Hamaayan / The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Noach: Ten Generations Volume 20, No. 2 3 Cheshvan 5766 November 5, 2005 Sponsored by Mrs. Esther Liberman and family in memory of husband and father Yaakov Azriel ben Aharon David a"h The Vogel family on the yahrzeit of father and grandfather Aharon Shimon ben Shemayah a"h (Arthur Kalkstein) Today's Learning: Shabbat 23:5-24:1 O.C. 451:21-23 Daf Yomi (Bavli): Eruvin 31 Daf Yomi (Yerushalmi): Berachot 33 We read in Pirkei Avot (chapter 5): "There were ten generations from Adam to Noach. This teaches how patient G-d is, for all the generations angered Him until He eventually brought a flood upon them." [His patience is demonstrated by the fact that He waited ten generations.] R' Ovadiah Yosef shlita (one of the leading Sephardic sages of the last hundred years and former Chief Rabbi of Israel) writes: The Midrash describes the immense kindness that G-d showered on those generations, despite which they were ungrateful and rebelled against Him. For example, says the Midrash, one season of planting sufficed to sustain those generations for forty years. The people in that era were able to walk from one end of the world to the other in a very short time. [Ed. note: This Midrash was written 1,000 years before archaeologists and anthropologists began to discover and theorize about traces of civilization in the most distant reaches of the globe.] Lions and tigers were no more frightening to them than were lice. The weather was always perfect. And, a newborn baby was so developed that he could reach out, pick up a knife, and cut his own umbilical cord. R' Yosef continues, quoting the Gemara (Sanhedrin 108a): Despite this easy life--in fact, because of it--the generation of the Flood became haughty and rebelled. About that generation Iyov (Job) said (Iyov 21:9-15): "Their homes are peaceful . . . their children prance about . . . They spend their days with good fortune . . . They said to G d, `Go away from us! We have no desire to know Your ways! What is the Almighty that we should serve Him?'" (Anaf Etz Avot p.322) [In contrast, a G-d-fearing Jew reflects on the benefits he or she receives from the world and is thereby motivated to serve Hashem better--see the excerpt from Yesod Ve'shoresh Ha'avodah below.] ******** "There were ten generations from Adam to Noach. This teaches how patient G-d is, for all the generations angered Him until He eventually brought a flood upon them." (Pirkei Avot, chapter 5) R' Naftali Hertz Wiesel z"l (Germany; 1725-1805) comments: The author of this Mishnah wondered why the Torah provides the complete pedigree from Adam to Noach. Why didn't the Torah just say: "Many years passed, people sinned, and Noach was born"? Apparently, the Torah wants to teach us a lesson. What lesson? We read in the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy in Parashat Ki Tissa that G-d is patient, but we are not told how patient He is. Therefore, says the author of our Mishnah, the Torah lists all of the generations from Adam to Noach to teach that G-d's patience lasts for ten [long] generations. There are other lessons here as well. First, we learn that G-d is patient even with those who are throughly evil. Our Mishnah says that G-d was patient with each of the ten generations from Adam to Noach. This implies that each was deserving in its own right to be wiped out in a flood. Yet G-d was patient with them. Finally, we learn that G-d is patient even though this creates an appearance that evil people get away with their deeds. Although the nine generations before Noach also deserved to be flooded, as just mentioned, the members of those generations apparently died peaceful deaths in their beds. Though it may appear to us that they were not called to account for their sins, we can rest assured that that is not the case. (Yain Ha'levanon) G-d's waiting to bring the Flood illustrates several aspects of His patience, writes R' Moshe Almosnino z"l (see below). First, He waited for ten generations to give the people a chance to repent[, i.e., he waited for the sinners' benefit]. Also, He allowed them to continue sinning for ten generations while He "waited" for a suitable person (Noach) to be born who would be the seed that would re-inhabit the world after the Flood[, i.e., he waited because it was in the best interests of Creation as a whole]. (Pirkei Moshe) ******** "Noach was a righteous man . . ." (6:9) What is the defining characteristic of a righteous man? R' Yosef Kahaneman z"l (1886-1969; the "Ponovezher Rav") would regularly say: A tzaddik is good-hearted. This is illustrated in our parashah, where Noach is described