From Resistance to Redemption

Here in this powerful piece of analysis, our member Rabbi Paul Bloom parallels the lives and challenges of Noach and Avraham with the middot ascribed to their generations in Pirkei Avot.

Noach: The Righteous Man in His Generations

נֹחַ אִישׁ צַדִּיק תָּמִים הָיָה בְּדֹרֹתָיו, אֶת הָאֱ-לֹהִים הִתְהַלֶּךְ נֹחַ

 “Noach was a righteous man, perfect in his generations; Noach walked with God”   (בראשית ו:ט)

Few figures in the Torah are explicitly described as ‘tzaddik’. The Torah’s introduction of Noach, however, includes a striking qualifier — בְּדֹרֹתָיו, “in his generations.”

Much ink has been spilled over this phrase. Rashi famously cites two views: some interpret it as praise — that, even amid corruption, Noach remained righteous; others, as limitation — that only “in his generations” was he righteous but, compared to Avraham, he would not have stood out.

Yet Midrash Rabbah offers a different and profound perspective. The phrase “in his generations” refers not to comparison, but to context — to the dark and morally decaying generations through which Noach lived and against which his righteousness shone.

שלוש הדורות המקולקלים – The Three Corrupt Generations

The Midrash (בראשית רבה ל:ז) teaches that Noach lived through three particularly depraved generations — each marked by a different form of spiritual collapse:

1.           דור אנוש – The Generation of Enosh

 This was the first generation to turn from faith (אמונה) to idolatry (עבודה זרה). As the Torah says,

 אָז הוּחַל לִקְרֹא בְּשֵׁם ה' (בראשית ד:כו) 

 which Chazal interpret as “then they began to profane the Name of Hashem.”  Humanity shifted from belief in the Creator to the worship of created forces, inaugurating the long history of paganism.

2.           דור המבול – The Generation of the Flood

 The Torah describes this generation as being consumed by desire and corruption:

 (כִּי מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ חָמָס מִפְּנֵיהֶם (בראשית ו:יא

 Their society was driven by ta’avah — unrestrained self-gratification. They took whatever they wanted, without regard for others, leading to theft, immorality, and violence.

3.           דור הפלגה – The Generation of the Tower of Bavel

 These people were motivated by ga’avah — arrogance and hubris. Discovering how to make bricks,

 וַיֹּאמְרוּ הָבָה נִבְנֶה לָנוּ עִיר וּמִגְדָּל וְרֹאשׁוֹ בַשָּׁמַיִם (בראשית יא:ד)

 Their newfound technology bred the illusion of limitless human power. They sought to dominate nature and dethrone Heaven itself. Each generation embodied a different corruption of the human spirit — the idolater’s denial of God, the hedonist’s indulgence in pleasure, and the arrogant’s rebellion through pride.

קִנְאָה, תַּאֲוָה וְכָבוֹד – The Triple Threat

The Mishnah in Pirkei Avot (ד:כח) summarizes these corruptive tendencies in timeless psychological terms:

הַקִּנְאָה וְהַתַּאֲוָה וְהַכָּבוֹד מוֹצִיאִין אֶת הָאָדָם מִן הָעוֹלָם

 “Jealousy, desire, and the pursuit of honor drive a person from the world.”

Each of these drives, when unrestrained, destroys both the individual and society. Yet in moderation, they have a legitimate, even necessary, place in life. A measure of ta’avah is needed for sustenance and family; kavod inspires self-respect; kin’ah — in its positive form — motivates personal growth. But excess turns them toxic. Already in the earliest chapters of Bereishit, we see how they manifest:

●           Kayin, whose name derives from (קָנִיתִי אִישׁ (בראשית ד:א, embodied possessiveness and envy. His jealousy of Hevel led to murder.

●           The Generation of the Flood was destroyed by ta’avah, unbounded lust and greed.

●           The Builders of Bavel were consumed by kavod, imagining that human achievement could replace divine authority.

נֹחַ וְכֹחוֹ לַעֲמֹד בְּנִסָּיוֹן – Noach’s Resistance

The opening verse of Tehillim (א:א) beautifully mirrors these three eras:

אַשְׁרֵי הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא הָלַךְ בַּעֲצַת רְשָׁעִים, וּבְדֶרֶךְ חַטָּאִים לֹא עָמָד, וּבְמוֹשַׁב לֵצִים לֹא יָשָׁב

Chazal (מדרש רבה שם) interpret this verse as follows:

●           לא הלך בעצת רשעים — He did not follow the sinners of the Generation of Enosh.

●           ובדרך חטאים לא עמד — He did not stand with the Generation of the Flood.

●           ובמושב לצים לא ישב — He did not join the Generation of the Tower of Bavel.

Thus, Noach is “fortunate” because he resisted all three corrupt influences.  He walked with God when others mocked faith, indulged the flesh, or glorified human arrogance. As the Rambam writes in Hilchot De’ot (ו:א),

דֶּרֶךְ בְּרִיָּתוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם לִהִימָשֵׁךְ בְּדֵעוֹתָיו וּבְמַעֲשָׂיו אַחֲרֵי רֵעָיו וְאַחֲרֵי אַנְשֵׁי מְדִינָתוֹ

 “It is the nature of man to be influenced by his companions and environment.”

