17 Oct NOACH: BITACHON

It states (8:11), V’hinei
Aleh Zayis Teref
B’Piah, “The dove had
an olive branch in its
beak.” Rashi says that
Teref has two
translations. It means
either snatched or
food.
If it means food, the
dove was praying to
Hakadosh Baruch
Hu, “Let my food be
bitter like olives, but
from Hakadosh
Baruch Hu’s Hand,
rather than to receive
food that’s sweet like
honey, but given to

me from a human being.”
For close to a year, Noach supported the dove.
With the dove holding the olive branch in its
beak, the dove was pleading to Hashem that
she prefers a bitter parnassah, but from
Hashem’s hand, rather than a sweet parnassah,
with a lot of good food, but having to come on
to the generosity of man.
Following the second translation, Teref means
Chataf, snatched. The pasuk is saying that the
dove grabbed the branch and held it in its
beak.
The Divrei Yisrael explains that both

translations of Teref (snatch and food) work in
tandem to teach us how a person should go
about earning parnassah.
The pursuit for parnassah should be laced with
bitachon, complete trust that Hashem will
help you. Therefore, don’t be anxious, don’t
panic. Even if you are going through
financially challenging times, trust that
Hashem will help. With this attitude, your
parnassah will be sweet like honey. Hashem
will grant you all your needs. Everything will
work out, and it will be without bitterness and
worry. But if you will be anxious and worried
about your parnassah, the pursuit of earning a
living will fill your heart with bitterness.
Furthermore, you might “snatch” and grab the
first job opportunity that comes your way,
even when it isn’t good for you.
So, if a person “snatches” his parnassah,
because he is overly anxious, he will
experience a parnassah that is bitter like
olives. However, when one has bitachon and
patience, his parnassah will be sweet like
honey.
Rashi (7:7) writes “Noach had weak emunah.
He believed, and he didn’t believe, that the
mabul would come. Therefore, he waited, and
didn’t enter the teivah until it began to rain…”
It seems surprising that Noach, the perfect
tzaddik, had doubts in emunah.
The Ohev Yisrael zt’l (quoting Rebbe Michel
of Zlotchev zt’l) says Noach’s emunah was

perfect. Only, he was afraid to believe that
the mabul would come because emunah
could cause the mabul to happen. “Emunah
has two translations: It means to believe, and
it means to raise, as it states (Esther 2:7),
‘Mordechai raised Esther.’ Because when one
believes in something, this raises it and
causes it to happen. Noach believed in
Hashem with all his heart and soul, but he
was afraid to believe that the flood would
come.
He feared his belief might cause it to happen.
Rashi writes that believed [in Hashem], but he
was afraid to believe without a doubt that
Hashem will bring the mabul, because perhaps
his belief will cause the mabul to come.
We similarly understand that when one has
Emunah and bitachon that Hashem will help
him, his Emunah will cause it to happen. For
example, if one trusts that Hashem will
support him and his family, it will occur.
It states (6:13), “Hashem said to Noach, ‘The
termination of all life has come before me
because the world is filled with theft. I will
destroy them from the earth.’”
Rashi explains that there were other aveiros.
They were guilty of arayos and avodah zarah,
too. But the decree was sealed because of
theft.
People steal when they lack emunah, because
those who have emunah know that Hashem
will support them, and they know that it is

impossible to receive more than the amount
Hashem decreed for them. Noach’s generation
stole because they didn’t believe in Hashem.
Noach, on the other hand, believed in Hashem.
As it states (Bereishis 6:7). “Noach found
favor in Hashem’s eyes.” Some explain that
he had chen because he believed that
everything happens by Hashem’s hashgachah.
Furthermore, the Chareidim (Mitzvas Asei 1)
writes, “Noach was extremely calm and
tranquil. As it states, “V’Noach Matzah Chen
B’Einei Hashem (Noach means calm)…
Noach is written three times in the first pasuk
of the parashah, because Noach was
extraordinarily calm and composed in the way
he spoke, walked, and executed his deeds.”
His calmness was rooted in his emunah in
Hashem. In this manner, he was completely
different than his generation, who lacked
emunah, and because of his emunah and chen,
he was saved from the flood.