by Rabbi Daniel Huebner

This week's Torah reading concerns Noah and the flood. Noah was a righteous man, but he was not a good man because he was indifferent to others. He was righteous, but not compassionate. The Torah describes Noah as "a man who walked with G-d." G-d told Noah, I chose you "because I see that you are righteous before me." Both passages describe Noah as a man who was righteous before G-d, but not one who went out of his way to help others.

The Torah tells us that Noah was righteous in his generation, a generation of corruption of every type. Our sages point out that the Torah is being precise. Noah was the best that his generation had to offer, but had he lived in Abraham's generation, he would not have been considered righteous. Why did our sages compare Noah to Abraham and not to any of the other Jewish greats?

On the surface, the answer is that Abraham lived soon after Noah. In fact, Abraham was fifty-eight years old when Noah passed on. By some accounts, Abraham was also Noah's student. By comparing Noah to Abraham, the Torah points out that the student bested the teacher. But that is not the only reason.

The main reason is that Abraham excelled at compassion. He was a pious, holy man. He had a passionate, fiery soul. His love for G-d was unparalleled. His commitment to G-d was beyond repute. But what Abraham is known for more than anything else is his love and concern for everyone, even the sinners.

When G-d told Noah that the sinners in his generation would be wiped out by the flood, Noah did not object or pray for their welfare. By contrast, when Abraham was informed by G-d that the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah would die, he immediately prayed for their welfare. This is why Noah was compared to Abraham and found lacking.

This helps us to understand a part of the story of Noah. G-d told Noah to build a giant ark and collect every species of animal in it. They would remain in this dank, closed environment for more than a year, during which they would have no rest, caring for the animals day and night.

They survived, but they also suffered; no breath of fresh air for more than twelve months. They cared for every type of animal for a full year. This seems to have been unnecessary.

The Talmud tells us that though the entire world flooded, no rain fell on Israel. It was as if Israel were surrounded by levies that kept the water out. By most accounts, Noah lived in Israel. This raises a simple question. Why didn't G-d save Noah by instructing him to remain in Israel? The floodwaters from other countries surged into Israel, but he could have found a high, dry mountaintop in Israel on which to settle.

If G-d wanted Noah to save the animals, He could have instructed him to build a large zoo atop the mountain and bring the animals there. That would have been so much easier. Why did G-d not do that?

The answer is that indifference and neutrality are not kosher. As Eli Weisel famously said, indifference is the opposite of love. Noah was not innocent. He did not deserve to die in the flood, but neither did he deserve to sit out the flood in luxury and comfort.

Noah built invisible walls around himself, separating himself from his corrupt generation, and lived in the isolation of indifference. G-d responded in kind and isolated him in the ark. In the ark, Noah felt claustrophobic, as if in isolation, and cried to G-d to save him from imprisonment. Now he understood the price of isolation, and would never isolate again.

One way to cure indifference is to experience suffering. Noah never suffered a day in his life and was not conditioned to feel suffering in others. Poor people who grow wealthy never forget what it was like to be poor. People who suffer and recover never lose their empathy and compassion.

G-d taught Noah an invaluable lesson. Don't be indifferent to the suffering of others. Don't sit back and enjoy your comforts while the world is dying. Get up and do something. Feel their pain. Get into an ark with its dank air for a year, take care of all the animals' needs and be desperate for salvation. Then, you will stop feeling indifferent. Then you will feel the suffering of others.

Indeed, our sages taught that when Noah emerged from the ark and saw the devastation, he broke down and cried. For the very first time in his life, he felt the suffering of others. He felt their absence. He mourned their death.

The horrific images and video footage coming out of Israel, of the heinous Simchat Torah massacre perpetrated by the terrorists against Jews in Israel on Shabbat, October 7, stir revulsion and empathy. Our brethren are suffering. It has to feel as if I am suffering.

The other important lesson is that Israel is a safe zone secured by G-d. Yes, danger spills into it from beyond its borders as it did during the flood and as it did on Simchat Torah. But when its borders are secure, the country is safe. The Torah describes Israel as "a place upon which G-d's eyes are directed from the beginning of the year until the end of the year."

Let us pray that G-d bless the efforts of Israel's defense force so that sanity and safety are restored to the Holy Land.

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Rabbi Daniel and Raizel Huebner moved to San Miguel from New Jersey in 2018 with their family to start Chabad SMA. They enjoy living in San Miguel and integrating with the community through classes, Jewish activities and social events.

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