Avraham drew others close, unlike Noach

במדרש אלה תולדות נח כ"מ שנאמר אלה פסל את הראשונים.

In the Midrash: "These are the offspring of Noach" (Bereishis 6:9) — wherever it says "eleh" (these), it disqualifies what preceded it.

The word "eleh" excludes; here it indicates that something prior is being set aside or rejected.

ומה פסל דור המבול.

And what did it disqualify? The generation of the Flood.

The "eleh" sets aside the generation of the Mabul, which is not counted among Noach's true "offspring."

דכל הצדיקים היו מתפללין ומצילין בני דורם כמו אברהם ומשה רע"ה.

For all the tzaddikim would pray and save the people of their generation, like Avraham and Moshe Rabbeinu.

True tzaddikim, such as Avraham and Moshe, interceded in prayer to rescue their contemporaries.

ונח לא הצילם והתירוץ הוא כי הצדיקים שבני דורם מקבלים מהם עבודת הבורא ית' כמו שלימד מרע"ה בנ"י התורה ובזה נתקשרו בו ונקראו תולדותיו.

And Noach did not save them; and the answer is that the tzaddikim whose generation receives from them the service of the Creator — as Moshe Rabbeinu taught Bnei Yisrael the Torah, and through this they became bound to him and are called his "offspring."

A tzaddik can save his generation only when they accept avodas Hashem from him and become bound to him; those he teaches become like his own children.

וכמו כן באברהם אע"ה כתיב הנפש אשר עשו דשיעבידו לאורייתא.

And likewise regarding Avraham Avinu it is written, "the souls that they made" (Bereishis 12:5) — that they subjugated (others) to the Torah.

Avraham "made souls" by bringing people under the yoke of Torah, drawing them close to Hashem.

ודור המבול לא קיבלו תורה מנח כדאיתא במדרש שנאו בשער מוכיח שלא רצו לשמוע לו.

But the generation of the Flood did not receive Torah from Noach, as is brought in the Midrash, "they hated the one who reproves in the gate" (Amos 5:10) — that they did not want to listen to him.

The dor ha'Mabul refused to accept Noach's rebuke and teaching, hating the one who admonished them.

וזה שפסל הדור המבול שלא היו בכלל תולדות נח רק בניו.

And this is what "disqualified" the generation of the Flood — that they were not included among the "offspring" of Noach, only his (literal) sons.

Because they rejected him, the generation was not counted as Noach's spiritual offspring; only his actual sons were.

ולכן לא הי' יכול להצילם.

Therefore he was not able to save them.

Lacking the bond of having accepted his teaching, they could not be saved through Noach's merit.

איברא כי הוא באמת מיעוט בנח עצמו שלא העמיד תולדות זולת בניו.

However, this is truly a diminishment in Noach himself, that he did not establish offspring other than his (own) sons.

Nonetheless, the fact that Noach produced no spiritual "children" beyond his biological sons reflects a shortcoming in him.

הגם שהי' מחמת רשעת בני דורו.

Even though it was because of the wickedness of the people of his generation.

Although the failure stemmed largely from the resha'im of his time…

עכ"ז נחסר זכות זה אל הצדיק.

Nevertheless, this merit was lacking to the tzaddik.

…Noach still missed out on the great merit of bringing others close to Hashem.

ולכן אמרו אפילו נח אינו כדאי כדאיתא בס' חובת הלבבות כי לא יתכן שכר לעובד הבורא זולת במה שמקרב אחרים אליו ית' ע"ש.

Therefore they said "even Noach was not worthy," as is brought in the Chovos HaLevavos that there is no fitting reward for one who serves the Creator except through what he does to bring others close to Him, may He be blessed, see there.

The Chovos HaLevavos teaches that the highest reward of avodas Hashem comes specifically from drawing others near to Hashem — which is why Noach, who did not do this, "was not worthy."

לכן נאמר באברהם שכרך הרבה מאוד שמילא כל העולם במעשיו הטובים והקנה להקב"ה שמים וארץ בפרהסיא.

Therefore it was said to Avraham, "your reward is very great" (Bereishis 15:1) — for he filled the entire world with his good deeds and made the Holy One "acquire" heaven and earth publicly (b'farhesya).

Avraham earned an exceedingly great reward because he publicly spread knowledge of Hashem throughout the world, openly proclaiming Hashem as Master of heaven and earth.

לכן בנח כתיב מצא חן ועל אברהם נאמר הוצק חן בשפתותיך.

Therefore regarding Noach it is written, "he found favor (matza chen)" (Bereishis 6:8), while regarding Avraham it says, "grace is poured upon your lips (hutzak chen)" (Tehillim 45:3).

Noach merely "found" favor for himself, but Avraham had grace "poured upon his lips" — an active, outward-flowing grace that drew others close.

דכ' גן נעול גל נעול.

As it is written, "a locked garden, a locked spring" (Shir HaShirim 4:12).

The verse describes two kinds of holiness — one "locked" and hidden, the other able to flow out.

והוא בחי' ברית המעור בסתר וברית הלשון בפרהסיא.

