English translation — נח א

1.

It is known what Chazal<sup>1</sup>

say regarding Noach,

that he did not pray for the people of his generation,

"He did not seek mercy for the world"; not like Moshe Rabbeinu who prayed for the makers of the calf.

One finds in this a dispute<sup>2</sup>

between R. Yehuda and R. Yitzchak: R. Yehuda says that that which Noach did not pray like Moshe is

(was not a matter of deficiency<sup>3</sup>,

but)

because "Moshe did not hang the matter on the merit of [the people]" but on the merit of the Patriarchs,

whereas Noach

of course,

could not hang his prayer on the merit of the Patriarchs.

In contrast, R. Yitzchak holds

that despite this Noach should have prayed and aroused mercy for them<sup>4</sup>.

is the father explains the reason⁵,

that "R' Yehuda advocates for the merit of Noach and R' Yitzchak the opposite who advocates for his guilt",

that this is because "each one speaks according to his level and degree": R' Yehuda is the aspect of Chesed,

and therefore he "advocates for his merit according to his attribute the attribute of Chesed",

and R' Yitzchak "he is the aspect of Gevurah ..

therefore ..

advocates for his guilt according to his attribute the attribute of Gevurah".

One must however have an explanation: the statement of Torah⁶

"And be judging every person to the side of merit" is,

as understood simply,

a rule for <b>every</b> Jew,

even for one whose "attribute is the attribute of Gevurah" — so how does it come that R' Yitzchak <b>advocated</b> <b>for the guilt</b> of Noach,

and did not judge him to the side of merit

(as commanded by the Mishnah)?

2.

As an example of the two aforementioned opinions of R. Yehuda and R. Yitzchak — we find⁷

also a dispute⁸

on the verse at the beginning of our parshah⁹

"Noach was a righteous man etc. in his generations": "Some¹⁰

of our Sages interpret it to his credit, that had he been in a generation of righteous people he would have been more righteous, and some interpret it to his discredit: relative to his generation he was righteous, but had he been in the generation of Avraham he would have been considered nothing."

What also in this is not understood

(in the manner of the aforementioned question)

: Since there is a choice — one can interpret to his credit and one can interpret to his discredit — why should one say that the intention of the Torah is to bring out <b>his fault</b> of Noach?

Furthermore: there is a principle¹¹

that even "the Torah did not speak disparagingly of an unclean animal" — the Torah does not use a "disparaging" expression even regarding an animal¹²,

and certainly that the Torah will not speak disparagingly of Noach.

So how can there be an opinion that the Torah <b>adds</b> the word "in his generations" — merely to bring out a matter of <b>disparagement</b> in connection with Noach?

And it can be explained in this regard,

and with an introduction to what was once explained¹³,

that this very principle — that the Torah does not use a disparaging expression — applies to the <b>narratives</b> of the Torah¹⁴.

However, when the Torah states a halachah and law — there the Torah uses a <b>clear</b> expression,

even if because of this one must use an unclean expression.

Because a halachah must be stated <b>clearly</b>,

a clear instruction,

in order to avoid a place for error in the execution of the halachah in actual practice.

And likewise in this matter,

that the Torah adds the word "in his generations" meaning

(according to one interpretation)

"for censure": if the Torah had not brought out this "censure",

there would be a place to have an error regarding halachah — regarding practical conduct: one&lt;sup&gt;15&lt;/sup&gt;

finds matters in the conduct of Noach that show that by him there was not righteousness in completeness&lt;sup&gt;16&lt;/sup&gt;,

so if the Torah had described Noach as a righteous perfect man and not warned thereby that this is "in his generations"

(only relative to his generation),

one could think that such conduct is the conduct of a righteous perfect man.

Therefore there must be emphasized here the opposite of the praise of Noach,

so that from it one should learn a clear instruction how one must conduct oneself.

3.

Based on this one can say further — that the intention of "there are

(some)

who interpret him for censure" is not to tell that by Noach there was a deficiency in actuality,

but&lt;sup&gt;17&lt;/sup&gt;

"&lt;b&gt;interpret&lt;/b&gt; him for censure" — it is a derashah and study "for censure" for a &lt;b&gt;second&lt;/b&gt; [person],

to prevent him from a deficiency and error in learning about Noach.

Why Y.L.¹⁸

That which "there is ..

they expound it to praise ..

and there are those who expound it to disgrace" is not a dispute regarding the level of righteousness of Noach,

rather one master says one thing and another master says another thing and they do not disagree¹⁹

: and they do not disagree about the reality whether the righteousness of Noach "in the generation of Avraham would have been considered nothing"; but on the other hand all hold that it is not that Noach was guilty that he was not as great a righteous one as Avraham,

rather this was because of the situation and the great lowliness of his generation²⁰,

and "if he had been in a generation of righteous ones he would have been more righteous".

