Noah 2000

The rabbis are very ambivalent about Noah.  Although the Torah says that he was a Tzadek and perfect, it also said that he was a Tzadek and perfect in his generation. Rabbi Yochanan said that if he would be in another generation, he would not be considered a Tzadek, while Rosh Lokesh said if he would be in another generation, he would be an even greater Tzadek. The rabbis, though, compare Noah to Abraham and Moshe, and they say, why didn't he appeal to G-d to revoke His punishment? After all, Abraham appealed to G-d to revoke G-d's pending destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Moshe appealed to G-d to revoke His punishment of destroying the Jewish people and starting a new people from Moshe. Noah was passive.  He did nothing.  He never argued with G-d.  True, he built an ark, and it took him 120 years to do it, and when people asked him what he was doing r he would explain that he was building the ark to escape the flood that G-d was going to send to the earth because of the people's sin, but he did not seem to have any effect on the people.  He remonstrated with them. In Judaism, we are supposed to argue with G-d, ultimately knowing that G-d is right, but G-d wants us to argue with him.  In our own time, we do not understand the Holocaust, and do not understand why innocent people can be shot and killed in Houston.  We do not understand these things, and we have a right to demand that G-d give us an answer, although we know we will not get this answer until the time of the Mashiach, but it does not mean we cannot argue with G-d. Noah never argued with G-d, and Noah never seemed to have any effect on the people of his generation to get them to change.  He was not like Abraham, who had a big effect on the people in his generation and converted many people to recognize G-d and lead an ethical life.  Abraham, by the way, was not the first one to know about G-d.  After all, Noah was still alive until Abraham was 58 years old.  Shem, Noah's son, was still alive. There were people who knew about G-d, but they could not seem to communicate this to the people. Abraham was the first person who said you had to be moral before you could approach G-d, but mere were many people who knew about monotheism before Abraham.   One of the sub themes of this Torah portion is communication.  Noah did not know how to talk to people, and, therefore, he could not influence them.  In this Torah portion, we learn how it says, "From the animal who are clean and from the animals who are not clean...they came to Noah to the ark." Why does it say from the animals who are clean and from the animals who are not clean? It could have just said the clean and unclean animals, but the Torah does not use the word unclean, Tamay, unless it is in a Halachic text where the text has to be clear and unambiguous. Otherwise, the Torah uses diplomatic language. There are people who are so confrontational that they cannot influence people at all.  I know we once had a secretary in the shul who did not last two days because she was so confrontational that the infuriated people.  On the other hand, we are very lucky to have Pam, who is so diplomatic.  I know sometimes her blood must be boiling, but she talks nice to people. To influence people, you have to be diplomatic.  Noah did not seem to have the ability to talk to people, to be diplomatic.  It also says, "And Noah came and his sons and his wife and the wives of his sons with him to the ark because of the waters of the flood."  In other words, he did not come into the ark until the waters were almost up to his ankles.  He did not really believe that the flood would come 100%, and because he did not believe 100%, he could not influence other people.  He did not have the sincerity and compassion, which is necessary to convince people.

As George Burns says, "Sincerity is everything, and if you can fake it, you've got it made." Many times, we find that people have no influence on others unless others feel they are sincere.  That's why it happens many times our children go to Hebrew school and come away not being influenced at all because their teachers are just teaching skills, Hebrew or Bible, etc., but they are not teaching them a way of life. We know that communication is essential, and in this women are much better than men.  Men many times fail to communicate. We also learn how after the flood, Noah was very upset.  After all, he is all alone now just with his children and wife and daughters-in-law, and what does he do? He plants a vineyard and gets drunk, and he uncovers himself within his own tent. He could not communicate his hurt and his feelings to the people around him.  We learn how his son, Cham, mocks him, and how his sons, Shem and Yafes, walk backward and cover their father.  We are not supposed to let everything hang out, but, on the other hand, we have to have a confidante to whom we can talk.  Noah could not communicate to anybody.  Shem also means ideas and ideals, science. Yafes means art and literature and aesthetic matters.  Noah could speak about science and ideas and art and literature, but he could not speak about Cham, about his emotions. 

Because of this, he also could not communicate.  You also have to display passion when you speak to people.  You have to communicate real feelings, not by revealing secrets or scandals.  Noah could not do this, and, therefore, he could not influence people, like Abraham subsequently could.  Noah had a severe problem communicating. He did not communicate with G-d telling Him to please reconsider the flood, and he could not communicate well with his fellow human beings.  He had no influence.  He was not diplomatic.  People did not feel he was sincere.  He did not believe 100%, and he could not communicate his feelings. We all know that many times, we talk not because we want advice, but we want to validate our feelings. This is especially true of women. They talk to validate these feelings.  They are not going to act on these feelings, but they want to have their feelings validated, that it is all right to have these feelings.  Noah could not do this, and, therefore, he failed to communicate.  It is very important that we all communicate.  It is very important especially in marriages and in our synagogues and in our communities and throughout the nation that we learn how to communicate.  If we learn how to communicate, we can correct what is wrong in our relationships, and we can assure mat our communities and our families will grow stronger and not weaker.

I am reminded of the story of a fellow who went hiking with his friend.  He took his umbrella with him.  It started to rain and his friend said, "Open the umbrella."  He said, "I can't."  His friend asked why not, and he replied, "Because it has holes in it."  His friend then asked why he brought the umbrella, and he answered, "Because I didn't think it would rain." To communicate, we must be sincere, we must be diplomatic, and we must be willing to express our feelings, our passions.  Let us hope we will all be able to do this so we will have strong families and strong communities so the Mashiach will come quickly in our day.  Amen.