29 Oct NOACH: WE NEED TO KNOW HOW WE AFFECT THE PEOPLE AROUND US

The first pasuk in Parashat
Noach describes him as an
Ish Tzaddik – “righteous
man,” and also as Tamim,
which means “pure,” or
“innocent.” Later, however,
we read that when Hashem
brought the flood, He told Noach to enter
the ark Ki Otcha Raiti Tzaddik L’fanai
B’dor Hazeh – “for I have seen that you
are righteous in this generation.”
The commentaries raise the question of
why Noach is first described as both an
Ish Tzaddik and as a Tamim but is then
described only as a Tzaddik. If he was
both a Tzaddik and a Tamim, then why is
he called only a Tzaddik the second time?
One answer given is that it’s wonderful to
be both a Tzaddik and a Tamim in our
own lives, with regard to ourselves, but
B’dor Hazeh (“in this generation”), in our
dealings with other people, we must not
be Tamim; we should be only Tzaddik.
The word Tamim, as mentioned, denotes
purity and innocence. These are, of course,
important qualities to strive for. We should
act righteously and trust Hashem with

simple, pure, innocent faith. However,
when we engage with people, we cannot
be perfectly pure and innocent. People are
complex, and fragile, and things we say
and do – however well-intentioned – can
cause them pain. If we are too Tamim, too
pure and innocent, we will be unable to
properly understand people, and we will
thus be unable to deal with them in a kind,
sensitive manner. Simplicity is not a
virtue. We cannot be so simplistic as to

say that we didn’t realize that such-and-
such remark hurt somebody’s feelings. We

cannot be so innocent that we cannot
understand the complexities of people’s
emotions, how easily they are hurt. We
need to be smart enough to understand the
impact of our words and actions on the
people around us.
The Rambam describes the way that one
was to treat his servant, back in ancient
times, when people would have servants
who were, in a sense, their property. He
writes, a master is not permitted to cause
the servant humiliation, “neither with his
hand, nor with words.” The Rambam adds
that one may not speak angrily or shout at
the servant, and must instead speak to him

pleasantly. It is noteworthy that
the Rambam forbids
humiliating a servant not only
by insulting him, but also with
his hand. This might mean that
even simply making a gesture
with one’s hand, expressing
disdain for the servant, is not
allowed.
Our facial expressions and
body language are important
methods of communication. Not
only do our words impact upon other
people’s feelings, but so do the way we
look at them, our hand motions, and other
gestures. When interacting with people,
we must not be Tamim, simpleminded,
failing to consider how we emotional
affect the people around us.
This is especially relevant to
employers. People who pay others to
work for them often feel entitled to
embarrass their workers, or to shout at
them, to speak to them in a manner that
makes them feel inferior. As the Rambam
taught us, we are commanded to respect
the feelings of even those under our

charge. Even in ancient times, when
people owned servants, it was not
permissible to embarrass them or to get
angry them. Certainly, then, we must be
careful how we speak to our workers
nowadays. We must recognize that,
ultimately, we are all the servants of
Hashem, and nobody has the right to make
anybody else feel inferior.
We can’t be Tamim. Whenever we speak
to others, whether at home, at work, at
community events, or anywhere else, we
must think carefully about how we are
affecting their feelings, and speak to them
with the kind of respect that we would
want them to show us.