The difference is — what is the Torah's expression with the word "in his generations": one master says — the "praise",

that the Torah comes to praise Noach; and the second master says that thereby the Torah intends to <b>warn</b> that there should not come out any pitfall in the service of a Jew who learns about Noach.

And this means "and there are those who interpret it for disgrace": in relation to Noach himself this is not a matter of disgrace and deficiency — being in such a generation it was not possible that there should be the level of righteousness like Avraham; rather the Torah must bring out that the level in righteousness is not the true perfection,

And on the contrary: it is a level of "disgrace" relative to Avraham

("he was not considered anything"),

so that the &lt;b&gt;lesson&lt;/b&gt; of the story of Noach should be clear.

D.

In the same manner one can explain the two opinions of Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Yitzchak regarding that Noach did not pray for his generation:

It is, one says one thing and one says another thing and they do not disagree²¹

— also R. Yitzchak agrees,

that that which Noach did not pray for the people of his generation is because he

(in that situation)

could not pray for them,

since "he had no one in whom to hang merit like Moshe" — it is not a deficiency in Noach;

R. Yitzchak only comes to caution,

that there should not come out a pitfall, heaven forbid, in a later generation,

thinking that it is not a deficiency if one does not pray for the people of the generation; therefore R. Yitzchak says,

that one must expound

(bring out)

that the thing itself is a matter of disgrace

(although by Noach himself it could not be otherwise²²),

because one must endeavor in all possible ways to pray and ask for mercy for a fellow Jew.

And therefore the opinion of Rabbi Yitzchak is not in contradiction to the principle "Judge every person favorably" — because also according to Rabbi Yitzchak, by Noach it was not a "obligation" Heaven forbid,

rather he warns that the matter is a matter of "obligation" by others;

And on the contrary: if one will <b>not</b> warn that such conduct

(in general)

of not asking for mercy on the people of the generation is undesirable — this itself can have in it a matter of obligation upon Noach,

that <b>his</b> conduct could cause a stumbling block for another Jew.

And therefore is

(also)

this very thing "in his merit" of Noach — he himself wants one to emphasize that one must pray for the people of his generation,

to the point of saying this in a manner as if it is a deficiency in Noach himself

(as per the simple language of R. Yitzchak: And with all this ..

it was <b>to him</b>

(Noach's)

to seek mercy upon them)

— in order to ensure that there should not emerge any deficiency in another²³.

And through the fact that one safeguards that the conduct of Noach is a matter of obligation

(not the true perfection),

and consequently one conducts oneself in other generations in a manner that one <b>does </b>pray for the people of the generation,

this very thing "corrects" that which Noach actually did not do: although in his generation he could not implement it,

however since through him

(i.

through bringing out how such a conduct is not a virtue)

one has the instruction for generations that one must pray for the people of one's generation,

it brings about the perfection in this matter also in Noach himself.

e.

5.

And this is also the practical instruction in our times:

It happens sometimes,

that someone does according to his ability to influence in his environment,

upon "the people of his generation",

but due to reasons that are not dependent on him

(ostensibly)

he is not successful in this.

He can make a calculation for himself,

that I have saved my soul: not only regarding his own service with himself,

but also regarding the work with another he has done completely.

However,

he has not accomplished — this is not his deficiency.

R' Yitzchak teaches a lesson,

that it can indeed be that he truly did as much as he could — it is not just an imagination,

but according to Shulchan Aruch

(Toras Emes)

he did it in completeness — but nevertheless one must know,

that by this one may not remain; one may not be satisfied with the situation but one must keep "proclaiming" "and with all that ...

it was incumbent upon him to ask for mercy for them"! The one who does not ask for mercy for his generation is a state of "obligation".

And this itself causes that there should be a state of "merit" — that the Almighty nullifies the causes of the undesirable situation,

and gives a Jew an opportunity to ask for mercy for the people of his generation,

until to bring about that they should repent,

And specifically in our time, the footsteps of Moshiach, that the Rambam &lt;b&gt;rules&lt;/b&gt; in his book &lt;b&gt;Hilchos&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;sup&gt;24&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/b&gt;

that "the Torah promised that in the end Israel will do repentance at the end of their exile and immediately they are redeemed"&lt;sup&gt;25&lt;/sup&gt;.

(From the sicha of Shabbos Parshas Noach 5743)