Did Noach mess it all up ?

B"H

The famous question on Parashat Noach is always: Was Noach a Zaddik (righteous), yes or no ?

It says in Sefer Bereshit 6:9 that he was a Zaddik but until today, many people think differently. Wherever you go this Shabbat, you might hear different opinions about Noach. My rabbi, Rabbi Mordechai Machlis, always emphasizes that Noach was a Zaddik.

Maybe, first of all, we should learn a few more details about Noach and his generation.

Noach was born in the year 1056 according to the Jewish calendar. When Noach was born, Adam HaRishon had died already. Noach's grandfather was the great Zaddik Methusalem (Metushelach). Noach followed his grandfather rather than his father Lamech who had left the religious path.

As the Generation of Enoch (Chanoch), the Generation of the Flood continued worshipping idols. Especially certain planets, as the sun. In their opinion, G - d had left them and those planets were in charge now. They started to do whatever they wanted, as they thought that G - d is too far away to see them. People just behaved like animals (Midrash Tanchuma). Each of their thoughts was only evil.

There was no need for them to pray. To whom ? G - d is far away and we are having a good life, so they thought.
And they were right; they had a convenient life. Life expectancy was unbelievable high and they only died when their time had come. Illnesses were never heard of and after a certain age, they just dropped dead. The reason for such an incredible life expectancy was to do a Tikun Neshama (see Sefer Adam HaRishon). However, also the air differed from ours today and thus ensured long life.
After a while they just abandoned G - d and claimed that they do not need Him anymore. The only thing we need is water and for that we have our springs and lakes (see Talmud Sanhedrin 108a).

Noach did not get involved in all the sins of his generation such as stealing, murder, sexual perversions,etc. and instead studied "The Book of Adam HaRishon" and "The Book of Chanoch".
Everyone has the power to change a certain fate through prayer but it seems that here Noach failed. He did not pray for his generation, as Avraham did later on in the case of Sodom.

At the age of 480 years, he started building the Ark, as G - d had commanded him. For the next 120 years, Noach was busy building the Ark. The Talmud Sanhedrin 108b explains the reactions of his environment. The people laughed about him and thought that he is an old fool. "What flood", did they ask.

Rashi asks why G - d saved Noach by letting him build an Ark. Why suffering through all the difficulties and the curses of the people ? All this was to cause people to repent. G - d never carries out punishments right away but gives people time to do Teshuva.

According to the Jewish calendar, the Flood occurred in the year 1656 (2104 B.C.E.). The Talmud gives stealing for the reason of the Flood but I do have my personal opinion. At the time before the Flood, the DNA of the population worked in a different way. As the Generation of the Flood used to have sex with animals, also the animals saw the behaviour of the people and did the same among each other. Only the fish refrained from any kind of perversion and were not killed in the Flood.

In those days, people gave birth to strange creatures after having sex with animals. They destroyed the whole Ma'aseh Bereshit which, for me, is the real reason for their destruction. G - d did the same to them when he changed His Ma'aseh Bereshit. According to Talmud Rosh HaShana 11b - 12a, He changed a certain star constellation called "Kimah" and made thus the Flood possible.
Boiling hot and cold water came onto the people and they mostly burned to death while Noach and his family were save in the Ark.

But why was he such a great Zaddik, as it says in the Torah ?
First of all, Noach did warn the people but after being curses all the time, he just gave up after a while. G – d saved him because He saw a great potential in Noach which could lead him to perfection (Shlemut). However, Noach did not use it in the end.

Changes of the world after the Flood:

1. The Shechinah went further away.

2. The air changed and the seasons started. Before the Flood, weather was always the same.

3. Health was not the same anymore and suddenly people needed hot springs to relax.

4. Life expectancy was shortened due to the changes of the air. Before, people became nearly 1000 years old and now only approx. 400 years.

5. Due to the changes of air, fruit and vegetables started to rotten.

6. Noach and his family received the "Seven Mitzwot of Noach – The Noachide Laws".

7. People were allowed to eat meat.

8. The Malbim claims that out planet had changed its location.


The question always bothering me was:
Where are all the dead bodied (skeletons) of the whole generation ? Although there are different Talmudic opinions about where the Flood really took place, should there not be any signs of thousands of skeletons or leftover ruins ?

I found the answer in Talmud Zevachim 113b. There is says that the dead bodies are in Shinar a place in Babylon. Shinar is the town where 340 years later, the Tower of Bavel was built.
All the dead of the Flood were dumped in Babylon and Rabbi Ammi said: He who eats earth from Babylon is as though he ate the flesh of his ancestors.

And can we learn from the Generation of the Flood ?

First of all that G – d is never far away or leaving us. It sometimes might seem so but He is always present and knows exactly all our good and bad deeds. We should never become arrogant in times when we have a great life and no sorrows.

But must Noach not have been in such a great shock seeing all the people die and being thrown into a completely new world ?

It says in the Yalkut Reuveni and the Midrash HaNeelam that he started to cry when he came out of the Ark.
Last night I went to a Shiur with Rabbi Mordechai Machlis and he said that he had heard many similar remarks by Holocaust survivors. As Noach, they saw a new world order after coming out of the camps.

There are times when it is very positive to have a new start in life. Things might change for the better. However, one can never forget his past but should try to learn from it.