“These are the offspring of Noach – Noach was a righteous man …” (Bereishis 6:9).
The Medrash Bereishis Rabbah states that for 120 years Noach planted cedars and chopped them down for lumber. When the people asked him about it, he told them that Hashem was bringing a flood that would destroy the entire world, and he was building an Ark to save his family. The people responded that if Hashem brought a flood, it would only come upon his house.
The Zera Shimshon asks: What motivated the people to make such a preposterous statement? (Rabbi Shimshon Chaim Nachmani lived in the 1700s. When he lost his only son, he dedicated his sefarim on the Written and Oral Law as his legacy with the name Zera Shimshon.) They knew that Noach was a righteous individual, with high moral and ethical standards. They knew they had corrupted their ways. What made them think that Noach deserved Divine retribution?
The Zera Shimshon cites the Zohar, who says that Noach was punished because he didn’t reach out to the people of his generation, nor did he pray that the decreed flood should be rescinded. In fact, the haftarah for Parshas Noach (Yeshaya, 54:1-55:5) calls the flood “the waters of Noach,” because Noach was held responsible for not praying for his generation. For that reason, the people believed that if he built the Ark solely for himself, he was accountable for not praying for the welfare of the people of his generation.
The Zera Shimshon then presents similar situations which highlight the importance of empathizing with the suffering of the community to avoid consequences.
Mordechai told Esther (Esther, 4:14) that if she maintained her silence at this fateful moment then relief and deliverance would come to the Jews from another place, and she would perish.
The Talmud (Taanis 11a) teaches that when the Jewish people are in distress, and one does not share in their suffering, he will not see the consolation of the community.
The Torah teaches (Bamidbar 35:25) that an individual who killed unintentionally must flee to one of the Cities of Refuge, where he remains until the death of the kohen gadol. Rashi explains that it is the responsibility of the kohen gadol to pray for the welfare of his people. The Talmud (Makkos, 11a) notes that the mother of the kohen gadol would bring sustenance and garments to these individuals in the Cities of Refuge, so that they should not pray for the death of her son which event would be cause to release them.
The Zera Shimshon does, though, cite another Medrash Bereishis Rabbah, that states that Hashem is merciful and waits for His people to repent before He metes out Divine retribution. However, the people of Noach’s generation were immoral, and Hashem’s wrath does not tolerate that sin. Noach therefore felt that his prayers would not be effective to merit the nullification of the decree of the Flood.
Reaching out to bring others close to Hashem, and to pray for them, is an integral component of the mitzvah of loving one’s fellow Jew. Our sages teach (Shavuos 39a) that all of Israel are responsible for each other, and it is incumbent upon every individual to be concerned about the spiritual welfare of other members of the Jewish people.
There are two facets to this mitzvah. One is to introduce the other Jew to a mitzvah – to invite him to participate in Shabbos, Pesach, candle-lighting, tefillin, mezuzos and the like. The Zohar states that this is a very high level in the service of Hashem, as we read in Pirkei Avos (1:12), “Be among the disciples of Aharon … loving people and bringing them closer to the Torah.” Our commentators explain that someone who has true love for his fellow Jews will actively try to bring them closer to Yiddishkeit.
The second aspect of the mitzvah is – when one sees another person erring, doing something that is prohibited by the Torah – to gently reproach the individual and appeal to his better nature so that he does not sin. When one motivates another Yid to observe even one mitzvah, that individual will be rewarded each and every time the Yid does that mitzvah. Conversely, if someone does not try to prevent an individual from transgressing, and he could, in fact, have been successful if he tried, he will be held accountable each and every time that Yid commits that sin.
Many people joined the stream of visitors at the nichum aveilim in Yerushalayim of an elderly individual who had passed on. However, none of the mourners recognized one individual who had walked in.
A family member inquired who he was, and the man explained:
“You should know that your father saved my Jewish life. All that I am today is because of him. When I was young, your father was a melamed in a Talmud Torah in America. He was a popular rebbi and well liked by all his students.
“One day, the principal walked out of his office for a few minutes, while my classmates and I were playing in the hall, leaving a one-hundred-dollar bill on his desk. When he returned a few minutes later the money was gone. The principal was, understandably, very angry and the only reasonable explanation was that one of the boys playing outside his office had taken the money. The principal began to cross examine each and every boy. When your father saw the upset and upheaval this was causing among the students, he quickly offered to take over the investigation himself, and promised to report back to the principal. The principal agreed and returned to his office.
“Your father instructed all the boys to line up against the wall and shut their eyes tightly. He then directed all the boys to simultaneously empty their pockets. After a few moments of silence, he allowed us to open our eyes and we returned to the classroom. There was no further discussion after that about the missing money.
“It so happened that the money had been in my pocket. To this day, I will never forget the great wisdom of your father, my rebbi. It would have been a terrible catastrophe if I had been thrown out of the yeshiva. Where would I have gone? What would have happened with me?
“After class, your father called me over quietly and spoke to me softly about what had happened. He understood me, he encouraged me; he strengthened me and inspired me. He reminded me that everyone has moments in life where they may have made the wrong choice, as Shlomo HaMelech saiys (Koheles, 7:20).
“I have no idea what your father told the principal, but I never heard a word about the incident again. My respect for your father knew no bounds. His principles and values became an integral part of my being. I began to be successful in learning and the enhancement of my middos. I married and established a bayis ne’eman b’Yisrael. My children have mesiras nefesh for Torah and mitzvos. This is all in the merit of your great father, z”l.”
