NOACH

Noach was first called "a righteous man," and here he was called "a man of the land." Chazal have juxtaposed that our teacher Moshe was first called "an Egyptian man," and in the end he was called "the man of G-d."

In the same midrash the rabbis interpert the words "Noach began" -- which read in Hebrew "Vayachel Noach" -- according to a different meaning of the verb. They render the meaning: "Noach profaned himself and he became profane." And then he was called "a man of the land."

It seems that we are being taught that a person has an obligation every day to advance, to ascend, and never to falter. He must not allow himself to become satiated and complacent. Otherwise, he will not merely stay in place, but he will descend.

Our sages have taught, "The day is short, but the amount of work is great." Although "you are not obligated to finish the work," nevertheless, "you are not free to desist from it."

On any day in his life a person cannot allow his aspirations to stop and stand still. The moment a person ceases to aspire to ascend, to go in the right way, to become "a righteous man," then he immediately descends into the profane and becomes "a man of the land." This is a direct consequence of his willingness to stand in place, as the Vilna Gaon said, "If a person does not ascend to the highest heights, then he necessarily descends to the lowest depths."

This same reasoning clarifies the sages description of the difference between a man and an angel based on the verse, "I will give you places to walk among these that are standing" (Zecharia 3:7). A man "goes," whereas an angel "stands."

Furthermore, one of the outcomes of the vineyard which Noach planted was that he became drunk, and then his son, "Cham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness..." (Gen. 9:22). Some of our sages interperted this to mean that Cham prevented his father from having any more children. He stopped Noach's ability to increase and multiply.

The ability to "be fruitful and multiply" exemplifies growth in all the aspects of the physical plane of our lives. Once Noach profaned himself and desisted from the ambition to grow spiritually, he was prevented as well from increasing physically. Once a person feels content and self-satisfied with his spiritual level of devotion and learning, once he abandons the resolve to grow in Torah and mitzvot, then he will also cease to grow on the physical level.

It stands to reason that the converse of this rule is also true, since the aspect of goodness in the world is greater than its opposite. Therefore, it stands to reason that when a person does not weaken in his resolve to advance spiritually, then he also merits to increase and multiply on the physical plane as well.

THE WORDS OF OUR MOUTH

MASHIV HARUACH U'MORID HAGASHEM MAKE THE WIND TO BLOW AND THE RAIN TO COME DOWN

This is based on the verse, "...He makes His wind to blow and the waters flow" (Psalms 147:18).

It is called "the powerful rain." Every drop falls from a very high place, but the winds do not disperse them. Rather, every drop falls to the place that G-d wants it. This displays tremendous power.

(Anaf Yosef)

Why do we use the definite article in both places: "the wind" and "the rain"? The reason is that not every wind brings rain, and not every rain sustains life. G-d appoints the wind which will bring the rain that sustains life.

(Iyun Tefillah)

STORIES OF OUR SAGES

In the same way the Chofetz Chaim interperted the verse, "My help will come from G-d who makes heaven and earth" (Psalms 121:2). "From G-d" is not written as one word "mi-hashem," but two words "mai-im hashem." This addition, according to the Chofetz Chaim, can be construed to mean: "My help will come from one who is with G-d...." In other words, King David prayed that G-d should send him help through a righteous and worthy person. Although G-d could send help in any manner, King David wanted it to come through one who is with G-d.

The following story shows how careful the Chofetz Chaim behaved in line with this teaching. It was once necessary to send a mission to the Polish government to intercede against a decree which would have been very damaging to the yeshivot in Poland. The Chofetz Chaim was very careful about who should be appointed to the mission. He said that in any mission for the benefit of the community it is first necessary to influence the messenger to make sure that he thinks that the subject of the mission pertains to him personally, like his own livelihood. "First you must work on the messenger alone," he was wont to say.

His intention was to make sure that the messenger would devote himself entirely to the mission. For this reason the Chofetz Chaim himself went on many missions, and he would not choose anyone to be the messenger.

Another story of the Chofetz Chaim will depict a further extension of this teaching. Once, in the year 5684 (1924), the Chofetz Chaim came to the city of Gradnow for the convention of the Va'ad Yeshivot. Many people came to see him and to ask him to pray for them. He told them, "My children, for what reason are you asking me to pray for you? You know that it is the desire of a father that his sons should personally bring their requests before him, and not through any messengers. It is the same with our father in heaven. G-d wants every Jew to personally come before Him and to pour out his heart.

"Maybe some of you feel that sometimes the father is a bit angry with them. I can guarantee you that this is not the case with G-d. It is much easier for us to appease Him than it is for us to be appeased about Him. He is waiting and looking forward for us to turn to Him. My dear brothers, pray to G-d yourselves for your tranquility, happiness and benefit."

EDUCATING OUR CHILDREN

The fear of G-d should be on your face. Meditation upon the Torah should be in your mouth day and night. Anyone who does not persist in the study of Torah will have to account for his bitul Torah at the end of his life. Besides Torah, everything else is vanity. You must be an extremist in avoiding bitul Torah. Read Torah day and night, and say its words with all your might.

Put away rage and anger, and then your Torah will be guarded as Chazal said, "arranged and guarded."

My precious son, do you not know that the years of youth are the best of life, and one hour of bitul Torah in that time is a great sin. It is "A crookedness which cannot be made straight, and a deficiency which cannot be completed" (Eccl. 1:15). Yesterday will never return. And one day of youth when learning is imprinted upon the heart is like a year when you are older. The learning of youth is never forgotten, as our trustworthy sages said, "To what is the teaching of a child compared? It is like writing with ink on new paper." It is quickly absorbed and hard to erase. The learning of youth will make a person full and overflowing, like a spring continuously gushing forth from the source of wisdom new innovations. The voice of such a person is heard when he comes to holy things.

The Pele Yo'etz is a famous mussar sefer written by Rabbi Eliezer Pappo. It discusses topics according to alphabetical order. The following is an excerpt from the entry "bachur," i.e., youth.

It is written, "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth..." (Eccl. 12:1). Youth is the finest time for serving G-d because a person can put his strength and power into the toil of Torah. He can analyze in depth with all his strength. He can cut short his time for sleep, and make the nighttime like daytime.

During his youth a person does not have a lot of troubles. His mind is clear, and he can concentrate upon understanding, on hearing, learning and teaching Torah. Furthermore, because he does not have a lot of troubles, and especially if he is supported by his family in which case he does not have any troubles, whatever he learns is indellibly imprinted upon his mind, as the sages have said, "What is the learning of children compared to? ...To writing upon new paper." The writing is clear and it endures. For talmedai chachamim, it is the Torah which they learned as youths which serves them the best....

Precious youths who are learning Torah, do not lose even a moment of this valuable time. Gird your loins to toil in Torah with all your strength. Concerning the time of youth it was said, "Do not believe someone who says that you can toil in Torah yet not find..." (Megillah 6b).

Throughout a person's life time is very valuable, and any moment lost in bitul is a tremendous loss which cannot be recovered. Nevertheless, this time of youth is the choicest of times, as Chazal have said, "The days of youth are the crown of the rose" (Shabbat 152 a)....