Noach תרל”א

בעזהש”י פ’ נח איני זוכר כראוי.

בזוה”ק נח הוא בחי’ שבת.
The Zohar says that “Noach” is the idea of Shabbos
שכתוב בו וינח ביום השביעי.
As it says and ‘He rested – וינח on the Seventh day
פי’ זה כי ענין המנוחה הוא במקום השורש כשאדם דבוק בשורשו ששם מקום מנוחתו אין לו שום יגיעה
The idea is that menucha – rest takes place at the source. When a person is connected to one’s source, that is the place of his rest, there is no effort there. (The source is the most natural and effortless place to be)
כי כל מה שעובר עליו הכל אחד וגם אצלו נמשך תמיד אחר יראת ה’ א”כ יש לו מנוחה
This is because everything one goes through is all one, and the person too is drawn constantly towards fear of heaven therefore there is always rest there.
כמ”ש כל המקבל עליו ע”ת מעבירין ממנו ע”מ ועול ד”א.
As it says whoever accepts upon himself the yoke of heaven, they remove the yoke of kingship and the way of the world from him. (He is no longer subject to the natural order of the world).
וזה פי’ נח איש צדיק פי’ צדיק כשיש התנגדות כמו במשפט יש מי שצודק בדין.
This is the meaning of Noach was a righteous man. The word tzadik is only applicable when there is an opposing force. Just like in a judgement there is the person who is right (the tzadik) and the one that is wrong (the Rasha).
וחסיד הוא שלבו חלל בקרבו שאין לו דו”ד (דין ודברים) כלל עם היצה”ר.
However this is different to a chasid who has no yetzer hara at all, he has no dealings with the yetzer hara at all.
(The tzadik is in constant battle and continues to win, whereas the chasid is on a different level altogether where he is not challenged to be drawn down, [his challenge is to reach higher levels]).
וז”ש באברהם ע”י שלא נזכר אצלו שמירת שבת ירש הארץ. במדה ויעקב שקבע תחומין כ’ בי’ נחלה בלי מצרים ואין מובן.
By Avraham it says that since it says that he kept the Shabbos he inherited the land in measure, whereas regarding Yaakov who established techumim (the laws of Shabbos of where one can go), it says that he got an inheritance without any limits.
Now this is seemingly difficult, (it should be the opposite way round, Yaakov who was a tzadik, should be more limited than Avrahm who was called a chasid?)
והפי’ כי בחי’ שבת שייך לימי המעשה דייקא להיות אור השבת בימי המעשה
However the explanation is that the concept of Shabbos is the idea of the days of work and then Shabbos, so that the light of Shabbos will spread into the days of the week.
וזה תמים הי’ בדורותיו [עי’ מ”ש בעניני סוכות] שהוא פנימיות החיות של הטבע שהדורות נק’ הנבראים בטבע מעשה בראשית.
This is what is meant by Noach that he was perfect in his days (he was only great in relation to his generation, whereas Avraham was much greater). Noach’s greatness is internal life force of the world.
The generations are called the ones that are created in the natural creation of the world. *
וזה במדה כי ה’ ית’ הי’ אחד קודם בריאת עולם בלי גבול ותכלית.
And this is called “in a measured level”. Because before the world was created HaShem was one without any limit or defined purpose (*)
וברא עולמו להיות הארת חיותו שנותן לכל עולם ועולם במדה שיוכלו הנבראים לקבל.
And He created the world in a way that the light of His life force will shine into each world in such a way that each creation can receive it.
ועבודת ימי המעשה שהנקודה סגורה כמ”ש יהי’ סגור.
And the work of the days of the week, when the point of the source is closed, as it says (regarding the gate in the Beis Hamikdash) 6 days it will be closed (and on the Seventh opened).
ואעפ”כ נפתחת לאדם בשבת כפי עבודתו ודפיקתו בימי המעשה.
Nevertheless even though it is closed during the six days of work, but on Shabbos it is opened up to a person. The amount that is opened is inasmuch as he knocks on this door (desires it) during the six days.
וכשבא אל הנקודה נק’ נח נייחא לו כו’ בעוה”ז בעוה”ב כו’ ע”ש במד”ר ובזוה”ק
And when he reaches this point, (of Shabbos) it is called Noach, from the root resting. In this world and in the world to come.
ולזאת יעקב אע”ה שכ’ בו שקבע תחומין היינו שירד לתוך ההסתר ונתגלה לו הפנימיות כמו שהיא במדה
Therefore Yaakov Avinu, who established borders, meaning that he was involved in the 6 days – in the hiddenness and darkness, and in that darkness he had the revelation of the internal workings, as it is in a measured fashion
א”כ אין הסתר עוד וזכה לבחי’ שבת בלי מצרים.
Therefore for him there was no longer anything hidden, (for even in the hiddenness he had the revelation) he therefore merited to Shabbos which is an inheritance which is without any boundaries.
אבל אברהם שהי’ למעלה מהטבע כענין אהבה מקלקלת השורה
As opposed to Avraham Avinu, who was completely above nature (not involved in the darkness like Yaakov). This level of Avraham, is like the love that the regular rules do not apply when love is involved.
ואהב”ה גי’ אח”ד שהוא מיוחד להש”י בלי הסתר כלל
And the gematria of ahava love is the same as echad oneness.
[גם נודע כי לפי גודל האהבה בורח היצה”ר וזה י”ל וכרות עמו היצה”ר הברית] Also it is known that in proportion to the love that a person has for HaShem, does the yetzer hara run away from him. (In the name of the Baal Shem Tov it is said that the power that the yetzer hara has over a person is only from the love that one could’ve used to serve HaShem and didn’t). And this is the meaning and he made a covenant with him- with the yetzer hara).
וכ’ בהבראם באברהם א”כ הוא למעלה מהבריאה והוא דבוק תמיד בהנקודה.
The word בהבראם when the world was created is the same letters as באברהם so we see that Avraham was completely above nature and always constantly attached to the source.
ולכך בחי’ שבת שייך רק ליעקב.
Therefore the concept of Shabbos only applies to Yaakov (and not Avraham, because Avraham was always connected and didn’t have the darkness of the six days and the light of Shabbos)
וזה עצמו מה שנח הי’ צריך סעד את אלקים כו’
This itself is why Noach needed help from Hashem, as it says ‘With HaShem’
כי הי’ תוך ההסתר ואלהים [בחינת הצמצום] בחי’ הנהגת הנבראים
Because Noach was involved in the darkness, and the word Elokim (את האלוקים התהלך נח) is the name of HaShem of focus, limiting the endlessness and focusing it into something specific צמצום. The idea of leading mankind.
וז”ש במד’ למי שהי’ בטיט אמר המלך בא עמי כו’ כי הי’ צריך שמירה כנ”ל
This is what is meant by the parable in the Medrash the beloved of the king who was stuck in the mud, the king says to him come with me, because he needs extra protection.

