29 Oct PARASHAT NOAH: NOAH’S ATONEMENT

Parashat Noah tells
the well-known story
of the flood which
G-d brought upon the
world to destroy all
of mankind, sparing only Noah and his
family.
The previous Parasha, Parashat Bereshit,
concludes by telling us that as the rest of
the world became wicked and immoral,
“Noah found favor in the eyes of G-d”
(Bereshit 6:8). Rav Moshe Alshich
(Tzefat, 1508-1593) finds it significant
that when the Torah speaks of Noah
earning G-d’s grace, it refers to G-d
with the Name of “Havaya,” which
signifies G-d’s attribute of kindness
and compassion. The implication of the
verse, the Alshich explains, is that Noah
did not truly deserve G-d’s grace, and it
was only because of G-d’s great mercy
that Noah was judged favorably and
spared.
The reason why Noah did not truly
deserve to be saved, the Alshich writes,
is found in the opening verse of Parashat
Noah. There we are told, “Et Ha’Elokim

Hit’halech Noah” – “Noah walked with
G-d.” Meaning, Noah acted righteously,
but he remained “with G-d.” He did
not go out to the people in an attempt to
influence and uplift them. He focused
only on his own piety, his own spiritual
achievements, without expending efforts
to make an impact on his contemporaries.
It was thus only through G-d’s kindness
and compassion that he was spared.
Indeed, as the Alshich cites, the Midrash
(Bereshit Rabba 30:10) notes that in this
same verse, the Torah describes Noah as
having been righteous “Be’dorotav” –
“in his generations.” Noah was righteous
only by the standards of his time; had he
lived in the times of Moshe or Shmuel,
the Midrash comments, he would not
have been considered righteous. The
Alshich explains that both Moshe and
Shmuel worked tirelessly to teach and
guide. The Torah in Parashat Yitro
(Shemot 18:13) tells that Moshe spent his
days with the people, who brought their
questions and disputes to him to resolve.
And in the Book of Shmuel I (7:16-17),
we read that each year, Shmuel would
travel throughout the country to offer

guidance and instruction.
The Alshich writes that
Noah did neither. The
people did not come to
him, and he did not reach
out to the people. He
was righteous only “Et
Ha’Elokim,” with regard
to his own relationship
with Hashem, without
trying to make an impact
on others.
The Alshich adds that
this is why G-d decided
that Noah would be saved specifically
by spending a year in an ark. This was
a dreadful ordeal, as Noah remained
trapped for twelve months, unable to
leave, and even unable to sleep, as he was
responsible for feeding the animals, who
eat at different times. In fact, the Midrash
compares the ark to a “prison.” The
Alshich writes that the year Noah spent
in the ark parallels the twelve months
that the wicked spend receiving their due
punishment in Gehinam. G-d alludes to
this aspect of the ark in His command
that Noah plaster the ark’s interior and

exterior with tar: “Ve’chafarta” (6:14).
This word means “cover,” but also
alludes to “Kapara” – atonement. The
suffering Noah endured throughout the
period spent in the ark served not only
to protect him and his family from the
flood, but also to atone for his failure to
reach out to the people of his generation.
We are here not only to serve G-d
ourselves, but also to try to make an
impact, to influence and inspire the
people around us, to do our part in leading
the entire world to the belief in Hashem
and to the fulfillment of His will.