English translation — נח א

Sicha 1<pg>15</pg>

A.

On the verse "Noach was a righteous man, perfect in his generations"<sup>1</sup>,

it is said in the Zohar<sup>2</sup>

: "But in other generations he is considered nothing, such as the generation of Avraham and the generation of Moshe and the generation of David."

And behold, an explanation precisely like this

(that "in his generations" intends to exclude in other generations — "for disgrace"),

is brought in several places in our Sages, may their memory be blessed — with variations regarding the intention of the other generations: in the Gemara³

— "in his generations and not in other generations" simply; in Tanchuma⁴

— that "if he had been in the generation of Avraham our father, he would not have found his hands and feet"

(and similarly it is in Rashi on the Torah "if he had been in the generation of Avraham, he would not have been considered anything")

; and in Bereishit Rabbah⁵

— "if he had been in the generation of Moshe or in the generation of Shmuel, he would not have been a righteous man."

And behold,

the explanation of the Tanchuma that the intention is to exclude "in the generation of Avraham" is understood simply⁶,

because Avraham was the righteous one who came in proximity⁷

after the generations of Noach,

and therefore it is logical to explain the intention of the verse "a righteous man, perfect he was in his generations",

that specifically "in his generations" of Noach⁸

he was a righteous man, perfect,

but if he had been in the generation of Avraham which is after "his generations" he would not have been considered anything;

And also the explanation in Bereishis Rabbah "If he were in the generation of Moshe or in the generation of Shmuel" one can say simply⁹,

that his intention is to diminish the "disparagement",

that specifically in the generation of Moshe and the generation of Shmuel he would not have been

(considered)

a righteous man¹⁰,

because Moshe was the chosen of the human species, the father of all the prophets¹¹

with whom the word of Hashem spoke face to face¹²,

and likewise Shmuel who was equivalent to Moshe and Aharon¹³,

and therefore specifically in their generations Noach would not have been

(considered)

a righteous man,

but in other generations he would have been

(considered)

a righteous man etc.;

But the explanation of the Zohar,

that the precise wording of the verse is regarding the three generations,

"the generation of Avraham and the generation of Moshe and the generation of David" — requires explanation of the reason that specifically in these three generations he was not "considered anything"¹⁴?

<pg>16</pg>

2.

And it seems to me,

that the three tzaddikim in the three generations mentioned in the Zohar — in them and through them was the beginning of the three fundamentals in the fulfillment of the ultimate purpose and intention of creation

(which is for the sake of Israel who are called first and for the sake of the Torah which is called first¹⁵)

— they are Israel,

Torah and kingship: Abraham our father is the beginning of the people of Israel,

the main virtue of Moses is that through him the Torah was given to all of Israel,

and Israel in a state of perfection in the world when they are in a state of kingship, and David is the beginning and start of "the essence of kingship"¹⁶.

[And these three tzaddikim are hinted at in the name Adam, acronym of Abraham¹⁷

David Moses¹⁸,

and this is that the completion of the purpose of the creation of "Adam" is through the three modes of service of Abraham, Moses and David].

And this is the content of the explanation of the Zohar,

that although Noach "saw a new world"¹⁹,

and simply that it was after the flood — similar to Adam the first from whom came all of the human species,

and Noach also fulfilled in his service the role of "Adam"²⁰,

nevertheless,

regarding the three righteous ones in these three generations he is not considered anything²¹.

And the reason of the matter is understood,

as above,

for the main beginning of the service in fulfilling the intention of creation was through the three righteous ones

("Adam")

in these three generations.

3.

And more specifically, one could say:<pg>17</pg>

The novelty in this, that despite the greatness and righteousness of Noach, his service is not considered anything relative to the level of service of Avraham, Moshe, and David — is,

because in the service of Noach himself there was a kind of the special service that is in these three generations through the aforementioned tzaddikim.

And the explanation of the matters will be understood,

with the introduction of the innovation in the service of man in these three generations,

which are three stages and levels in the order of service:

In the generation of Abraham: of Abraham who was the first Jew,

it is said²²

"One was Abraham",

that "the entire world on one side and he

(Abraham)

on the other side"²³

— the entire world were idol worshippers and "Abraham²⁴

served and became wise on his own and served the Holy One, blessed be He",

and stood with strength against the entire world,

and knew that the entire world were mistaken²⁵

etc.

And this is also the fundamental and primary matter in the service of man in general,

that Bnei Yisrael strengthen themselves in their attachment to G-d and stand firmly in their service — against the seventy nations and the entire world that hinder and delay etc.

