Hidden Treasures

Noah and the Generation of the Flood, part II- נח און דער דור פון מבול

Yet more good things happened when Noach was born: In the time of Lemech (Noach’s father), a famine came upon the earth; as (soon as) Noach was born, the famine and shortage on the earth ceased.

Noach grew up and followed in the path of his grandfather, Metushelach, and he was pious and upright with Gd. But all the people strayed from Gd’s path and did whatever their bad hearts desired, serving false gods and idols teaching the bad path, one to the next.

Because they lived frivolous lives, a depreciation of life occurred and they began to become idle-goers and wasters of time in emptiness and good-for-nothing-ness and satisfied their lusts with many sins. But the Holy One was patient and gracious and deferred his anger in case they should make tshuva, until their sins reached the point of blood-shame and filled the land with sorcery. Then Gd signed their sentence, that they would be erased from the earth.

A hundred years before the flood, when Noach was 498 years old, Hashem commanded him to take a wife. Noach took Na’amah and she bore him three sons: Shem, Cham, and Yefet. The Supernal gave Noach only three sons because He said: “If they turn out to be righteous, I will not impose upon him the burden of building the ark; and if they turn out to be wicked, I will not increase his sadness through the loss of more children in the flood.”

When Gd held back from bringing the flood upon the earth, He called Noach and said to him: “Only you have I found to be righteous in this here generation.” Gd’s angels came and asked, “What has Noach done to find favor in your eyes?” He answered them, “Come and see the difference between Noach and the previous (generations). When Seth’s son Enosh was born, he said that he should provide food for his father, and Enosh agreed to this, but when he wanted him to provide food for his grandfather, Adam, also, Enosh answered: ‘What do I have (to do) with him? My father is enough for me, I cannot take care of my grandfather also.’ And the same thing happened with Kenan and Mahalalel, Yered and Chanoch, Metushelach and Lemech. They did not hand out food except to their fathers alone. And when Noach came into the world and was told that he should provide food for his grandfather, he answered, ‘Tell me where to find all of my kinsmen and their elders, for I will given them food and maintain all of them and serve them all their lives.’” When the angels heard this they understood why Noach was pleasing in Gd’s eyes and they said, “There is no greater tzadik than Noach who does tsedaka and gives hospitality, let it be the will (of Gd) that his tsedaka saves him from death.”