29 Oct NOACH: THE HERO FOR THE SIMPLE PEOPLE THANK GOODNESS, NOACH WAS NO SAINT

Henry Kissinger’s
Suit
There is an old
Jewish anecdote
about former
Secretary of State
Henry Kissinger
who decides to make for himself a
custom-made beautiful three-piece suit of
the finest material. During his next trip to

Italy, he has himself measured by a world-
renown designer, who subsequently gives

him the material for his suit.
When he arrives in Paris and presents the
material to the skilled tailor, the man
measures his body and says: “Sorry, Mr.
Kissinger, but a man your size needs at
least another two inches of material.”
Surprised, Dr. Kissinger continues his
journey to London. There, the tailor says,
“I am sorry, Mr. Secretary of State, but to
turn this into a suit for your physique, I
need another three inches of the material.”
Disappointed, he arrives in Beijing. There
the widely acclaimed Chinese tailor
remarks, “I really don’t understand what
you were thinking, Mr. Kissinger. Your
body is far larger than this material. We
need another five inches.”
An angry Dr. Kissinger arrives in Tel
Aviv. He presents the material to a local
Jewish tailor. The tailor measures him
and says: “You actually don’t need so
much material, but I will cut off some of
it and will turn the remainder of it into a
stunning suit.”
Kissinger is astonished. “Can you explain
this to me,” he asks the tailor. “I have
traveled the world, and everybody claims
that I need much more material. What is
going on here?”
“Oh, it’s quite simple,” the Israeli tailor
responds. “In Italy, you are a big man; in
Paris, you are even a bigger man; in
London, you are a great man, and in
Beijing, you are a giant.
“But here in Israel, you are a small man.”
The Debate on Noah’s Persona
What is nothing but a classic Jewish joke
becomes reality when it comes to one of
the most important figures in the
Tanach—the man who single-handedly
saved civilization: Noach. What the tailor
told Kissinger is what we actually did to

poor Noach. We cut him down half-his-
size, which is both astounding and

problematic.
The Torah states in the opening of this

week’s parsha:
This is the history of Noach. Noach was a
righteous man; he was wholesome in his
generation; Noach walked with G-d.
The Talmud, and Rashi, ever sensitive to
nuance, take note of the fact that the
words, “in his generation” are superfluous.
Obviously, Noach lived and functioned in
his generation. Why could the Torah not
say simply “Noach was a righteous man,
wholesome he was; Noach walked with
G-d?”
The Talmud offers two opposing
explanations. In the words of Rashi:
Among the sages, there are those who
interpret this as praise of Noach: If he was
righteous in his [corrupt] generation,
certainly he would have been even more
righteous had he lived in a generation of
righteous people. Others interpret it
negatively: In relation to his wicked
generation he was righteous; had he been
in Avraham’s generation he would not
have amounted to anything.
Who was Noach? is the question. Was he
really a man of extraordinary stature or
just a cut above the rest? Did G-d save
him because he was a “perfect tzaddik,”
or there was nobody better?
Why Denigrate a Hero?
Yet there is something disturbing about
this discussion. The Torah is clearly
trying to highlight Noach’s virtue. “But
Noach found favor in the eyes of G-d,” is
how the previous parsha concludes. Then,
we have the above verse: “This is the
history of Noach. Noach was a righteous
man; he was wholesome in his generation;
Noach walked with G-d.” Later in the
parsha G-d says to Noach: “I have found
you righteous before Me in this
generation.” G-d, clearly, is trying to
extoll Noach. What drove some Rabbis to
denigrate him and say that relative to
other generations he would amount to
nothing special?
Besides, when you can choose a
complimentary interpretation and
perspective, what drives some to choose a
negative and condescending
interpretation? It runs against the
instructions of the Torah to give people
the benefit of the doubt.
What is more, Noach is the only person in
the entire Tanach who is called a Tzaddik,
a perfectly righteous individual. G-d tells
Noach: “I have found you to be a tzaddik
before me in this generation.” And we,
the Jews, say: Yes, but not really…

There are various
interpretations. One
of my favorite ones
was presented by
the Lubavitcher
Rebbe, Rabbi
Menachem Mendel
Schneerson, in
1964. Not only
were the Rabbis not
trying to minimize
Noach’s virtues;
they actually
wanted to highlight
his praises even
more. Equally important, they were trying
to teach us all a transformative lesson.
Who Can Change the World?
What did Noach accomplish? He saved
all mankind. In the absence of Noach,
humanity would have become extinct
soon after it has begun. Single-handedly
he ensured the continuity of life on earth.
He is the man who builds an ark, rescues
all living organisms, and ensures our
world would survive.
An achievement indeed, if there was ever
one.
And who is the individual who achieves
this feat? A person called by the Torah “a
man of the earth.” The only story the
Torah tells us about Noach, outside of
constructing the Ark and spending a year
in it during the Great Flood, is that he was
a farmer; he planted a vineyard, became
intoxicated, and exposed himself. That’s
all. The last thing we hear about him is
that he lay there in his tent, drunk and
bare.
The Rabbis deduce from the text that
“Noach, also, was of those people who
were wanting in faith: he believed and he
did not believe that the Flood would
come, and he would not enter the Ark
until the waters forced him to do so.”
Noach was a fine man, who lived a
decent, moral life, and tried to do what
G-d wanted, but was not without his
flaws, doubts, and struggles. Compared to
Avraham he would not amount to much.
But look what this simple fellow
achieved! In a society dripping with greed
and temptation, Noach held to his morals,
walked with G-d, and swam against the
tide, saving the planet from destruction.
Civilization survived not because of a
towering, titanic figure; but because of a
simple man who had the courage to live
morally when everyone around him
behaved despicably.

Remarkably, by degrading Noach and
stating that in other generations Noach
would be eclipsed, the Rabbis turned him
into the most inspiring figure, someone
who serves as a model for all of
us ordinary men and women. Noach is

my hero, the hero of the ordinary cut-of-
the-mill individual who is no great

thinker, warrior, leader, or man of
transcendence. By explaining the biblical
text the way they did, the Chochamim
turned Noach into a symbol for us
ordinary people, who appreciate a fine
cup of wine and a little schnaps, how we
can make a difference in people’s lives.
The message of Noach is life-changing.
You don’t need to be Avraham or Moshe
to transform the world. Noach was just
another kid on the block, but look what he
did! With your own courage not to toe the
line of corruption, fakeness, and
falsehood, with a little gentleness,
friendliness, compassion, kindness, and
goodness you can save lives, ignite
sparks, and create an “ark” of sanity
amidst a raging flood.
Noach was not a saint? Thank goodness. I
have heard enough about saints in my
life; now tell me about real people, who
struggle with fear, doubt, and pain. Tell
me about the guy whose IQ was not 180;
he was not valedictorian of his school; he
did not get a full scholarship to Oxford;
he was not a tycoon or bestselling author.
He was not a guru or a holy man. He was
not the greatest warrior, thinker, artist, or
leader. He was just a guy trying to do the
right thing when everyone around him
descended to greed and apathy. And look
what he accomplished.
In the presence of great moral giants, he
might be eclipsed, the Talmud says.
Standing near Avraham he would appear
insignificant. And that is exactly what
made him so significant! He set a standard
for those of us who appear in our own
eyes as insignificant.