Table Talk

In Parashat Noach we learned that

נֹ֗חַ אִ֥ישׁ צַדִּ֛יק תָּמִ֥ים הָיָ֖ה בְּדֹֽרֹתָ֑יו

“Noach Iesh tzadik tameem haya bedorotav”

Noach was a tzadik - a  righteous and perfect man in his time.

Rashi has a famous commentary on this pasuk. He asks why we need the words “in his time”? because obviously Noach lived “in his time.” He gives two answers. He says that some rabbis say this is to his discredit - that everyone in his time was evil so compared to everyone in his generation he was very righteous, but if he had lived in the time of Avraham he would have been just a regular guy.

However, Rashi continues that some rabbis say that the words “in his time” are to his credit - even though he was surrounded by bad people he still managed to be a good person and do the right thing. He did this without teachers or rabbis to teach him right and wrong, and so that’s why the Torah says he was a tzadik.  

I think the opinion that credits Noach is right because it is really hard to be a good person when you are surrounded by bad people.

One time, one of my friends was getting bullied by the whole class. It seemed like everyone was picking on him. But I know that bullying is wrong, so I decided I would be the only one to stick up for him and I told everyone to leave him alone. That was really hard to do, so I understand how hard it must have been for Noach. I felt good about being able to stick up for my friend.

People in Noach's generation were not good people. The Torah says that they were very violent. So Hashem decided to destroy the bad people and commanded Noach to build an Ark that would hold his family and also two pairs of every non-kosher animal and seven pairs of every kosher animal. Noah also took with him his wife and his three sons Shem, Cham, and Yafet and their wives.

A great flood lasting 40 days and nights covered the earth. After many months, Noach and his family wanted to know if the waters were going down so they sent a raven but it came back. Then they sent a dove and it came back too, but this time with an olive branch. When they saw the branch they knew the flood was over. Hashem then promised Noach and his family that He would never make a flood again and as a symbol of that promise he created the rainbow. Today, whenever it rains and there's a rainbow, we make a special bracha and remember that promise.

When I see a rainbow it reminds me of how God is always protecting us. I love the colors of rainbows. When I see a rainbow I think of when God made a promise to Noach and I feel safe and it makes me feel happy and secure.

Thank you and Shabbat Shalom!