Noach: Reflection on Feeling Useless at a Time of Crisis

By Zachary Fish

Useless.

This is one of the many complex contradictory confusing emotions I have been grappling with since Simchas Torah.

It both hurts and bothers me knowing what my brothers and sisters are going through in our Home, while I comfortably continue living my same privileged American lifestyle.

It is exactly because of this sentiment experienced by so many that the message of almost every divrei chizuk in the States is that war is not only fought on a physical level, but also the spiritual level, and therefore we too are a part of this war. “עֹֽמְדוֹת הָי֣וּ רַגְלֵ֑ינוּ בִּ֜שְׁעָרַ֗יִךְ יְרֽוּשָׁלִָֽם” has been ringing through our shuls and Yeshivas.

It is very understandable why this has become the de-facto message; it allows those who are not physically able to join the war effort to realize and appreciate that we can still help Am Yisrael. However, on a personal level, it is an idea that I am still struggling to feel in my core and live as reality. Even though I know it to be true intellectually, I am still grappling with it emotionally.

I think the best way to help with this internal struggle is to continuously work on it by adding depth of understanding until it is so ingrained within us that we see it to be objectively true the same way we see the sky to be objectively blue. So, I would like to share an idea, a Rambam, that I have been reflecting on that I hope can help us internalize the important yesod of the moment.

The Rambam (Teshuva 3:4) writes that one should always view he and the entire world as equally balanced between merit and sin. If he does one mitzva the scales are titled to the side of the merit, but if he sins the scales are tilled to the side of sin, and he will bring destruction to himself and the world.

We usually relate to this Rambam as motivation for our own personal teshuva process. It helps us realize the potential danger at hand so that we appreciate the importance of acting properly. Essentially, this helps provide motivation to change ourselves. However, I believe that at this time we can relate to this Rambam in the opposite direction: as motivation that we can change the world. We have just gone through the teshuva process and have been cleaned by the Aseres Yemai Teshuva, but now the world is the one that needs fixing. Now to bring about global redemption, we must realize that this power lies in each individual’s actions. Any one action can bring Hatzalah to the world.

Parshas Noach uniquely reinforces this message. We see this week how much Hashem cares about just one single person. Among all the evil that is taking place in the world by the multitudes, Hashem cares for and creates miracles for an individual based on the merits of his actions. One might have said “He’s just one man” but to Hashem there is no room for “just” because he’s one man! As the Mishna in Sanhedrin states, one man is a whole word, and therefore he can change the whole world.

As the Kotzker Rebbe said a person should have a piece of paper in each of his pockets On one it should be written, “The world was created (just) for me”. On the other, “I am (originated from only) dust and ashes”. The trick in life, says the Rebbe is to know when to take out which piece of paper!

Now is the time to take out “The world was created (just) for me.”

However, there is potentially a slight danger in over emphasizing this message. If this idea is internalized in the wrong way it can very easily lead one to believe that if he continues to be an overall religious person who does good things, he is doing enough.

Here too Noach too may be able provide insight.

One of the most confusing aspects of this week’s Parsha is Noach himself. Chazal cannot seem to decide whether he is a completely righteous individual, or someone that was just good compared to the complete evil and pervasion around him. Additionally, for some reason Chazal, in numerous places, compare Noach to Avraham. Why do they keep doing this? Why are they specifically comparing him to Avraham? Most strange of all is that the opening pasuk calls him a Tzadik, so why is there such controversy to begin with!?

The answer may lie in another adjective the Torah uses to describe Noach: tamim. Is this not superfluous after we already called him a Tzadik? It is important to investigate what tamim means. Rashi in Shoftim (18:13), on the pasuk of תָּמִים תִּהְיֶה עִם ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ defines temimus as follows:

הִתְהַלֵּךְ עִמּוֹ בִתְמִימוּת, וּתְצַפֶּה לוֹ, וְלֹא תַחֲקֹר אַחַר הָעֲתִידוֹת, אֶלָּא כָּל מַה שֶּׁיָּבֹא עָלֶיךָ קַבֵּל בִּתְמִימוּת וְאָז תִּהְיֶה עִמּוֹ וּלְחֶלְקוֹ:

Walk before him whole-heartedly, put thy hope in Him and do not attempt to investigate the future, but whatever it may be that comes upon thee accept it whole-heartedly, and then thou shalt be with Him and become His portion

To be a tam is to be someone that accepts that everything is from Hashem and therefore doesn’t question anything, an amazing midda! This is exactly what Noach did when Hashem told him about the destruction that was about to take place. He didn’t lose faith and he just continued to do what he had to do.

However, the Zohar critiques Noach for this exact behavior. The Zohar contrasts Avraham, Moshe and the Tzadikim of Am Yisrael, who daven and do everything in their power to stop people from being annihilated by Hashem, to Noach who merely accepted the judgment of the mabul without hesitation. With the understating of Rashi above, the Zohar is essentially critiquing Noach for being too tamim.

Similarly, the Sforno (6:8) explains that the shortcoming of Noach was that while on a personal level he was a Tzadik, he didn’t do anything to help others, to be mekarev them, to help them change their ways. This can stem from the same midda, the inability to see the possibility of change and just accepting the reality as it is.

This perspective brings to light a new appreciation of the pasuk. Maybe when the Torah calls Noach tamim that is not only an aspect his tzidkus, but also a shortcoming of it. Yes, he was a Tzadik, but too tamim. He was not the same type of Tzadik as Avraham Avinu.

Additionally, maybe we could see this in his name itself: נח, rest, not actively moving or changing.

This also explains why he is always compared to Avraham. Avraham epitomizes the opposite midda. He was someone who was always looking to help people, change them, change himself, and change the reality around him for the better. He was even willing to “argue” with Hashem, an incredible concept.

I think this adds a new layer to our Avodah at this time. While we must appreciate the power that our mitzvos have in fighting this war against evil, we also must prevent this from lulling us into complacency. We need to constantly be looking to do more and to be constantly looking to fight the status quo, in both the spiritual and physical realm.

It is appropriate to hold on to this feeling of needing to do more. Or at least to be keeping ourselves open for opportunities to do more.

Outside the spiritual realm it bothers me every day that maybe I could be doing something more. Is there some program that needs to get started? Should I be volunteering for an organization? Of course, we have numerous great opportunities, like tzedakah, being mechazek those in Israel with warm messages, and volunteering for organizations and initiatives already in place, but I wonder where the best place is to put one’s energy and if there is more that needs to be done. I also wonder what the balance is between fighting the physical war and the spiritual war. Is it better to add a seder of learning or to volunteer for an organization physically helping those in Israel? I am not sure, and it is probably something that needs the consultation of a Rebbe, but I bring these questions up because I think they are important to think about and they should bother you.

I am frightened about the possibility that after some of the initial shock numbs that I will just accept the fact that we are in a time of war and not feeling a drive to do anything about it.

Bezrat Hashem, I hope, our davening, learning, mitvos, and maasim tovim can help bring geulah.