Noach (2): Be a Man

"אלה תולדות נח, נח איש צדיק, תמים היה בדורותיו, את האלקים התהלך נח"

This is the legacy of Noach. Noach was a man who was righteous, wholesome in his generation. Noach went with the Lord.

All of the Sefarim HaKedoshim and the Mefarshim are busy explaining all of the nuances of this Passuk: The difference between Tzadik and Tamim, his wholesomeness in his own generation compared to that of another, walking with Hashem as opposed to before Him - there is a ton to notice.

The Lev Simcha of Ger points out that one crucial title in the Passuk goes unnoticed.

R' Simcha Bunim Alter, fifth Rebbe
of Ger and author of the Lev Simcha

In our morning Tefilos, there is a passage that says the following: לעולם יהא אדם ירא שמים בסתר ובגלוי ומודה על האמת ודובר אמת בלבבו. Forever shall a man be fearful of heaven in private and public. He shall admit to what is true and only speak truth in his heart. The Poilishe Rebbes taught us to read the passage slightly differently: לעולם יהא אדם, First and foremost be a Mentch, a normal and balanced human. Then progress to all of the Ma'alos of ירא שמים and so on.

People who are trying to grow often get caught up in "shtick". They need a lot of stuff to feel frum. There is a place for all of that. It's even true that sometimes we need a little boost to help us get into things. הלב נמשך אחר המעשה. But growth comes in stages. Yiras Shomayim is not a nullification of self, with goal of replacing the human psyche with that of an angel. Yiras Shomayim and Tzidkus and Temimus and all of the great titles are levels that can only be built on the strong foundation of being a person. A real person. Once normalcy is attained all of the gates open up.

Says the Rebbe, the same is true of Noach. In a generation replete with sub-human behavior Noach was a beacon of sanity. A world of rape and pillaging had within its ranks one moral man who sought to be healthy. From there everything else unfolded.

We often say דרך ארץ קדמה לתורה, basic morality must come before serious spiritual Hasagos. We know the world contains three basic phases, each consisting of two thousand years. The first two thousand are referred to as the שני אלפים תותו, the two thousand abysmal years. They concluded with Noach. The next phase is the שני אלפים תורה, two thousand years of Torah, which means Godly awareness. This begins Avraham Avinu.

The first stage of anarchy ends with Noach, who prepares the world to receive Avraham. This is the hidden meaning of דרך ארץ קדמה לתורה.

In the same way that that we re-read לעולם יהא אדם, so too shall we re-read our Passuk. אלה תולדות נח, נח איש. Noach's legacy was that he was a Mentch. After that he was also a Tzadik and Tamim. But his most memorable accomplishment was his being and איש. He was the man.