Parshas Noach opens with the story of The Flood. The people of the world were immoral and endlessly corrupt. G-d decided that civilization would have to be destroyed and a new one built on top of it. He brought a great flood - a deluge of boiling water - that destroyed every living creature on the planet. Only the righteous Noah and his family, and at least one male and female of each species (to repopulate the animal kingdom) were protected from the flood in a huge waterproof ark.
The floodwaters covered the earth for nearly a year. When the waters receded, Noah sent out a bird to determine if the land was yet dry. The bird did not return and proved that there was solid earth (on which it had obviously landed). Noah and his family disembarked on Mt. Ararat (a mountain in current-day Turkey). G-d promised that He would never again destroy mankind by means of a flood.
Generations passed. The world was repopulated. Again, the people distanced themselves from G-d and worshipped idols. In time, they all joined together to build the great tower of Babel, from which they planed to ‘wage war’ against G-d. G-d dispersed them throughout the land and created scores of different languages, never again allowing them to unite in a common effort. The Torah portion concludes with the birth of Abraham and his marriage to Sarah.
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This week’s Torah portion, Noach, chronicles the period of two generations: the generation of the flood and the generation of the dispersion.
The people that lived during the generation of the flood led corrupt lives. They engaged in all kinds of illicit behavior. They stole mercilessly from one another. They were so deceiving that they engaged in petty theft, so that the victims could not take them to court! The Creator punished them by bringing the flood (in 2105 B.C.E.)- the forty day period during which it rained, destroying all vestiges of humanity from the face of the earth. Everything- men, women, children, animals and plants were destroyed. Only those who lived in Noah’s ark during this time survived. Thus, the generation was completely wiped out.
The people who lived in the generation of the dispersion wished to lead a rebellion against the Almighty. They started building a high tower that would end up in heaven where they would wage war against the Creator. The Creator, noticing these plans, put them to a halt, by making people speak different languages. Suddenly, they were no longer able to communicate with each other! The Midrash said that one person asked for bricks, another brought him cement, while another hit him on the head with an ax! The people’s frustrations mounted with each passing day, understandably, and they had to give up building their tower. They scattered around the globe, setting up different countries, each with its own language.
Rashi asks: Why did the Generation of the flood receive such a harsh punishment in comparison to the generation of the dispersion? It would seem that the generation of the dispersion, by actively engaging in war against the Creator, committed the greater sin, yet they were allowed to live, while the generation of the flood, who didn’t actively fight the Creator, perished.
Rashi answers that the Torah teaches us over here that the importance of getting along with one’s fellow man is paramount to human survival. Thus, the generation of the flood, by dint of their hatred and disrespect for one another through robbery and violation of each other’s privacy, merited destruction. On the other hand, the members of the Generation of the Dispersion got along well with one another. The Torah categorizes them as people of one language and common purpose (Gen. 11:1). Therefore, the Creator dispersed them, rather than wiping them out even though they rebelled against Him.
One may think that it is only meritorious and preferable for one to act respectful to his fellow men. The Torah here points out that it is incumbent upon us to get along with our fellow man for it is the only guarantee against destruction. Let us engage in such behavior, by speaking kind words about our fellow man and avoiding lashon hara (slander); and actively help our fellow man so that we will merit to lead prosperous, fulfilling lives.