By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel
CHULA VISTA, California —These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfecta in his generations, and Noah walked with God (Gen 6:9).
אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת נֹחַ נֹחַ אִישׁ צַדִּיק תָּמִים הָיָה בְּדֹרֹתָיו אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִים הִתְהַלֶּךְ־נֹחַ (Gen 6:9 )
in his generation – What is signified by “perfect in his generation”? R. Yochanan said: “In his generation, but not in others.” Resh Lakish said: “In his generation, and most assuredly in others” (BT Sanhedrin 108a).
Webster defined righteousness as:
a. [OE. rightways, rightwise, AS. rightwīs; riht right + wīs wise, having wisdom, prudent. Doing, or according with, that which is right; yielding to all their due; just; equitable; especially, free from wrong, guilt, or sin; holy; as, a righteous man or act; a righteous retribution (Webster’s 1913 Unabridged English Dictionary).
These nuances certainly color the way we read the famous biblical story concerning Noah: These are the descendants of Noah. Noah, a righteous man and blameless in that age. We ought to ask ourselves: What constitutes “righteousness”? Indeed, other biblical translations prefer translating צַדִּיק; (tsadik) as “a good man,” or “a person of integrity.”
One of the questions that intrigued Jewish moralists in the Hassidic tradition dealt with the definition of a “tsadik” – a “righteous man.” Some Hassidic thinkers of the 18th century think that a צַדִּיק; (tsadik) is someone who has no evil in him whatsoever, and that his character has been completely transformed to goodness as an act of grace by God.[1] Such an interpretation is erroneous. The translation “righteous man” (צַדִּיק; = tsaddîq) should not be confused with the term “pious.” Rather, a צַדִּיק is someone whose behavior is wholly given over to the pursuit of צֶדֶק truth and integrity, without any partiality (Lev. 19:15). Such a person avoids commercial fraud and deception (Lev. 19:36). The צַדִּיק is one who truly does not deviate from the ethical in all of his or her personal relationships.
The meaning of righteousness as integrity and equity was already defined by Webster. Unfortunately, many modern readers tend to define righteousness as piety. Consequently, we no longer think that being righteous is for everyone. Only exceptional people are “righteous.” Such a narrow view of righteous is one of the most obvious reasons why people never aspire to achieve this goal. In reality, righteousness has everything to do with equity, fairness, and most importantly–integrity.
The Midrashic Debate
Midrashic tradition loves comparing the great heroes of the Bible. After the verse states that Noah was a righteous man in his generation, the Sages began to debate: Who was a greater righteous man? Noah or Abraham? Did Noah’s piety and righteousness equal Abraham’s righteous character? Rashi observes that the verse plainly states that Noah was righteous in his generation—i.e., relative to his generation. Had he lived in Abraham’s generation, he would have paled in comparison.
Ibn Ezra (1089–1164) refutes the second opinion of the Midrash that Rashi quotes and notes that had Noah been righteous only in his own generation, the verse would have said “in his generation,” but the plural form is purposely used to show that Noah’s righteousness was a standard for all generations—even Abraham’s. More importantly, Noah and Abram’s lifespans overlap one another by 58 years! The ages mentioned in 11:10-26, state that Abram was born 292 years after the Flood. Support for Ibn Ezra’s opinion may be found in the Seder Olam Rabbah(ca. second century) chronology (ch. 1), Shem sires Arpachshad two years after the Flood (11:10)[2], from Arpachshad to Abram’s birth are 290 years, thus Abram was 58 years old when Noah dies; as mentioned previously, Noah has the numerical value of 58! Ibn Ezra’s interpretation also refutes Rashi’s unsubstantiated assertion that, “Had Noah lived in the generation of Abraham he would have been accounted as of no importance.” If anything, the Torah honors Noah by making Abram his successor.
Some ancient pre-Midrashic traditions portray Noah as a preacher of God. According to theSibylline Oracles (ca. 1st century B.C.E.), the ancient author portrays Noah as a righteous preacher, who attempted to warn his generation about the coming deluge. He would tell them, “You faithless men are smitten with great madness and what you have done will not escape the notice of God!”[3] Midrash Tanchuma 28 also depicts Noah as a preacher of his time, as Rashi notes, “Why did God burden Noah with the construction of the ark? God beckoned him to build for 120 years so that he would interact with the people of his time, who would ask him, ‘Why are you bothering with building an ark?’ Noah answered ‘God is planning to bring a flood upon the world . . .’ Perhaps you should repent.’”
Noah’s Integrity
Despite his integrity, Noah fails to bring about a moral change in his generation. Given the imitative nature of people, it is to Noah’s credit that he stands steadfast in his commitment to living the ethical and just life. He refuses to learn from their poor example. Such an accomplishment is more uncommon than one might think. Imagine a man trying to pull a heavy weight by a rope from the ground to the top of an upper floor, and prankster comes by; he tries to divert worker’s attention so that the heavy load will drop. Consequently, Rashi notes that Noah, “required extra strength.” Abraham’s generation did not have many reprobates, and in this sense, their sinfulness was far more benign when compared to the people of Noah’s era. Ultimately, the measure of a great person is relative to the people of one’s era.
To use a modern illustration, the situation of Noah’s era was akin to trying to find tolerant Palestinians who are sincerely interested in creating a peaceful and just society that obeys the rule of law, and wishes to co-exist peacefully with the State of Israel. Unfortunately, such individuals are literally an endangered species. When moral voices speak up and criticize the status quo, these courageous individuals risk not only their own lives but also the lives of their immediate families as well. Not every Palestinian is a terrorist. Some brave Palestinians wish to bring healing to both nations, but they face corruption, extortion and numerous other obstacles along their way. From this perspective, the Palestinian advocates of peace truly embody the Noah archetype of our time.
[1] Cf. Sheneir Zalman of Liadi’s classical work, Tanya, Part 1.
[2] Seder Olam notes that Abram was 48 years at the time of tower builders and Noah dies ten years later.
[3] Cited in James L. Kugel, The Bible as It Was (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1997), 115.
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Rabbi Samuel is spiritual leader of Temple Beth Shalom. He may be contacted at michael.samuel@sdjewishworld.com