ברש”י עיקר תולדותיהם של צדיקים מצות ומעשים טובים ולא כ’ עיקר תולדות מצות ומעשים טובים. וממילא נדע כי הצדיק עושה מצות. אבל לא כל מצוה עושה תולדה להאדם רק הצדיק שכל החיות שלו דבוק במצות ומבשרי אחזה אלקי כמו זיוג גשמיי ע”י שכל החיות נמשך בו נוצר מזה תולדה. כן כשאדם עושה מצוה בכל כחו וחיותו נעשה תולדה. ואמת כי מכל מצוה נעשה תולדה. כי כן יסד השי”ת להיות תלוי מעשה עליון בתחתון. אבל להיות נקרא תולדותיו של אדם להיות לו דביקות ושייכות להתולדה זה תלוי ברצון ועשיית המצוה כנ”ל. והפסוק כפשוטו ע”י שהי’ צדיק ממילא תולדותיו הי’ כראוי ע”י שגם בזיוג הי’ העיקר למצות ומעש”ט ונמשך התולדה אחר העיקר:
Rashi on the words ‘These are the decendants of Noach – Noach”, explains that the primary “decendants” of a persn is his mitzvos and good deeds.
The Sfas Emes notes tht beng as Rashi did not say the primary descendants are teh Mitzvos, rather he said the primay decendats of man, implies that it is not the mitvos that actually cause the effect on man, rather it is man and specifiacally the tzadik doing the mitzvos with all his energy, that actually causes an effect.
An example of this can be seen in humanreproduction, it is because one’s entire life force is involved in the action, that it causes aneeffect, and a newe creation.
So too when a person doesa mitzvah with all his energy, this has a lastingchange.
The truth is that all mitzvot cause an effect regardless of a persons energy he put into it, however to be actually called the persons own effect, it is depenfdant on the perosns desire and will to do the mitzvah. As above.
To understand the pasuk now on a simple level, can beunderstood as follows: Since Noach was a tzadik, thereofee his descendants were good, since even in procreation Noach’s primaryintent was for the mitzvah therefore his decendants folllowed his examle.

