroyed, and it gives the reason for this, “because all flesh had corrupted its way on the earth”. Until Noach it had not been possible to destroy them, because the world would no longer exist, but once Noach begot children, then “G-d said to Noach: The end of all flesh has come before Me”, and all of them will be destroyed, and the world will continue to exist through you.

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