And this is the aspect of the covenant of the flesh (bris hama'or) in concealment, and the covenant of the tongue (bris halashon) in public (b'farhesya).

There are two covenants: the hidden bris of milah, kept in private, and the revealed bris of the tongue, which proclaims Hashem openly to others.

ואברהם אע"ה זכה לשני הבריתות כדאיתא בס' יצירה כרת לו ברית בין אצבעות ידיו ורגליו כו'.

And Avraham Avinu merited both covenants, as is brought in Sefer Yetzirah that He made a covenant with him between the fingers of his hands and feet…

Avraham attained both the hidden covenant and the revealed covenant of the tongue, as Sefer Yetzirah describes the special bris cut with him.

ולכן נח הוצרך סעד להיות ניצל מאלה הרשעים.

Therefore Noach needed support (sa'ad) to be saved from those wicked ones.

Because Noach lacked the active, outward grace that draws others close, he needed external help — the protection of the teivah — to be saved from the resha'im.

ויתכן לפרש מ"ש במדרש תאבד דוברי כזב כו' ואני בחסדך אבוא ואני כאשר עשו כן עשיתי.

And one may explain what the Midrash says: "You destroy those who speak falsehood…" (Tehillim 5:7) — "but I, through Your kindness, will come" — and "I, as they did, so I did."

The Midrash puts in Noach's mouth a kind of complaint or accounting: he relied on Hashem's chesed, and somehow "did as they did."

והלא מי לנו כנח שכ' בתורה עליו איש צדיק מה שלא נמצא על שום אדם בתורה.

And surely, who is like Noach, about whom the Torah writes "a righteous man (ish tzaddik)" — something not found about any other person in the Torah!

Noach is uniquely praised in the Torah as an "ish tzaddik," a description given to no one else.

אך כדאיתא במד' הנכנס לזירה או ניצוח או נוצח.

But as is brought in the Midrash: one who enters the arena (zira) either is victorious or is defeated.

When one engages with the wicked, it is a contest — one either overcomes them or is dragged down and damaged by them.

ולכן לפי שבני דורו לא רצו לקבל ממנו עשו בו פגם.

Therefore, because the people of his generation did not want to accept from him, they caused a blemish in him.

Since his contemporaries rejected him rather than being elevated, the engagement itself left a blemish upon Noach.

וז"ש כאשר עשו כן עשיתי שבמעשיהם עשו בו פגם.

This is the meaning of "as they did, so I did" — that through their deeds they caused a blemish in him.

"As they did, so it was done to me" — their wickedness dragged Noach down and left its mark on him.

וי"ל פי' דובר תמים יתעבו בפועל יוצא שגרמו בו תיעוב ולכן הוצרך להסתר מהם בתיבה.

And one may explain "they abhor the one who speaks with integrity (dover tamim)" (Amos 5:10) in the causative sense — that they caused abhorrence in him; and therefore he needed to hide from them in the teivah.

Reading the verse causatively, their hatred actually induced a blemish of "abhorrence" in Noach himself, so he had to take refuge and hide from them within the ark.

אבל באברהם נאמר אהבת צדק והוא ג"כ פועל יוצא כדאיתא בספר ואהבת את ה"א שיהי' שם שמים מתאהב על ידך כאברהם.

But regarding Avraham it says, "you loved righteousness (ahavta tzedek)" (Tehillim 45:8), and this too is in the causative sense, as is brought on "and you shall love Hashem your God" (Devarim 6:5) — that the Name of Heaven should become beloved through you, like Avraham.

Avraham's love was outward-flowing and active: through him others came to love Hashem, making the Divine Name beloved in the world.

ופרי צדיק עץ חיים נאמר על נח.

"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life" (Mishlei 11:30) — this is said about Noach.

Noach is the "tree of life" whose fruit is his own righteousness, self-contained.

ולוקח נפשות חכם על אברהם ולכן לא הוצרך סעד כדאיתא מי שבא בשביל רבים כאלו בא בזרוע:

And "the one who captures souls is wise" (Mishlei 11:30) — about Avraham; and therefore he did not need support, as it is taught: one who comes on behalf of the many is as if he comes with power (b'zroa).

Avraham was "wise in capturing souls," drawing many to Hashem; because he came with the merit of the many, he came with strength and needed no external support, unlike Noach.

Summary: The Sefas Emes contrasts Noach and Avraham. A tzaddik can save his generation only when they accept avodas Hashem from him and become his spiritual "offspring," as the people Moshe and Avraham taught became bound to them. The dor ha'Mabul rejected Noach's rebuke, so they were not counted as his offspring and he could not save them — and this reflects a real diminishment in Noach, for as the Chovos HaLevavos teaches, the true reward of avodas Hashem comes from bringing others close to Hashem. Noach merely "found favor" for himself (the hidden covenant), needing the support of the teivah, and his very contact with the wicked left a blemish upon him; Avraham had "grace poured upon his lips" (the revealed covenant of the tongue), publicly spreading love of Hashem and "capturing souls," so he came "with the power of the many" and needed no external support.