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Beit Midrash
- Sections
- Chemdat Yamim
- Parashat Hashavua
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bereshit
- Noach
Let us explain the matter by looking more closely at the comparison to Moshe and Shmuel. The approach of these two great men was very different from that of Noach. Noach’s whole generation was corrupt, and he and his whole family remained on a high spiritual level, as we see that all of them received a prophetic message (see Bereishit 9:8). In contrast, Moshe and Shmuel sacrificed themselves for their nation, but Shmuel’s sons did not follow his path (Shmuel 8:3) and Moshe’s sons did not come close to his level. The midrash [editor- we did not find the exact source] attributes the failure of Shmuel’s sons to the fact that Shmuel was so occupied with the needs of the public, and it is likely that the same is true of Moshe’s sons. Thus, we are talking about a sacrifice of leaving one’s children largely "unattended" in order to save the generation.
In the case of Noach, while we do find criticism of Noach for being underactive in dealing with his generation, he still had the merit of creating the bridge to the rebuilding of the world. Thus, he had elements that deserve our praise and elements that deserve our scorn.
If we compare all of the above to Avraham, we will find that he merited having success in both spheres. On the one hand, he had the "souls that he made in Charan" (Bereishit 12:5). On the other hand, he had success in raising his successor, Yitzchak.
If we want to pursue the reason behind these distinctions, it would seem that the difference between Noach and Avraham was their wives. Sarah and Avraham are introduced as a spiritual team. The matriarchs are parallel to the patriarchs: "Avraham converts the men, while Sarah converts the women" (Bereishit Rabba 39:14). In contrast, Noach’s wife is anonymous; neither her name not her actions are revealed to us. Apparently, there was nothing about her that was worthy of honorable mention. While Avraham could give over his chinuch responsibilities to his wife, Noach apparently could not, and that took away from Noach’s ability to impact on others to his full potential.
It is clear that Shmuel could only become who he became because of his great mother, Chana. We do not know a lot about his father, Elkana, and we know nothing about Elkana’s other children from his other wife. It was Chana who prayed for the child, who shaped his character, and who filled him with deep spirituality with her "lullabies." Shmuel did not merit to have a wife as great as his mother, and therefore his children did not turn out as they should have.
It is not that we just need great men; we need great women. We need more Chanas if we have hopes of more Shmuels.
Rabbis in Midrash
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Israel and the Nations A Few Minutes & Many Innovative Ideas on Antisemitism & What to do About It
As we approach the High Holidays, this short lecture (18 minutes) deals with the unfortunate situation of how Israel and the Jewish People stand against antisemitism, analyzing its cause according to Rav Kook, and how to deal with the issue pragmatically & via our prayers.
Ha'azinu PURSUIT is PERFECTION
p. Ha'azinu, Shabbat Shuva
Rav Kook deals with the question of the seemingly hopeless nature of Tshuva. For G-d Himself knows that He created us with free will, which inevitably means we will sometimes make mistakes and choose wrong. This can easily be frustrating, freezing us into inaction and ye'ush (loss of hope). If one sins even once, does he chalila have no choice but suicide?! Moreover, our Godly conscience demands justice, righteousness and perfection, but we all know this is impossible, so what's the solution? Rav Kook's innovative thinking, strongly based on chazal (our sages), offers an inciteful and important aspect to this topic, especially this time of year!
Sukkot Bug-Free Sukkah: Essential Halachic and Practical Schach Guide
How to inspect, clean, and store bamboo mats and palm branches to protect your mitzvah and holiday meals.
