Because of the flood waters. (Bereishis 7:7)
Noach didn’t believe that the decree of the Mabul had come to the world until the torrential rains actually started falling and pushed him to enter the Ark.
But how could this be? It says that he was a ish tzadik tamim, “a perfectly righteous man.” He worked at building the Teivah for 120 years. He did so with great self-sacrifice, despite scorn and persecution from his contemporaries. This is called a person of “little faith”?!
The answer is that Noach thought to himself, “Hashem is such a merciful G-d, and so extremely patient. At the last moment, He might forgive them.”
Mordechai did not take this approach. His emunah was greater than Noach’s. When he learned of Haman’s evil plot, and understood that it was actually decreed by Heaven, he thought that was it. They are all doomed to die. He did not calm himself, saying, “Well, maybe Hashem will change His mind at the last moment.” Though it was hard to understand how Hashem could decide to wipe them all out, seeing as He had sworn to the Avos that their seed will live forever, a kasheh doesn’t annul Hashem’s decree.
Mordechai fully believed that they were in very deep trouble. He gathered all the Jews to pray and cry and fast for their very lives, because the gezeirah is for real!
Since Mordechai took it seriously, he did something about it, and was able to annul it. Whereas Noach was not convinced the Mabul would really materialize and did not pray as if it definitely would. This actually enabled the Mabul to happen. The Mabul is named after Noach: ki mei Noach zos li – “For this, the waters of Noach, are to Me.” They are called Noach’s waters because he was indirectly responsible for them.
In our times, too, every individual should daven tearfully, from the depths of his heart, that Hashem save us from disaster. We live in a generation known for very rapid changes. We should be concerned about what could happen. Some people fret about the economic situation, others are perturbed by issues of national security. Both can affect our lives deeply.
But more than anything, we should worry about spiritual matters. Yes, there are good yeshivos and girls’ schools these days, but our children still need a lot of prayers, a lot of tears shed at candle-lighting on Erev Shabbos.
Parents’ tears in Tehillim and prayers, over their children’s future – that’s what helps. Let us observe what happened in the past and learn from it for the future. Our children grow from our tears.
It is recounted that the Brisker Rov in his last days was visited by Rav Shach, who remarked to him that not everyone merited raising such a wonderful family of Gedolei Torah as did the Brisker Rov. The Brisker Rov replied, “Do you think I prayed only a few tearful prayers over them?! I fasted so many days for them!”
Let’s think about this. In a generation of Torah, in a home of Gedolei Hador, many days were spent fasting, so many tears were shed over the children that they, too, should be talmidei chachamim.
What about us??
Times can and do change. The positive things we enjoy today don’t have to stay that way forever. We should pray and cry out now, before it’s too late, to be saved from what can be.
