Comparisons

Parshat Noach contains two major comparisons. First there is the comparison between Noach and Avraham Avinu. This is followed by a comparison between the generation of the flood and the generation of the דור הפלגה, those that were involved in the Tower of Bavel.

Regarding Noach and Avraham, the Torah focuses on the word, בדורותיו, “in his generation.” This implies that Noach was righteous in comparison with those with whom he dwelled. Had he lived with Avraham, he may not have stood out as anything special.

The Torah also tells us that he entered the Ark, “because of the waters of the flood.” This implies that even Noach had doubts if there would actually be a flood. Avraham’s faith, on the other hand, was unshakable.

The Talmud implies that the generation of the flood was worse than the generation of the Tower of Bavel. The latter exhibited some sense of unity in their working together to build this tower. They had merits despite their rebelliousness towards G-d.

The generation of the flood were considered pure evil. It is not coincidental that the Torah describes this evil as “Hamas.” Rav Kook wrote that the only way to deal with such evil, is to utterly destroy it. They will have no share in the World to Come.

These two comparisons give us a glimpse as to how we are to try to learn our biblical stories in greater depth. Each year when the Torah is read again, we are able to discover new lessons and ideas, that we may not have been aware of, in previous years. This is the beauty of Torah study that is one of our greatest gifts.