These are the generations of Noach, Noach was a righteous man he was perfect in his generations; Noach walked with God. (Bereshit 6:9).
There are many derashas on the first pasuk of parshas noach. Most relate to the term tzaddik (righteous) and dorosav (his generation) to determine whether Noach was a true righteous person or he was righteous only in comparison to his society. Let’s focus on a different word in this pasuk – the word “היה” -was. There is a midrash (Bereshis Rabbah 30:8) that states that the word היה (was) is used to depict five individuals in tanach. Noach – Noach was a righteous man (Bereshis 6:9); Yosef – Yosef was seventeen years old (Bereshis 37:2); Moshe- Moshe was pasturing the flocks of Yisro. There must be be some deeper meaning for the use of the word “hayah” in connection with each of these individuals and the way they were able to perceive a “new world”. In his book “Power of a Vort”, Rabbi Yissachar Frand offers the following insight. We witness two diverging approaches among those who suffer a tragedy. Some people are able to overcome a seemingly hopeless situation, while others become obsessed with their troubles, romanticize over how wonderful the past was and it becomes impossible for them to move on. Perhaps the lesson this midrash is suggesting – lies in the word “hayah” – was. The key to being able to experience a “new world” is to let the past fade rather than harp on it. For example, it must have been very difficult for Noach to adapt to the new reality following his exit from the ark. There was not a soul to be found. Complete destruction- as what would transpire following a nuclear war. Climate change. Noach did not sit and contemplate his glorious past, rather he let it go. He began to build his future- at the age of 601!
We witnessed this in our generation with people who survived the Holocaust. The Klausenberg Rebbe for example, lost his wife and eleven children, yet he was able to pick up the pieces, rebuild and establish a Hassidic dynasty with tens of thousands of followers. This was possible because he had the attitude of “hayah” – what happened in the past was terrible, but he was able to put it behind him and move forward. Again, this is not an easy task and we cannot judge anyone’s reaction to experiencing a tragic event. Yet, in order to be able to rebuild, one has to put the past behind them and focus on building a brighter future.
We are all currently experiencing very challenging times. No matter how difficult and challenging the current environment, we cannot allow ourselves to dwell on the past, rather we have to focus on what can be done to rebuild. May we be able to emulate these five individuals who rose from despair and were each successful at building a bright future.
