169. Noah and Abraham
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When G‑d told Noah to build an ark before the world would be destroyed, Noah built an ark.
But when G‑d told Abraham He was about to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah—cities corrupt and evil to the core—Abraham argued. He said, “Perhaps there are righteous people there! Will the Judge of All the Earth not do justice?”
Abraham felt a sense of ownership for the world in which he lived. If there was something wrong, it needed to be changed. Even if it had been decreed by the will of G‑d.
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Latest Comments:
I think Abraham saved Lot and a couple others but i take your point as follows: Abraham should have bargained harder at Sodom. Even a great Patriarch can fall short.
Take Moses. Moses was the greatest salesman ever because he told Hashem that if he destroyed the nation of Israel on account of the Golden Calf, he wanted his own name erased from the Torah. Moses' bargain succeeded. Yet, as we know, Moses had his own shortcomings to deal with and for those he was not allowed into the Promised Land.
So here we have three giants of the Torah, all in their own right, and beyond any need for comparison. It's not a horse race.
Another pertinent example is Hillel and Shammai. When compared, which is always, Hillel comes off as the kinder one. Nothing could be further from the truth. They were both very kind and to top it off, they were best friends.
So, give it up for Noah, Abraham and Moses and anyone who loves their neighbor as themselves. G-d has a soft spot for all of those.
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How do you save the world? You start locally to act globally...create an enterprise. Follow the Torah. integrate the 2. Just like the strands of DNA act as a team, as husband and wife create a family, so too we must adapt to time's functions and the future is forged through a bi-partisan perspective of 2 worlds, physical and the spiritual.
Noah was introverted, Abraham extroverted... ou cannot sit idly when you know there is suffering going on and that is where the world will take us..to save every soul!
I question if I must be like King David and King Solomon to save the Jewish nation, but must I try to merge their life with that of Abraham and Noah's? Will another flood wipe out 2/3 the population of the world, then will there be 1,000 years of repair? Will we lift Israel off the ground through a technological ark? Or send people to the Moon, Mars, and another Diaspora happen?
We must lead the world: Grow2 Love your fellow man as yourself-Social/Economical/environmental growth
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Abraham bargained with G-d that if a certain number worthy of being saved were found, then the city would be saved, but he stopped at 10, so no one was saved. The city was destroyed because he did not continue the negotiation to get G-d to agree that if three were found, the city would be saved on account of the three. Abraham's efforts in this matter did not save anyone.
Noah actually did save his kids, their spouses, and every species of animal, even the evil ones.
The real lesson here is that if you want to save someone, do it yourself; asking G-d is not enough.
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Even if the Torah would state that G-d loved someone more, i think that this is more accurately interpreted as G-d gave varying degrees of challenges to his children. Since we cannot understand how Hashem operates, we cannot understand how he loves. The questions are :
Which of your children do you love most ? The parent who excels is the one who loves their children based on the needs of the individual child.
If G-d commands us to love our neighbor, and so do you think G-d loves one child more and another less ? Love is love. Either it is there or not. Forget degrees. That is asking for troubleDoes G-d give you different challenges than me ? Yes. Did he give each of us a unique capacity to overcome them ? Yes. Noah built an ark. Abraham was thrown in a fire, and had 9 other challenges. Both individuals were great on their own merit, and not by comparison to raise one up one and consequently lowering the other.
Does G-d love you more than me ?
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I have great respect for both men; however this is an unfair analysis. Corruption in two cities (which were destroyed anyway) hardly compare to the entire word. Noah's obedience and faith should not be underscored.
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I disagree. The point of the dose is to make the comparison. The comparison of Noah to Abraham drives me crazy. Noah always comes off with the shorter end of the stick for all kinds of ingenious reasons.
Consider the context. They lived at different times. I have never been told that Abraham was a good carpenter. Could he have built an ark ? i cannot stop the comparison since it seems ingrained in our rabbis. This year i asked the rabbis- what is more holy, the Sukka or the shul ? It was Sukkot so most said the sukka. What do you think ? Isn't it sweet when we are told, " Oh, this rabbi is so much greater than that rabbi. " Why must there always be a winner and a loser. Do we make the comparisons just for sport ? Noah was a great man. There is no need to denigrate him via comparison. Doesn't greatness stand on it's own merit ?
The question i have come up with regarding needless comparisons is this :
My son is a world famous doctor and saves lives every day. What does your son do ?
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That is a powerful statement! Many thanks to you and Chabad.org for posting it.
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What would a modern day tzaddiik be doing? And What kind of world is the tzaddik dealing with? Is it basically the same human nature? or has human nature changed? Imagine G-D needing a Tzaddik today. What would G-D be resolving with a tzaddik? Is a tzaddik like the eyes for Hahsem? The Torah is perfect and complete so how does the mission complete? Is Mochiac a tzaddik?
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Genesis 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the L-RD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am Almighty G-d; walk before Me and be blameless.
These [are] the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man [and] perfect in his generations, [and] Noah walked with G-d (Genesis 6: 9). Noah and Abraham offer relevant lessons about leadership
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Dear rabbi, both persons make me ponder a lot from this daily dose. Noah builds the ark and his family enters but the situation is not perfect afterward either regarding the two daughters. We all know the faith for the ten righteous men today from the argument that Abraham has. But Lot's wife is still the reminding this moment. So, rabbi, honestly I do not know exactly what to take when I need to consider Noah's day and Lot's day. I do not seem to get the difference if there is... In short, if I find myself in either situation do I have the morale of the stories to apply to my own being?
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