To remain righteous in a corrupt world is, therefore, no small feat.  This was Noach’s greatness — he resisted. But here too lies his limitation. Noach saved himself and his family, but not his generation. He built an ark, not a movement. His righteousness was defensive, not transformative.

אָבְרָהָם – הַשָּׁלָב הַבָּא בַּתִּקוּן – Avraham’s Advancement

With Avraham Avinu, the Torah’s story takes a new direction. Avraham not only resisted the surrounding idolatry; he challenged it. He “called out in the name of Hashem” —

וַיִּקְרָא בְּשֵׁם ה' 

Chazal teach that Avraham traveled from place to place, teaching humanity about the Creator, even at personal risk. His mission was to restore the world’s moral order. Where Noach withstood, Avraham inspired. The Mishnah in Pirkei Avot (ה:יט) contrasts the disciples of Avraham with those of Bil‘am:

כָּל שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ שָׁלוֹשׁ מִדּוֹת הַלָּלוּ – עַיִן טוֹבָה, רוּחַ נְמוּכָה, וְנֶפֶשׁ שְׁפֵלָה – מִתַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ

These three middot directly correspond to the rectification of the earlier corruptions:

●           עַיִן טוֹבָה — a “good eye,” rejoicing in others’ success, rectifies kin’ah (jealousy).

●           נֶפֶשׁ שְׁפֵלָה — modest desires, rectifies ta’avah (lust).

●           רוּחַ נְמוּכָה — humility, rectifies kavod (arrogance).

In Avraham, human nature itself is healed.  He transforms the destructive impulses that ruined the early world into traits of holiness.

מִנֹּחַ לְאַבְרָהָם – From Resistance to Redemption

The Torah’s record of human corruption is not a chronicle of despair, but a moral blueprint. It shows how far mankind can fall — and how far it can rise. Noach was righteous within his world; Avraham was righteous for his world.  Noach preserved; Avraham built.  Noach walked with God; Avraham walked before God (בראשית יז:א), taking initiative to bring others along. The spiritual history of humanity thus moves from survival to mission — from tzaddik bedorotav to av hamon goyim.

By learning these early parshiyot, we see the continuity of moral repair:

• ·       from the corruption of kin’ah, ta’avah, kavod, to their sanctified opposites of ayin tova, nefesh shefeilah, ruach nemuchah.
  
  
• ·       from resistance, to transformation, to redemption.

May we, the children of Avraham, continue his legacy —

• ·       to resist the moral floods of our time,
  
  
• ·       to build arks of Torah and faith,
  
  
• ·       and to call out, like Avraham, in the name of Hashem.

Law, order, justice -- and an open mind: Shofetim 5784

Law and order are the hallmarks of a functioning democratic society. The idea that someone who has suffered damage or hurt can receive fair redress through an equitable system of established justice is central to the concept of a free society that grants individual rights to its citizens. But dictatorships also provide law and order for those who live under their rule—and perhaps rather too much of it. It is in this contrast that we find an eternal contest between an ordered and properly functioning society and respect for an individual’s inherent freedoms and rights. 

Anarchy and dictatorial rule are literally poles apart. The Torah addresses this issue while allowing for a great deal of human and national choice in the matter. The general tenor of Jewish tradition is to be wary of big and powerful government. Avot teaches us not to make ourselves known to government, adding that the nature of government is to demand, albeit in a seemingly benign manner, much from the individual. Thus government appears friendly and helpful when it is for its own benefit to do so—but it may be unavailable to help the individual who is hard pressed and in need of outside help. Even so, Pirkei Avot also stresses the necessity for government and the requirement to pray for its success and welfare, for otherwise civilized life could not exist. As in all matters of human existence, the Torah here demands from us a good sense of proportion, wisdom and sophistication in dealing with government and society. The Torah does not lay down absolute rules, but rather establishes general parameters for righteous judicial systems and equitable standards of law enforcement. 

The Torah is clear in its condemnation of corruption and bias, especially in judicial and legal matters. The poor and the wealthy, the scholar and the unlettered, the well-connected and the unknown—all are to be equal before the eyes of judges and the law. The Torah defines true justice as being the pursuit of righteousness and fairness by just means. No unjust means can be condoned, even in the pursuit of apparently righteous causes. 

The Torah abhors every form of corruption in all forms, basing its attitude on recognition that corruption is a natural state of being for humans. We are all somehow corrupted by our past experiences and our pre-set worldviews. It is interesting to note that, for example, the outcome of many cases brought before the United States Supreme Court is almost always predictable, given that the individual justices reflect strongly held views held before they hear an appeal. They are certainly not corrupt in the criminal sense of the word, but in the world of the Torah they are certainly not free from the taint of corruption. The Torah demands an open mind, a listening ear, flexibility of thought and an understanding of human nature and of the ways of the world from those who would serve as judges of other humans. These qualities are not found in abundance, but they are to be searched for and respected in Jewish life and law. True and absolute justice may be unattainable in this world, but the concept of true justice must always be present in all matters of Jewish law and life. 

Shabbat shalom, Rabbi Berel Wein