where’s the passion?
I am hesitant to quote this Chasam Sofer because I only saw it quoted second hand and have not been able to find it inside, so buyer beware. It’s a nice pshat anyway : ) The Midrash comments on the doubling of the name Noach in the first pasuk in the parsha, “Eileh toldos Noach, Noach ish tzadik, tamim haya b’dorosav,” that Noach was “neicha l’elyonim v’neicha l’tachtonim,” he was viewed pleasantly both by Heaven and by his fellow man (see Baal haTurim). B’pashtus, you can’t ask for a bigger compliment than that. Chasam Sofer, however, says exactly the opposite. Avraham did not care about pleasanties when he demanded of G-d, “Chalila l’cha, ha’shofet kol ha’aretz lo yaaseh mishpat?!” Moshe Rabeinu did not care about pleasantries when he went to bat on behalf of Klal Yisrael and argued with Hashem to not punish them. David haMelech did not care about pleasantries when he said, “Anochi chatasi… v’eileh ha’tzon meh asu?” (Shmuel II 24:17). Being a tzadik sometimes means arguing with G-d, not going along passively with the program. And the same, kal v’chomer, holds true when dealing with other people. Avraham smashed idols, Moshe Rabeinu called out the people when they did wrong, Eliyahu haNavi gave mussar. Being a tzadik will not necessarily win you a popularity contest, and that’s as it should be. Noach was “ish tzadik b’dorosav,” he wanted to get along with everybody, and “es ha’Elokim hishalech Noach,” he didn’t want to challenge G-d either. The result is that those around him took no heed of his example and continued to do wrong, and G-d was not assuaged and brought a flood to destroy the world. Noach, Noach — both are strikes against him.
These days the message everybody preaches is that the job of our Rabbis and leaders is to make sure everybody feels welcome, happy, warm and fuzzy. We have so much noach going around it’s incredible. G-d forbid anyone should actually try to tell someone that what they are doing is wrong and needs to change — oh no, that could only be done in past generations, not today. If you are a rebbe or a Rav and see a group of teenagers dressed in sweatpants and T shirts on Shabbos on the way to play ball, the response is not to speak to them about Shabbos (then or at some other time), but aderaba, you are supposed to join the game, to show them that you are one of the boys, because only then will you be able to influence them. And then you wonder why after 4 years of high school and over 100k in tuition these same boys probably wont keep Shabbos much better or know how to read a piece of gemara. Am I wrong?
R’ Yehudah Deri puts together the Midrash which blames Noach for the flood because he did not give tochacha and the Rashi (7:) that says אף נח מקטני אמנה היה, מאמין ואינו מאמין שיבא מבול, ולא נכנס לתיבה עד שדחקוהו המים. If you truly believe something, then you are passionate about it and can’t help but speak out and share your views. Noach was “mi’ktanei emunah,” and when you need convincing yourself, you don’t stand much chance of convincing others.
(Parenthetically, everybody asks and I’ve posted about it before: how can Rashi describe someone who the Torah calls a “tzadik tamim” as “mi’ktanei emunah”? R’ Yitzhok of Vorke reads the Rashi like this: אף נח מקטני אמנה היה מאמין Noach believed in those of small faith, meaning the people of his generation, ואינו מאמין שיבא מבול and therefore he did not accept that G-d would destroy the world.)
A certain person was all over the Jewish news last week, some people in favor of his actions, some opposed to his actions. I was at a wedding this week and this guy was there and he was like a rock star, the way some people gathered around him for pictures, to talk to him to shake his hand.
What is this guy’s secret? Why do people respond to him?
I think the answer is one word: passion. You may disagree with what he did, with how he expressed it, but you can’t take away the fact that he showed passion. Everyone else was busy being Noach, neicha to this politician, neicha to that entity, etc. sending the usual mealy mouthed letters that say nothing and mean nothing. Is that all you can do when your yeshivos and shuls are having locks put on the doors??? In case it’s not clear, that does not mean rioting in the street is necessarily the best idea, but if that’s not the answer, then find some other way to at least show some passion for what you believe in! Mordechai did not send a mealy mouthed letter to Achashveirosh — it was “sak v’eifer yutzah la’rabim.” When you read those words in the nigun of Eicheh you get the message: this is a tragedy that’s unfolding. Do we even think anymore that putting a lock on a beish medrash is a tragedy, or have we lost our feelings completely? If closing down our shuls and yeshivos is not enough to spur the community to grave action — whether it is civic action or religious action in considering why Hashem is allowing this to happen — what will???
“Va’ya’as Noach k’chol asher tzivahu Hashem.” Ksav Sofer explains that Noach did whatever he was commanded: he did the 7 mitzvos given to Adam, and he built the ark just as he was commanded. But that gufa is the problem with Noach! A command like “Build an ark because the world is going to be destroyed” is not a command like any other command. Those words should have sent a jolt through Noach’s system.
There are tents in people’s backyards not too far from where I live that are even bigger I think than the shul I daven in. A person can say who cares if they close the shul — I’ve got where to go. I’m still doing what I have to do. The problem is not that we are not doing what we are supposed to do — “Vayaas Noach k’chol asher tzivahu Hashem.” The problem is where’s the jolt, where are the tears, where’s the feeling that our chiyus is being taken from us?
Where’s the passion?