Doing the will of Creator is a tough but vital challenge

Friday, October 11, 2002 | by

Rabbi Pinchas Lipner

Noah

Genesis 6:9 - 11:32

Isaiah 54:1 - 55:5

This week's Torah portion opens by informing us that Noah was "a righteous man, perfect in his generation" (Genesis 6:9). The Hebrew word for righteous is tzaddik; the word for perfect is tamim. The term tzaddik here, seemingly denotes one who has been accused and then exonerated, while the term tamim, on the other hand, indicates someone who is so impeccably pure that his behavior requires no justification or defense. So tamim seems to suggest a higher level of rectitude than tzaddik.

Why, then, does the Torah describe Noah as a tzaddik, when it could have simply called him a tamim and omitted mention of his righteousness, which, as we have seen, actually detracts from the praise due him?

One might think that in most of his activities, Noah was a tamim, above reproach, but that there were times when he was only a tzaddik who had been accused of improprieties and come through innocent. This is unlikely, however, because in Genesis 7:1 G-d calls Noah a tzaddik to his face, omitting his greater praise, which would appear to be, in effect, degrading Noah. While our sages teach us that one should say only part of someone's praise in his presence (deriving this lesson from this exact verse), G-d would certainly have chosen to use the term tamim, which by itself was only part of Noah's praise, but the higher of the two choices.

To resolve this problem we must distinguish between a private individual who is not obligated to influence others and a leader who bears the burden of leading his people. For a private individual, it is of course greater praise to note that there are no complaints or accusations against him. A leader, on the other hand, inevitably will encounter opposition and suffer all kinds of allegations and incriminations. Even Moses, the greatest of all leaders, faced rebellion from unscrupulous enemies. How much more so can leaders of lesser caliber expect to face incrimination and censure?

As a result, many virtuous people prefer to sit quietly on the sidelines and achieve "perfection" rather than engage in communal affairs where they will risk being accused of all manner of bad behavior and at best can hope to be exonerated from the allegations hurled at them.

When Moses repeatedly declined to accept G-d's charge that he lead the Jewish people out of Egypt, the great commentator Rashi points out that although G-d became angry with Moses, He did not punish him for his reluctance (Exodus 4:14). How can someone be punished for not volunteering for the kind of abuse often heaped upon leaders by the masses?

This attitude, however, is certainly not what G-d desires. He expects those whom He has gifted with leadership qualities to put them to good use, in spite of any complaints they may face, or questions that may be raised about their activities. Those capable of leading others must do so, while being careful that their intentions are purely for the sake of Heaven. Indeed, though it may preclude the possibility of reaching the level of perfection, this course is far nobler and much more meaningful in the eyes of their Creator.

That is why G-d let Noah know that a tzaddik was more precious to Him than a tamim. In his private life, Noah may have been a tamim, but in his public affairs, where he was obligated to guide and admonish others, he could hope only to be a tzaddik. Still, Noah ignored the risks involved and performed all of his actions for the sake of Heaven, even though this meant accepting a lower status than perfection.

In truth, this lesson can apply to almost anyone, even those not involved in public affairs. We all must at times take stands that subject us to attack and criticism. To overcome personal sentiments and direct our actions to doing G-d's will is a difficult but necessary challenge that we all will face at one time or another. May we all be up to this challenge.

Shabbat shalom.