Expectations
Parshat Noach

In this week's Torah portion of Noach we read of the devastating flood that destroyed all of the earth and animals. The only ones saved were Noach, his wife Na'ama, their three sons Shem, Cham and Yafet and their spouses. Of course, two animals of each species and seven of the kosher animals were also brought onto the ark.

The Torah introduces Noach by stating (Bereishit 6:9) "  אלא תולדות נח, נח איש צדיק היה בדורותיו  - And these are the offspring of Noach-Noach was a Tzadik (a righteous man) in his generations".

Noach has the unique distinction of being just about the only human being ever called a Tzadik in the Torah, and yet our sages profoundly disagree on his level of righteousness. Rashi (France 1040-1105 France) brings the famous Midrash Tanchuma which says "Some rabbis praised Noach, saying that he was truly righteous and had he lived in the generation of Avraham, he would have been even more righteous. Other rabbis denigrated Noach saying, he was only righteous in his generation, because everyone else was wicked, but had he lived in Avraham's generation he would have been considered just average".

The obvious question is, why can't we just let it be? Why can't we be happy for Noach and his accomplishments? Why tarnish his reputation, especially if the Torah refers to him by the special adjective - a Tzadik?!

Many commentaries explain that Noach is held to task for not advocating for his generation and pleading for their redemption and forgiveness. Both Avraham and Moshe were told that others will perish and they both advocate and plead with Hashem to spare the sinners. For this reason, Noach is seen negatively, as he should have done more to help those around him.

Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov (Israel 1912-1976) explains in his Sefer Haparshiyos that each generation must be judged by its own generation and time. It would be simply unfair to judge people based on another time, place and circumstance.

Perhaps there is a deeper lesson for us in how we view our children. Too often, we judge our children based on the accomplishments of their peers, siblings and our own reality. We essentially are judging them, not in the "generation" they live in, but based on others expectations, standards and social norms. Perhaps the Torah is sharing with us that every child must be evaluated based on their own reality, abilities and challenges.

This is then the meaning of " בדורותיו - in his generations". Yes, maybe compared to others, Noach was diminished, but based on his generation, his reality and circumstance, and his challenges, he was indeed a wonderful Tzadik.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Y. Marrus