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NoachPublished: 30/Oct/08 |
Parshat Noach
For I have said: “For ever is mercy built”
Rav Yedidya Lavi, Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav
“And G-d said unto Noach: 'The end of all flesh is come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth' (Bereishit 6:13). What were the sins of the generation of the flood?
A number of sins can be found in one of the verses mentioned in this week's weekly Torah portion, Parshat Noach. Firstly: “And the earth was corrupt before G-d” (Bereishit 6:11) and secondly: “And the earth was filled with violence” (Bereishit 6:11). Our Sages explain that the use of the Hebrew word “Hashchtah”, corruption, in the text implies the sins of forbidden sexual relations and idol worship and the use of the Hebrew word “Chamas”, violence, in the text refers to the sin of plunder and it is these transgressions with which the generation of the flood sinned. On the face of it, it would appear that such a severe punishment was decreed over the people due to the prohibition of forbidden sexual relationships and idol worship, which are more serious than plunder.
However, our Sages teach us differently - Tractate Sanhedrin (08a): “And G-d said unto Noach: 'The end of all flesh is come before Me'”, Rabbi Yochanan says: “Pay attention to just how great the power of violence is after all did not the generation of the flood commit every transgression possible without receiving judgement until they plundered, as it says: “For the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth”. The source of this fact is in the verses themselves since after the Torah says: “And the earth was corrupt before G-d” and “And the earth was filled with violence” (plunder) it continues with the Almighty's words to Noach in which He explains to Noach that his decision to bring the flood was actually as a result of the sin of plunder: “For the earth is filled with violence through them ... I will destroy them with the earth”.
Rabenu Bechaye also wrote as follows: “The reason is because the prohibition of plundering is a rational one, for if the Torah had not been given mankind would have instituted it through his rational intellect and the axiom is that a person does not have anything to do with his neighbour's property”. The Ramban states a similar idea adding: “The reason is because it is not necessary for a prophet to warn them because it is a rational law; moreover, it is evil to Heaven and mankind”.
It would seem that the sin of plunder or robbery is considered to be so severe since it goes against everything on which the world exists.
The famous Mishnah in Pirkei Avot (1:2) teaches us the following: Shimon HaTzadik, one of the ministers in the Great Assembly (the supreme council during the period of the Second Temple), used to say that the world is sustained by three things, namely the Torah, worship and good deeds”. In his commentary on the Mishnah Rabenu Yonah explains that by “he used to say that on three things ...' he was implying that the world was created for these things, since further on in the Mishnah (Mishnah 18) he says that the world exists on three things and he does not mention the ones that are mentioned here, therefore one needs to understand that he intended to say that the world was created for them as they are what the Almighty desires ... (these three things are like a large pillar for which one will attain all the things which our Sages of blessed memory said that the world stands for)”. The words imply that charity (mercy) is one of the foundations of the world and the world cannot exist without it just as it cannot exist without Torah and worship, and these things cannot exists when the world is full of violence and plunder, and when this is the case then: “And behold, I will destroy them with the earth” (Bereishit 6:13). The generation of the flood's sentence was actually decreed because of something which negates one of the essential principles on which the world exists. It is not possible for the world to be full of robbery and violence and continue to exist as usual, so therefore when the people indulged in plunder they were sentenced with destruction.
In Tehillim, King David z”l says: “For I have said: “For ever is mercy built” (89:3); the Midrash explains this verse by saying that: “They told to Eitan on what the world is sustained and he said to them: 'For I have said: “For ever is mercy built “. Everything in the world is based on the quality of loving kindness (mercy) and as has already been said the world cannot exist without this quality.
The Midrash explains that Noach and his sons were saved because they had the virtue and quality of loving kindness or mercy. The Midrash says (Yalkut Shimoni Tehillim Mizmor 37): “ ... [A Psalm] of David: Fret not thyself because of evil doers, neither be thou envious against them that work unrighteousness” (Tehillim 37, 1) – that is do not let your heart be envious (zealous) with sins and let your heart be envious (zealous) with fearing G-d throughout the day ... for had Avraham been envious he would not have received the Heaven and the Land when he said to Malki Tzedek (Malki Tzedek, King of Shalem, was Shem the son of Noach – according to the Gemara in Nedarim 32b) how did you come out of the ark, he said to him “through the charity which we did there”, and he said to him “And what charity did you do in the ark as there was no one else in the ark except for Noach and his sons so for whom did you do the charity”, he answered him “With the beasts and the animals and the birds, we would not sleep but give [care], to this one or that one”, at that moment Avraham said had it not been for the fact that they were charitable to the beasts, animals and birds they would not have come out and since they were charitable they came out, then if I will behave in this way towards mankind who were formed in the image of the Almighty then how much more so; at that moment “And Avraham planted a tamarisk-tree in Be'er Sheva” (Bereishit 21:33) - food, drink and lodgings”.
This is exactly the reason why Noach and his sons were merited with being saved during the time when the generation was judged with destruction for committing the transgression of plunder; by virtue of the kindness and charity, for had it not been for the charity which they showed whilst in the ark they would not have merited coming out from it. The world continues to stand and exist as a result of those people who are accustomed with behaving with the quality of loving kindness, differing from everyone else in their generation. The Midrash continues by describing how Avraham, our father, the greatest righteous person, how he learnt this attribute from them and from the Almighty's virtue for saving the righteous people.
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Sefer Torah Dedication
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Book of the Month
From the Book of the Month club – proudly brought to you by World Mizrachi & Urim Publications:
For the Love of Israel and the Jewish People: Essays and Studies on Israel, Jews and Judaism: http://www.urimpublications.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=UP&Product_Code=LoveOfIsrael&Category_Code=aaa
Covenantal Imperatives: Essays by Walter S Wurzburger on Jewish Law, Thought and Community:
