Chazal (Sanhedrin 108a) tell us that the fish in the sea didn't die in the mabul. The animals on dry land died, as it states (7:22) אשר מכל מתו בחרבו, "All that were on the dry land, died," but, as Chazal say, שבים דגים ולא, the fish at sea didn't die. Why didn't the fish die?
The ם"רא (Mizrachi) explains that the fish didn't sin (דרכם השחיתו לא), like the animals on dry land did. This explains why the fish didn't die in the flood, but we still must understand why the fish didn't sin, while the rest of the animals did.
The Maharal (Gur Aryeh) explains this with a Rashi (Bereishis 6:6) האדם את עשה כי 'ה וינחם, Hashem was consoled that He created man in this world, because if he were created in heaven, ממרידן היה, he would cause heaven to rebel against Hashem. The Maharal writes, "We learn from this that when a person sins, he causes all those who are in his vicinity to rebel. If man were in heaven, he would cause the malachim in heaven to rebel and to go against Hashem's will, chas v'shalom. This explains the reason the fish didn't sin. They weren't with man; instead, they are at sea, in their own world, and in their own environment; therefore, they weren't affected by man's sins, like the animals were."
Let us learn from this the importance of living in a good neighborhood, where there are righteous Yidden with yiras Shamayim. How much good can come from this, b'ruchniyus and b'gashmiyus! L'havdil, when one is among resha'im, their evil ways influence the people in their vicinity.
It states (8:11) זית עלה והנה ערב לעת היונה אליו ותבוא בפיה טרף, "The dove came back to him in the evening, and behold an olive leave it had plucked with its bill." The Midrash (Bereishis Rabba 33:6) states that the leaf came from Gan Eden. The gates of Gan Eden opened for her, and she brought the leaf from there.
The Ramban asks how, according to this explanation, did Noach know from the olive leaf that the flood subsided? There was no flood in Gan Eden! He answers, "Perhaps the gates of Gan Eden were closed [throughout the duration of the mabul] so that the water of the mabul shouldn't enter. When the mabul waters subsided, the doors of Gan Eden opened." We learn from this that when there is a mabul in the world, even Gan Eden is in danger of being affected. The only counsel is to close the gates of heaven from the mighty waters.
On a practical level, this means that when the yetzer hara is burning on the streets, these powerful waters threaten to flood the entire world. They have the ability chas v'shalom to penetrate the houses of the Jewish people, and even their batei knesiyos and midrashos, and to cause destruction. At these times, there is an obligation to keep the doors of the home and of the batei medrashim sealed shut. This means to not allow foreign material, ideas, and influences inside. Or, more precisely, this means to guard the home from the internet.
Reb Yankele Galinsky's Mashal
Reb Yankele Galinsky zt'l told the following mashal: Someone addicted to alcohol wanted to break his habit. He knew he would fail in stopping at once, so he made a kabbalah that he would only drink together with another person. This would automatically limit his consumption because he wouldn't always find someone to drink with. Once, he wanted a drink, but he didn't have anyone to drink with. He went outside to look for one of his friends, but one friend was working that day, and another was already drunk. He couldn’t find a drinking partner. Desperate for a drink, he placed two cups on the table. Now, everything was ready for the drink. As soon as he found someone, they would be able to drink, and they wouldn't need to delay looking for cups. A few hours later, he still didn't have anyone to drink with, so he filled the cups with wine. Now there would be absolutely no delays. All he needed was to find someone, and they would be in business. He searched some more, but he couldn't find anyone. He returned home, disappointed. But then he noticed a fly sipping from one of the cups. "I have a partner!" he shouted, and gulped down both cups of wine!
Reb Yankele Galinsky explains that the problem was that he went too close to his test. The cups were prepared, the wine was filled, and that led him to come up with the ridiculous idea that the fly was his drinking partner. Had the wine been in the bottle, and the cups in the cupboard, he wouldn't have come up with such a flimsy excuse. The lesson is that we have to keep our distance from tests. If the test is in front of your eyes, your chances of failure are higher. An example of this lesson is the internet. Some say they will only go on good sites. But who can guarantee that? When the test is right in front of you, you have less control. Therefore, fortunate are those who steer far away from the test.
