Election Day 2012. It's almost here. You can feel it in the air, as the pre-election hype has been turned up to full blast! Tens of millions of Americans will head to the voting booths to cast their votes. We must constantly be thankful that we live in such a wonderful country where we are free to express ourselves, and to vote for the candidate we believe is best suited to lead our country. This is not something to be taken for granted; many have fought and given their lives to ensure that we continue to enjoy these liberties and rights. 

But have you ever sat back and wondered, “Does my vote really make a difference?” Yes, in small-town elections, one vote has occasionally made the difference between victory and defeat…but we're talking U.S. Presidential elections! The votes are being cast in the millions; not by ones, tens, hundreds or even thousands. I recently did a quick search and discovered that the closest presidential election was decided by .1% of the popular vote. In 1880, James Garfield defeated Winfield Hancock by that margin, which back then translated into 2,000 votes. Close. Extremely close. But still not the difference of a single vote.

In this weeks parsha, Parshas Noach, we find that Hashem has decided that the corruption and immorality that fills the world is overwhelming; the world must be destroyed and start fresh once again. Hashem sends forth a flood that literally washes away everything in existence, forcing humanity to begin anew. Only Noach and his family are deemed worthy to survive. As the Torah states: “Noach ish Tzaddik..” – Noach was a righteous man. 

However, when reading the weekly haftorah (the section from the books of the prophets, which we chant at the conclusion of the Torah reading), we find a perplexing statement describing the flood. The Prophet Isaiah refers to the flood as “the waters of Noach, “ implying that to some degree, Noach is held responsible for the flood. How are we to understand this, especially in light of the fact that the Torah itself describes Noach as a tzaddik – a righteous individual?! 

The answer lies in a deeper understanding of what made Noach a righteous individual and the higher standard to which Hashem holds such individuals. In short, Noach worked on developing his character, and totally refined himself to such a high degree that he earned the title tzaddik. However, Noach, as great as he was, concentrated his efforts on himself and not on others. Although he was tremendously successful at perfecting himself, he fell way short in properly teaching, positively influencing, and guiding others. By contrast, Abraham, the patriarch of the Jewish people, uplifted not only himself, but everyone with whom he came in contact, as well. And thus, the Great Flood is referred to as the waters of Noach. Noach, despite his great level of personal refinement, bore some responsibility for not doing more to positively influence and thereby save others from the moral decay that caused the flood.

And so, in contemplating whether our individual vote – or we as people – really make a difference, I would posit the following: Perhaps in large-scale elections, one’s single vote alone may not represent the margin between victory and defeat. But to stop there and therefore conclude that each of us does not really make a difference in any way can be a tragic mistake. Politically speaking, individuals can share their passion, vision and dreams, which can profoundly impact tens, hundreds, thousands, and perhaps millions. And if this is true for politics, it certainly is true for our eternal beliefs, our faith, our Torah. We can make all the difference in the world. We just have to want to reach out and touch others around us.  

Wishing everyone a great Shabbos!