as a tzaddik. What do we know about Noach? That he cared for thousands of living things. (Quoted in Otzrotaihem Shel Tzaddikim) ******** "And as for you, take yourself of every food that is eaten and gather it in to yourself, that it shall be as food for you and for them." (6:21) The Gemara states, as if quoting Hashem, "The entire world is sustained in the merit of My son, Chaninah [one of the sages of the Mishnah]." This means, explains R' Elazar Shapira z"l (1808-1865; Rebbe of Lancut; son of the author of Bnei Yissaschar), that the tzaddik of the generation is the conduit through which blessing and sustenance flow to the entire world. Ironically, that tzaddik does not need to work hard to support himself. Even if he performs only a token act of hishtadlut / physical effort, he finds his sustenance. R' Shapira continues: This lesson is learned from our verse. How so? Because Hashem told Noach to take food for all of the creatures that would be on the Ark, but Hashem never told Noach how long their stay on the Ark would be. It seems that it did not matter. As long as Noach performed some modest hishtadlut, the sustenance of all the creatures on the Ark would be guaranteed in his merit. (Yod'ai Binah) ******** "Yesod Ve'shoresh Ha'avodah" ("The Foundation and Root of Divine Service") This year, we are presenting excerpts from the work Yesod Ve'shoresh Ha'avodah by R' Alexander Ziskind z"l (died 1794). The primary theme of this work is improving one's concentration in prayer. In the section entitled Sha'ar Ha'gadol / Sha'ar Avodat Ha'lev, chapter 2, the author writes: The "work" that we have described [attaining a desire to give pleasure to Hashem through serving Him] is not the same for all people. Rather, the deeper one's recognition of the greatness and majesty of the Creator, may His Name be blessed and elevated, the more one's soul will desire, and one's heart will be completely devoted to, His service--to study His Torah, perform His mitzvot, practice good middot / character traits, and give praise and thanks to Him. [How does one attain a deeper recognition of Hashem's majesty? After presenting esoteric quotes from various sections of the Zohar, the author offers some suggestions that are closer to home and within every person's ability:] From contemplating the design of the lower world one can see His greatness and majesty as well as His goodness and the wonderful deeds of the Creator. First, in a mere six days, He created the world and everything in it, and set it up to operate according to the laws of nature. He designed us to develop from a putrid seed inside a mother's womb into a being with numerous working parts. . . Particularly amazing is man's power of speech. G-d gave man five organs for forming sounds [i.e., the tongue, teeth, lips, throat and upper palate] which between them allow man to enunciate all 22 letters of the Aleph-Bet. My brothers and friends, think about this! If a person had to think about how to form each sound as he spoke, his mouth would become paralyzed and unable to get a word out. Yet, we all know that it is second nature to nearly all people to form all of these sounds. This is just one of the many awesome deeds of G-d on which man can reflect. ******** R' Moshe Almosnino z"l R' Moshe ben Baruch Almosnino was born in Salonika (now Greece) in about 1510-1516. He was a gifted orator who served as the rabbi of several congregations in Constantinople (now Istanbul), Turkey. He was a prolific author whose works include: Pirkei Moshe on Pirkei Avot; Yedei Moshe on the five megillot; Me'ametz Koach, containing 28 sermons; Tefilah Le'Moshe, on the Torah; and Hanhagat Ha'chaim, discussing certain philosophical issues and proper modes of behavior. In addition, he was a respected halachic authority whose rulings are cited in the works of his contemporaries, notably R' Shmuel de Medina ("Maharashdam"). R' Almosnino apparently composed three volumes of halachic responsa, but they have been lost. He was also knowledgeable in secular subjects, which he viewed as tools for understanding certain Torah subjects. Besides his scholarship, R' Almosnino was a dedicated and effective lobbyist for the Jewish community. In 1566, he was granted at least six audiences before the Sultan and he successfully pleaded for the Jews' civil rights and for relief from taxation. In his writings, R' Almosnino made clear that he saw participation in tzorchei tzibbur / the needs of the community as a sacred duty no less than Torah study or performing one of the 613 mitzvot. R' Almosnino died in Constantinople in about 1581. (Sources: Pirkei Moshe: Introduction; The Early Acharonim, p.92)