"Noach was a righteous man in his generations."
Rashi brings the divided opinions of our Sages regarding
Noach. Some maintain that his righteousness was absolute;
others, that it was relative to his generation. If, in his
generation, which was wicked enough to warrant total
annihilation, he maintained his righteousness, how much
greater would he have been in the generation of Avrohom! On
the other hand, it might be said to his detriment that only
in contrast to his generation could he be considered
righteous, whereas if he had been juxtaposed with Avrohom he
would have been insignificant.
We are too puny to philosophize on this matter for this is a
subject for far greater heads. We do see, however, something
important: that a person is not always judged according to
his circumstances, that is, his relative state of
righteousness can even be an accusation rather than praise.
In Avrohom's generation, Noach would have been a
"nothing."
The Torah is trying to tell us, in other words, that a person
must try to rise above his environment, above the norm of his
generation. He must not settle for being on par with the rest
or just a bit better, but must strive for the maximum of his
own human capability, his own individual potential and
capacity. If he does not do this, but is satisfied with
relative goodness, he is blamed.
One may argue that "Noach found favor in the eyes of Hashem,"
but this is not enough. If he could have achieved more -- and
failed to do so -- he is to be faulted.
Avrohom Ovinu attained a higher level. He fought Hashem's
battle. The tests he underwent reached all the way to Heaven;
they challenged him to the limit and he prevailed. But he did
not rest; he did not stand still. He forged forward along the
path he blazed for himself, through fire and blood. He rose
to a level that far exceeded the capacity of his generation.
No word of censure could be found against Avrohom, no
shortcoming whatsoever.
We find it stated regarding many tanoim that they were
worthy of divine revelation of the level of Moshe Rabenu or
Yehoshua, but this was withheld from them because their
generation was not sufficiently deserving. We see, then, that
they surpassed their contemporaries to reach a much higher
degree. This must teach us that a person must not take into
account the level of his environment and tailor his
aspirations accordingly, or suffice with achievements
comparable to that degree or just a bit beyond. A man is
obligated to use his G-d-given powers to their ultimate, to
independently maximize his talents and resources for the
service of Hashem.
One must always bear in mind what Mesilas Yeshorim
establishes in the beginning of the work: "The basis of
superlative righteousness . . . is for a person to clarify
and realize what his duty is on earth. Chazal taught us that
man was created to revel in the bliss of Hashem and take
pleasure in the glow of His Shechina." This is a great
obligation, indeed. One must not suffice with relative
achievement measured against that of others. In order to
reach a level of taking pleasure in the Divine Presence,
appreciating such a degree of spirituality, one must absorb a
great deal of mussar and work upon oneself not to rest
on laurels and suffice with plateaus that fall short of what
one can achieve if he is energetically propelled.
Those Sages who maintain that Noach should be judged
favorably in the context of his generation seek to teach us a
wondrous lesson as well. What was his praise? That even in a
generation as sinfully doomed as his, he stood his ground.
While the rest degenerated to the point that they deserved
total extermination, Noach maintained his innocence, purity,
steadfastness and righteousness. This is to his great credit.
Even the Torah concedes this as significant praise. We must
conclude how laudable it is, how rewarding, when one can
remain unaffected by a harmful environment.
For the sake of truth, one must combine both of these
approaches into a cohesive outlook, for "These and those are
the words of a living G-d." Noach was not as great as he
could have been and, compared to Avrohom, he would have been
insignificant, which is to his detriment. Still, what he did
achieve was of great credit, for he had much more difficult
circumstances to contend with and great obstacles to
overcome. His generation had fallen to such a nadir that
there was no recourse for them but oblivion.
This should teach us how to conduct ourselves. We must
realize that when times are difficult, every little gain in
spirituality is a positive step forward and to be highly
commended. It is of great value and Heaven certainly takes
this into account.
On the other hand, we must realize equally that in the face
of the duties imposed upon each and every person, it is
condemnable and unpardonable for him to suffice with a little
-- even if in comparison to his contemporaries it can be
considered praiseworthy -- when he is capable of achieving
much more. A person must strive and keep on striving,
according to his capacity, and not glance sideways to see if
he is still one step ahead and be happy with that.
This is what the novi says: "And the envy of Efraim
will disappear." The rise of Klal Yisroel will not be
relative to that of others in a way that when they see that
they are one rung higher they will relax their spiritual
momentum and perhaps march in place. Rather, when the envy is
removed each one will strive to rise in an absolute manner,
according to his own capacity and not to his context. And
this will be limitless, for one can always aspire higher in
taking pleasure in the spirituality of Hashem and the bliss
of basking in His Divine Presence.
(Tvuna Marcheshvan 5710-1950)