The generation of Moshe,

the generation of the Giving of the Torah: the innovation in the service of the generation of the Giving of the Torah is,

that

(Not only does the world not interfere with the service of man,

but on the contrary)

that the service of man affects the world its existence and establishment,

and as our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said²⁶

on the verse²⁷

"The earth feared and was quiet" — at first fear and at the end quiet

[For a condition the Holy One, blessed be He, made with the work of creation,

"If Israel accepts the Torah you will endure, and if not I will return you to chaos and void"²⁶],

that before the Giving of the Torah the earth was

(the world)

in a state of "fear",

and through this that Israel received the Torah — "quiet".

And this is the second stage in the service of man,

the existence of the world through the Torah,

that through the service of the children of Israel in the study of Torah and the fulfillment of the commandments

(possible specifically in this world),

they effect the existence of the reality of the world.

The generation of David: "the essence of the kingdom"¹⁶

is the kingdom of the house of David,

whose concept is to coronate the Holy One, blessed be He, over the entire world.

And as it was literally,

that through David was the completion of the conquest of the Land of Israel from the nations,

and up to a state that is entirely kingdom immediately at its beginning, as it was in the days of Solomon,

that the nations brought gifts to Solomon²⁸

— that through the kingdom of the house of David there was a revelation of the kingdom of the Holy One, blessed be He, in the world.

And this is the innovation in the generation of David over the generation of Moses,

that through the Torah and commandments it is the existence of the world as it is,

and through the revelation of the kingdom an elevation is effected in the world,

And the perfection in this will be through the "king" the last from the house of David,

who is "the final Messiah"²⁹

called "king from the house of David"³⁰

at the coming of our righteous Messiah,

that then the kingship of the Holy One, blessed be He, will be revealed in the entire world,

both among the nations of the world,

that "he will perfect³⁰

the entire world to serve the Lord together, as it is said³¹

for then I will turn to the peoples a clear language..

and to serve Him with one accord",

"And many peoples will go³²

and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths'; and also among all the creatures of the world — that "they will not harm nor destroy in all<pg>18</pg>

My holy mountain, for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea"&lt;sup&gt;33&lt;/sup&gt;.

[Foundation and support for this interpretation

(in the words of the Zohar),

can be found in the explanation of my master, my father and teacher, on the Zohar there in our parshah&lt;sup&gt;34&lt;/sup&gt;,

and this is its language: "He enumerates these three: Abraham, Moses, David.

He,

for these three are the three crowns.

Crown of priesthood,

crown of Torah,

crown of royalty&lt;sup&gt;35&lt;/sup&gt;.

Priesthood: Abraham, the man of kindness,

and the priesthood was given to Abraham,

as it is said&lt;sup&gt;36&lt;/sup&gt;

You are a priest forever.

Torah: Moses,

for the Torah was given through Moses,

and it is called the Torah of Moses.

Royalty: David,

for the kingship was given to David forever",

The matter of "crown of priesthood" is in the manner of what was explained above regarding the definition of "the generation of Avraham",

for the essence of the kohen is that he was separated to serve G‑d and to minister to Him,

that in general this is the essence of the Jewish people,

and moreover, even the title "priesthood" applies to all of Israel,

as the Rambam writes³⁷

that this applies to each one "to be separated to stand before G‑d to minister to Him and to serve Him to know G‑d",

and to remove "from his neck the yoke of the many calculations which the children of man seek

(that then)

behold he is sanctified as holy of holies".

4.

And behold

(a kind of)

these three modes of service were by Noach during the period of the flood:

a)

In his own service — which is in the likeness of what Abraham was "from one side, etc."

For even though the generation was in the lowest state — "all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth"³⁸,

nevertheless Noah strengthened himself and "was a righteous, perfect man in his generations",

and was not drawn after the conduct of the entire generation,

and on the contrary "Noah the righteous rebuked them and said to them: Repent"³⁹.

b)

Likewise in his service there was a matter of activity in the world

(in the manner of the activity of the giving of the Torah⁴⁰),

through which came the salvation of the entire world⁴¹,

until the Holy One, blessed be He, swore that "all flesh shall not be cut off anymore by the waters of the flood, and there shall no more be a flood to destroy the earth"⁴².

3)

And furthermore: In the deeds of Noach there was also an action of "ascent" and change in the world

(in the manner of the action of the kingdom of the court).