https://www.sefaria.org/Sefat_Emet,_Genesis,_Noach_1.4

במד’ החמס קם כו’ לא נח בהם כו’ פי’ חמס ע”י שא”י שהכח מהש”י נמצא הכל חמס. וכן שמעתי מאא”ז מו”ר ז”ל על פ’ תשובה והתודה שכ’ אצל גזל ואמר כי כל עבירה הוא גזל כנ”ל. ופי’ זה במ”ש חז”ל נהנה מעוה”ז בלי ברכה גוזל אביו ואמו כו’ כי חיות הכל מהשי”ת וכשאין אדם יודע זאת הכל גזל. ומלאה ארץ חמס הוא היפוך מלא כל הארץ כבודו. וכפי רצון העולם כן האמת. ועי”ז קץ כל בשר בא כי אין להם באמת כלל חיות כמ”ש ותרם התיבה. עי’ זוה”ק. וזהו לא נח בהם כי בחי’ שבת שהוא נייחא להשי”ת והוא בחי’ הדביקות מנבראים להבורא חסר להם. ומ”ש אף נח שנשתייר אינו כדאי אף כי התורה מעידה שהי’ איש צדיק. פי’ כי הוא הי’ אז הצדיק שבדור ומהם לא הי’ לו להעלות נ”ר להש”י כמ”ש בהם. אבל מצד עצמו הי’ איש צדיק. ודור הפלגה ידעו שהכל מהשי”ת ונק’ יודעים רבונם וכו’ רק שרצו שיתנהג השי”ת אתם כרצונם עפ”י כחות נפרדים. וניטל מהם בחי’ האחדות כמ”ש עם אחד. שמעתי מא”ז אדומו”ר ז”ל כי זה על בנ”י. ותמוה. והפי’ נראה כי מה שהי’ מתיחדין כאחד וזה שייך רק לישראל. ואמרו חז”ל כל השומר שבת אפילו עע”ז כו’ אך נקודת שבת שהוא אחדות הנ”ל. ניטל ממי שעובד ע”ז בוודאי ולכך זה הבירור שאינו עובד ע”ז באמת. וכ’ לא יבצר כו’ וכן הי’ האמת שנפרדו מהשי”ת רק רצונם הי’ להיות נשאר באחדות לרעה וניטל מהם. [וז”ש בזוה”ק ענין האחדות ע”פ מסע שלימה נבנה אך ברזל כו’ לא נשמע וכשנשמע ניטל האחדות ע”ש והבן כ”ז]:

The Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 31:1) explains that through “Chamas” – robbery, HaShem and all of creation had no benefit from mankind. The Sfas Emes explains that the idea of Chamas is that they do not appreciate that all power comes from HaShem, and therefore everything becomes “robbery.”
The Chidushei Harim also explained this idea that all sins are actually a form of thievery, as above. The explanation can be understood through the Gemara (Berakhot 35a) that says whoever benefits from this world without a blessing before is as if he steals from HaShem and Kneset Yisrael. The idea is that all life force is from HaShem, yet when a person is not aware of this, then it is as if he is stealing.

Therefore, the idea of “the world was filled with Chamas” is the opposite of “the world is filled with the glory of HaShem.” And therefore, being that it was the will of mankind (to banish the glory of HaShem), this is indeed what happened. And if so, “the end of mankind has come before me,” for they were completely disconnected from the source of life force and no longer had reason to exist. (This idea is explained in the Zohar on the words “the teiva lifted up.”)

With this, we can further understand the words of the Midrash that says “there was no ‘rest’ (נח) among them.” This is alluding to Shabbat, which is the idea of rest and pleasantness (נייחא), the connection between creation and HaShem.

Furthermore, the pasuk states “And even אף Noach remained.” This is the idea that the tzadik, the representative of the generation, could show no good deeds of the generation, and therefore he was included with them to some extent, even though he himself remained a tzadik.

The generation of ‘Haflaga’ who built the Tower of Babel were different. In the sense that they are called “they know their master and intentionally go against Him.” This is because they realized that everything is from HaShem; however, they wanted HaShem to act according to their own will through other separate powers. Their punishment was that their unity was taken away. The Chidushei Harim explains that this unity is referring to Bnei Yisrael. What does this mean?

It would seem that the idea is that the idea of being completely united as one is only applicable to Bnei Yisrael. Our sages explain that one who keeps Shabbat, even if he sins with idol worship, will be forgiven. This is because the point of Shabbat is the point of unity. Now this point of unity is clearly taken away from one who serves idols, yet the fact that he kept Shabbat demonstrates that he is connected and obviously did not completely serve idol worship.

Regarding the punishment of the generation of haflaga, it states in the pasuk “They are not restrained.” Indeed, this was their punishment that they became disconnected from HaShem, for their intention was to remain unified with negative intent, whereas this unity was taken away from them.