In parshas Noach, Hashem considers destroying His newly created world. Society had grown corrupt to the point that man’s immorality affected the animal kingdom, and there was little hope anything would change. The only solution seemed to be to hit the reset button on all of existence.
There was, however, one glimmer of light, a righteous man named Noach who held steadfast to decency; studying the ways of G-d and practicing them in the face of a generation of scorners. Hashem commanded Noach to build a large boat to save him from the flood which would soon destroy the world, an ark which took 120 years to build.
Rashi explains that this lengthy building period was a ploy to get the generation to fix their ways. Hashem hoped that when the populace saw Noach out working on this boat they would ask him what he was doing and he would warn them of the world’s imminent destruction. Perhaps this would cause them to become fearful and repent. As the Torah records, this plan was regrettably unsuccessful.
As the rain started to fall the verse tells us, “Noach entered the Ark because of the waters of the flood.” Rashi comments on these words, saying, “Noach, too, was of those with little faith…as he did not enter the Ark until the waters of the flood compelled him.”
Here the Berditchever Rebbe (in his sefer Kedushas Levi) asks two questions. First, how could Chazal say Noach was weak in his faith when the Torah explicitly testifies that he was a tzadik? Second, Chazal teach that if a tzadik prays to nullify a Heavenly decree he is met with certain success. Why didn’t Noach pray for his generation?
The Berditchever answers both questions with the following astounding idea. He explains that there are two types of tzadikim in the world. The first tzadik spends every moment of his life serving G-d on the highest levels, and, aware of his stature and ability to affect the upper worlds, he prays for the nullification of harsh decrees as is necessary. The second tzadik also serves Hashem all his life, but considers himself to be so entirely worthless that he doesn’t think he can truly make a difference. Thus, he doesn’t try to shake the heavens with his prayers.
Noach was of the second category of tzadikim. Yes, he was a complete tzadik as the Torah testifies, but as Rashi says “Noach, too, was of those with little faith.” Says the holy Berditchever, this comment refers not to Noach’s faith in G-d, but rather to Noach’s faith in himself! Noach had very little faith in himself. He didn’t believe his prayers could truly make a difference. On the contrary, since he considered himself to be wicked just like the rest of the generation, he reasoned, “If I am going to be saved in the Ark and I am no more righteous than anyone else, they too will be saved!” “Noach was of those with little faith” — he didn’t believe in himself or in his tremendous power of prayer at all.
Could you imagine if Noach would have believed in his prayers? Had Noach believed in himself, he could have saved the entire world!
Each and every one of us encompasses the world of our complex identity. Our job in life is to “rescue” that inner world and help it flourish and grow, to pick up the broken pieces of the past and build the most beautiful masterpiece of the future. But there is only one way to ensure our success in this mission: to learn from the mistake of Noach, who, as holy as he was, did not prevent the destruction of an entire generation.
We must believe in ourselves so strongly! We need to believe that if G-d is giving us life each second it is for good reason; that if we are here it is because we belong here, that we can make use of our unique abilities to triumph in our tailor-made struggles and grow to towering heights! We must know that each of us has a special light to shine in the world, the unique ability to leave the world just a little bit more beautiful than the one into which we were born.
Rebbe Tzaddok HaKohen of Lublin writes that just as a Jew is obligated to believe in G-d, so is he obligated to believe in himself! Similarly, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov teaches how important it is for a Jew to have faith that he is precious in the eyes of Hashem and that no matter what he has broken throughout his life, there remains the ever-present ability to fix. The Berditchever writes elsewhere:
“If a person gives up on himself and thinks that Hashem has no pleasure from his service, although he may think himself to be quite humble, this is not called humility at all; on the contrary, it leans a bit toward heresy.”
Noach’s problem was that he did not realize how special and significant he was. As a result, he stood by and watched as the world was completely destroyed. Let us not make the same mistake. Let us realize that we are so amazing, imbued with incredible abilities to accomplish the most tremendous things. I like to view each human being as a special window through which G-d’s light shines into the world. No two windows are tinted with the same hue; the job couldn’t be complete without each person’s presence. Standing together, all members of the Jewish nation combine to form one enormous window, the perfect conduit to bring Hashem’s light to the world, to be a “Light unto the nations.” If even one individual were missing, the window would stand incomplete.
Let us utilize the life Hashem constantly sends us to do all we can in the effort to save both our individual inner worlds and the outer world we all share, making them places of beauty and growth, places of peace and holiness. May Hashem help us to believe that we are each unique windows, and give us the strength to utilize our particular talents and abilities for the purpose of bringing Hashem’s light into the world in a way that only we could do.
In Summary: If we are to succeed in avodas Hashem and complete our life’s mission, we must always believe in ourselves, reminding ourselves of how precious we are to Hashem and what an important role we play in the great master plan of creation.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 55 Berditchever Yahrtzeit Edition.