For in Noach's ark there were all kinds of cattle and beasts etc. and among them also beasts of prey and raptors,

and nevertheless they did not do any harm to each other at all.

And it is explained in this⁴³,

that it is because in Noach's ark there reigned a state of peace in the manner of what is said about the future⁴⁴

"And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb etc. they shall not harm nor destroy etc.",

for then

(in Noach's ark)

there was a "revelation" that is above the boundaries of the world

(as it is in its own right).

[And in truth this state was not only during their existence in the ark,

but also before their entry into it,

as is explained in our sages of blessed memory and in Rashi⁴⁵

that only those came to the ark that adhered to their species and did not corrupt their way,

and moreover that they came of their own accord — all this is a most wondrous and great miracle:<pg>19</pg>

a)

that the animals in the world come by themselves; b)

the choicest among them

(pure species)

came seven seven,

and from the rest of the species came two two; c)

in their going to the ark they went in an orderly arrangement etc. without harming one another].

And this is the deep intention of the words of the Zohar here,

that although the service of Noach was a lofty and unique service,

fitting to be a foundation for the governance of the world anew,

and consequently all the three above-mentioned things were included in it,

in the completion of the service of the "man" in creation

[a)

to stand firmly on his watch in a manner that he not be affected and not take into account his surroundings; b)

to effect stability and permanence in the world; c)

to elevate the world higher than it is by itself even in the ultimate good]

— nevertheless "it is not considered anything".

And the reason for the matter,

because this was merely a kind of education⁴⁶

for the completion of creation — these three works as they were in their truth,

in the generation of Avraham, in the generation of Moshe, and in the generation of David.

5.

And one can explain the clarification in this:

Even though in the actual deed of the commandment there is no difference between its fulfillment from [the aspect of] "chinuch" alone and its fulfillment from [the aspect of] the obligation

(commanded and does)

— for when one trains the minor in a commandment one must train him

(according to several opinions&lt;sup&gt;47&lt;/sup&gt;)

to do with complete fitness like an adult — nevertheless there is a fundamental difference between them in the content of the matter of the fulfillment,

and it is: the matter of chinuch is only to accustom the minor to commandments that he will be obligated in at his majority&lt;sup&gt;48&lt;/sup&gt;,

which is essentially a matter of restraint and separation,

that is,

that since "a wild&lt;sup&gt;49&lt;/sup&gt;

ass is born a man",

one must train him and accustom him that he go in the straight path in a manner that when he grows up he will go in the way of the Torah&lt;sup&gt;50&lt;/sup&gt;.

And for this reason: a)

even though chinuch is in all commandments,

the obligation of chinuch is in negative commandments more than in positive commandments&lt;sup&gt;51&lt;/sup&gt;

; b)

"They train them

(the minors)

to serve from fear"&lt;sup&gt;52&lt;/sup&gt;,

that is, that the manner of fulfillment of the commandments of the minor is not in the manner of the fulfillment of the adult who is obligated,

who "does the truth because it is truth"&lt;sup&gt;53&lt;/sup&gt;.

And it is found that the main difference between the category of education of a minor and the fulfillment of the commandments of an adult is — that the fulfillment from the aspect of education has no purpose in itself,

but its purpose is that he will be educated and accustomed to the commandments that he will be obligated in when he grows up; whereas the fulfillment of the commands of G-d by an adult, its purpose is in the fulfillment itself — to fulfill the commands of G-d.

And this is the difference between the service and activity of Noach in the three matters mentioned above

(Israel,

Torah and kingship),

that it was only in the category of education,

and between the essential aspect of them as they were in

(the generation of)

Avraham,

Moshe and David⁵⁴

:<pg>20</pg>

This that Noach was "perfect in his generations",

that is, in relation to the people of his generation,

this is

(mainly)

in those matters of the wickedness of that generation.

And since the main wickedness of that generation was in matters between man and his fellow,

robbery and licentiousness etc. "And their decree was not sealed

(of the generation of the flood)

except for the robbery"⁵⁵,

it follows,

that the service of Noach was also

(mainly)

in matters between man and his fellow.

For matters of "between man and his fellow" have in them

(in general,

in relation to matters of "between man and the Omnipresent")

no purpose in themselves but only so as not to disturb "the settlement of the world",

similar to the matter of education,

that the purpose is not in itself but only to accustom the one being educated and to prepare him for the time of obligation

(as above).

