Parshas Noach begins by describing Noach as “a righteous man, perfect in his generations.” Why does the Torah limit Noach’s righteousness to “in his generations”?
Rashi offers two explanations:
Some of our Sages interpret this in praise of Noach: How much more so that if he had lived in a generation of righteous people, he would have been even more righteous. Others interpret it disparagingly: Relative to his generation he was righteous, but if he had been in Avraham’s generation, he would not have been regarded as significant at all.
We know that the Torah goes to great lengths to avoid shaming even non-kosher animals. Certainly, the Torah would not add words just to shame Noach! So why are we told that Noach was not objectively righteous, and was regarded as such only in comparison to the people of his time?
Evidently, Noach’s imperfection teaches us an important lesson that we could not have learned without knowing this detail.
Chassidus explains that the Hebrew word for “ark,” teivah, also means “word.” The same way the physical teivah provided Noach and his family with safety from the fierce waters of the Flood, the spiritual teivah saves a person from drowning in the flood of material concerns that occupy his mind. In order to save yourself from the flood, says the Torah, you must “enter the teivah”—immerse yourself in the words of tefillah (prayer) and Torah.
One might argue, however, that perhaps this is effective only for the righteous, like Noach. Maybe those who are spiritually deficient cannot save themselves from the “raging floods of worry” by merely “entering the teivah” of Torah and tefillah?
To dispel this misconception, the Torah emphasizes that the refuge provided by the teivah is not only for the perfect and righteous—for if Noach had lived in the generation of Avraham, “he wouldn’t have been regarded as significant at all.” This teaches that whether you are actually righteous or not, you too can be saved by “entering the teivah”—immersing yourself energetically in the words of tefillah and Torah. And like Noach, whose family was saved along with him (and even the animals), your entry to the teivah will also impact everyone around you, and in fact all of existence.
—Likkutei Sichos, vol. 5, pp. 281–283
