The generation of the mabul had many sins, and whatever they did was corrupt. At the same time, their harsh decree was only sealed because they were mired in the severe sin of gezel, stealing, as the passuk says (Bereishis 6:13): “Keitz kol basar ba Lefanai ki mal’ah ha’aretz chamas,” and as Rashi there explains: “their decree was only sealed because of the stealing.”
The description “and the land was filled with stealing” teaches us that thievery became a central part of the existence of the Dor Hamabul. Their thoughts were all centered on how to steal from others, and thievery was present everywhere in the land.
Beyond the simple meaning, the words “ki mala’ah ha’aretz chamas” implies other forms of stealing, beyond the physical thievery of property. These other forms are unfortunately very common even in our day, and the words of the passuk “ki mal’ah ha’aretz chamas” can easily refer to them as well.
What does this refer to? In Maseches Brachos (35a), Chazal say that until a person makes a brachah on his food, the food belongs to HaKadosh Baruch Hu, as it says (Tehillim 24:1): “L’Hashem ha’aretz umelo’ah,” and only after the brachah is the food given to the person, as it says (ibid 115:16): “Veha’aretz nasan livnei adam.” As such, Chazal conclude (ibid 35b) that “anyone who benefits from this world without a brachah is considered to be stealing from HaKadosh Baruch Hu and Knesses Yisrael.”
However, it is not only one who eats without a brachah who commits stealing. One of the sages of Ashkenaz, Rav Yehuda Hachassid, wrote in his famous sefer, Sefer Chassidim (254) that one who makes a brachah quietly even though there are people around him who can answer amen to his brachah, transgresses this sin. This is because he is robbing those present of the opportunity to fulfill the mitzvah of answering amen.
So not saying brachos, or saying them very quietly, brings, chalilah, to a situation of “mal’ah ha’aretz chamas,” and if we don’t take heart to remember to recite each of the Birchos Hanehenin out loud, we might stumble time and again with this sin.
In contrast to the members of the Dor Hamabul that filled the land with stealing, the Torah says of Noach (ibid 7:1): “Ki osecha ra’isi tzaddik Lefanai.” In this context as well, we can say that just like “chamas” represents not being strict about brachos and amen, the description “tzaddik” represents the opposite. Rabbeinu Bechayei (Kad Hakemach, Emunah) learns from the passuk (Yeshayah 26:2): “Pischu she’arim veyavo goy tzaddik shomer emunim,” that the description “tzaddik” is applied to someone who is strict about answering amen.
This is the place to note that not only answering amen is dependent on saying the brachos aloud, and that even the brachah itself is dependent on and is made better by saying it aloud. When the brachah is done as a conscious action, and it is said clearly and aloud, then forgetfulness cannot take control over it. That is in contrast to those who recite brachos automatically, quietly and quickly, and they sometimes forget to make the brachah, or make the incorrect brachah.
Let us be strict to recite each brachah aloud, and with the middah tovah merubah, we will merit a mabul, a torrent of goodness and blessings, in the essence of “veharikosi lachem brachah ad bli dai.”
Good Shabbos,
Yaakov Dov Marmurstein