And furthermore: This itself was not so much from his recognition and faith in the Holy One, blessed be He, but rather from the flood,

for just as his calling to the people of his generation to awaken them to repentance was based on the warning of the punishment that the Holy One, blessed be He, would bring upon them the flood,

similarly it is understood that also his service was mainly in fear of punishment,

to the extent that our sages, of blessed memory, said⁵⁶

that he did not enter the ark until the waters forced him,

that even this detail is like "education" from fear.

But not so in "the generation of Avraham",

indeed

(a)

the main innovation of Avraham

(that the entire world on one side and Avraham on the other side)

was not

(only)

in matters between man and his fellow,

but in matters of faith — negation of idolatry and strengthening faith in Hashem;

(b)

the recognition of Avraham of the Holy One, blessed be He

(and also his activity in the world — that "he began to make known to the people that it is not fitting to serve except the God of the world..

and to call out in a great voice to the entire world and to make known to them that there is one God for the entire world and to Him it is fitting to serve"⁵⁷)

came from this that his "heart was roaming and understanding until he grasped the way of truth and understood the line of righteousness from his correct understanding"⁵⁷,

and not from fear of punishment or for his own benefit.

And on the contrary,

he sacrificed his life for faith in Hashem⁵⁷.

And as the Rambam wrote⁵³

that "doing truth because it is truth" is the virtue of Avraham our father.

And this is also the matter regarding the second matter — the saving and existence of the world: that after the flood it was renewed that "I will no longer curse the ground because of man..

and I will no longer smite every living thing as I have done..

neither shall all flesh be cut off anymore by the waters of the flood, neither shall there be anymore a flood to destroy the earth"⁵⁸,

it is

(only)

a matter of preventing undesirable things⁵⁹,

negation of the destruction of the world

(like education to remove the negative inclination in man),

but not so in the generation of Moses,

through the Giving of the Torah,

there was added a positive existence and strengthening of the reality of the world,

that only then was the existence of the world justified.

And likewise regarding the third matter: the state of peace and miracles that were in the ark during the time of the flood

(and likewise during the preparation etc. for the flood)

— was also from the necessity of salvation and "to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth"⁶⁰,

And in "the generation of David" — that is, the kingship of David,

through whom was the preparation for the building of the Temple&lt;sup&gt;61&lt;/sup&gt;

with the ten miracles that were performed for our forefathers in the Holy Temple&lt;sup&gt;62&lt;/sup&gt;

— there was then a revelation&lt;pg&gt;21&lt;/pg&gt;

of the kingship of the Holy One, blessed be He, from the aspect of the indwelling of His Shechinah in the Holy Temple,

and to the extent that all the nations saw the greatness of the activity and virtue of the kings of the house of David and the benefit of the Holy Temple

(as above in the days of Solomon),

and especially when the perfection in this will be in the future,

that then "they shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."

6.

And additionally one can say,

in a deeper sense — based on what my master, my father, and my teacher said

(in his aforementioned notes),

that Abraham, Moses, and David,

they are the three crowns: the crown of priesthood, the crown of Torah, and the crown of kingship,

and he continues there,

that "in Noah there was not all this,

only the crown of a good name,

that in his generations he had a good name,

which is lower than all these three":

The attribute of the crown of priesthood, the crown of Torah, and the crown of kingship,

indicates that their essence is above the head,

like a crown literally, which is above a person's head,

that is to say,

a level of service that a person does not reach by his own power and intellect,

but rather it is above him.

And in another style: this is a matter that comes from the side of the Creator's definition and not from the side of the created being's definition.

On the other hand,

when a person is crowned with a crown — the crown of priesthood, the crown of Torah, and the crown of kingship — this is not in a manner that he acquires an external thing that is an addition to him,

but rather this becomes his entire existence

(that he is crowned with this crown)^*62.

And it may be said that this is the difference between the work of Noach in these three matters in completing the purpose of creation,

that it was in the category of "education",

and the works of the three generations of Avraham, Moshe, and David,

that it was in the manner of "Kesser":

The work of Noach and the state of the world after the flood,

were only as the created being can reach this by his own power⁶³,

and consequently,

both in his work for himself and in his activity in sustaining the world,

there was in this no departure from the category of the world and creation — the creation remained in its type and boundary,

that it has no connection

(revelation)

to the Creator.

Whereas the work in the generation of Avraham⁶³

the generation of Moshe and the generation of David was in the manner of Kesser,

from the side of the Holy One, blessed be He, Who is above creation,

and it is simple that the manner of the work of the created beings regarding work that comes from a power that is above creation "is not considered anything".

7.

The explanation of this in detail:

The service⁶³

of God of Noach was connected with Divinity as He contracted Himself, so to speak, according to the value of creation,

and therefore it effected in him and within him his comprehension of the Holy One, blessed be He, only that he not be drawn after other people in the corruption of the world,

the opposite of the settlement of the world,

and not beyond this.

But not so with Avraham,

even though the beginning of his drawing near to the Holy One, blessed be He, was through proofs from the matters of creation,

his recognition of the Holy One, blessed be He, was

(also)

as He is above creation⁶⁴,

the aspect of "Keter",

and therefore he reached the level of self-sacrifice that "does the truth because it is truth".

And so it is regarding the second and third matters,

that what was effected in the world after the flood "I will no longer curse..

no more will all flesh be cut off etc." and the special situation that was in Noah's ark,

this is not

(a)

a true change in the state of the world nor

(b)

a true ascent in the state of the world.

But not so the work of the generation of Moses through the Torah,

that is, the sustenance of the world,

behold the Torah<pg>22</pg>

preceded the world⁶⁵,

and the action through the Torah is conditional upon the condition

(and as above that the Holy One, blessed be He, stipulated a condition with the act of creation: if Israel would accept the Torah, good, and if not, I will return you to chaos and void)⁶⁶,

and the entire existence of the world, its coming into being, is for the sake of the Torah which is called "beginning",

and above this is the generation of David — the aspect of kingship,

the revelation of His kingship, of the Holy One, blessed be He, in the world,

that the advantage in this over the action in the world that comes from the Torah is,

that the action of the Torah in the world is not related

(so much)

to the existence of the world itself,

for the Torah was given only to Israel,

but through this that Israel accepted the Torah and through the study of Torah and the fulfillment of the commandments of Israel,

an effect is also brought about in the world;

Not so in kingship,

behold, just as it is regarding an earthly kingdom,

that the definition of kingship is that it pertains to the very existence of the nation,

that their entire existence is the king,

to the extent that anyone who rebels against the kingdom is liable to death,

that this is not in the manner of punishment but rather a consequence that comes automatically,

and likewise it is in the kingdom of heaven,

that also the acceptance of the yoke of the kingdom of heaven through self-nullification to the King

(which primarily is in the kingdom of the House of David)

is in a manner that the self-nullification is in their very existence⁶⁷,

Behold, likewise it is in the operation of kingship in the world,

that when they reveal His kingship of the Holy One, blessed be He, in the world,

it is not as something additional to the existence of creation and the world,

but rather that this is the entire existence of the world,

that the Holy One, blessed be He, King of the world, is felt and revealed in it.

And as emphasized in the aforementioned verse "For the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea",

that this is the entire existence of the earth,

in the manner of "as the waters cover the sea",

that the sea is not a thing in itself but rather the entire existence of the sea is that it is filled with water.

8.

And behold, in this matter there is a lesson in the service of man

(as in everything in the Torah).

And it can be said that this is the precise wording of the Zohar "but in other generations it is not considered anything" — in the present tense,

and not in the past tense like

(in the Tanchuma)

"if he had been in the generation of Abraham he would not have found his hands and feet",

or as in Bereishit Rabbah "he would not have been a righteous man",

for the main intention in the Zohar is not to speak, heaven forbid, in disparagement of Noah,

but rather

(and primarily)

as a lesson in the service of every Jewish person⁶⁸,

that even now there exists the service of Noah,

and about this it says,

that relative to the service

(now)

in "the generation of Abraham,

the generation of Moses and the generation of David" — the manner of the service of Noah "is not considered anything".

That is to say:

The service in these three general matters,

exists as it is from the side of man,

that man

(the created being)

comes to a conclusion,

that the desired way is not to be dragged after the environment nor to be influenced by it,

and to stand firmly in his service to his Master,

and to act upon the world through Torah, and moreover to reveal the kingship of the Holy One, blessed be He, in the world.

And this teaches us the explanation of the Zohar,

that all these three services must be done not

(only)

from the aspect of the recognition of the created being,

but from the aspect of the Creator,

[page 23]

from the aspect of the Holy One, blessed be He,

that this is the aspect of the crown of priesthood, the crown of Torah, the crown of kingship,

service that comes from above the intellect of man, which is in the head.

And as above⁶⁹.

(From sichos of Shabbos Parshas Noach 5745,

5749)