Guarding the tzelem Elokim and the bris

כתיב ונח מצא חן בעיני ה' זה בחי' נח איש צדיק.

It is written: "And Noach found favor (chein) in the eyes of Hashem" (Bereishis 6:8) — this is the aspect of "Noach, a righteous man (ish tzaddik)."

The chein that Noach found in Hashem's eyes flows from his being a tzaddik; his righteousness is what made him pleasing before Hashem.

גבר זכאי.

"A worthy man (gevar zakkai)" [as Targum renders "ish tzaddik"].

The Targum translates "righteous man" as "gevar zakkai," a man who is clean and meritorious — pointing to Noach's inner purity.

וכשהנפש מזוכך ונקי חל עליו הצלם אלקים ולכן מוצא חן מאחר שהקב"ה בחר לו זה הצלם מוצא חן בעיניו לכן צריך האדם לשמור שלא להסיר מאתו הצלם.

And when the nefesh is refined and clean, the "tzelem Elokim" (image of God) rests upon it, and therefore he finds favor — since Hashem chose this tzelem for him, he finds favor in His eyes; therefore a person must guard not to remove the tzelem from himself.

When the soul is purified, the Divine image radiates within it, and that image is precisely what draws Hashem's favor. Since Hashem Himself "chose" this image, a person must take care never to lose it through sin.

ובמשנה חביב אדם שנברא בצלם חיבה יתירה נודעת לו כו'.

And in the Mishnah: "Beloved is man, for he was created in the tzelem (image); a greater love was made known to him..." (Avos 3:14)

Chazal teach that man is beloved by virtue of being created in the Divine image — and even more, that this love was revealed to him, deepening his preciousness.

כי באמת זה הצלם אלקים נשאר ו) בבנ"י כמ"ש אדם אתם ולכן דור המבול הוסר מהם זה הצלם.

For in truth this tzelem Elokim remained in Bnei Yisrael, as it is written "Adam atem" ("You are called Adam"); and therefore from the generation of the Flood this tzelem was removed.

The Divine image endures specifically in Bnei Yisrael, who are uniquely called "Adam." The generation of the Mabul, by contrast, corrupted themselves until the tzelem was stripped away from them.

ולכן שלטו עליהם החיות והבהמות ולכן כתיב אח"כ ומוראכם וחתכם כו' כדפרש"י.

And therefore the wild and domestic animals had dominion over them; and therefore afterward [to Noach] it is written: "and the fear of you and the dread of you..." (Bereishis 9:2), as Rashi explains.

Once the tzelem was lost, the animals ruled over the men of that generation. Only after the Flood, when the tzelem was restored to Noach, did Hashem grant that the animals would once again fear man — as Rashi explains on the verse.

וכן איתא בזוה"ק וישב.

And so it is brought in the Zohar (Vayeishev).

The Sefas Emes notes that the Zohar in Parshas Vayeishev states the same principle.

כי כשחל זה הצלם.

For when this tzelem rests [upon a person].

When the Divine image is present and intact within a person.

החיות בורחים ממנו.

The wild animals flee from him.

The presence of the tzelem instills awe in the animals, so they flee from a person who bears it — the natural order recognizes and submits to the Divine image.

ואמו"ז ז"ל הגיד בשם הרב המגיד מקאזניץ ע"ה כי נכתבו פרשת קין ודור המבול והפלגה כי כל אדם יש בו מאלה הדורות.

And my grandfather and teacher (the Chiddushei HaRim) related in the name of the Rav, the Maggid of Kozhnitz, that the accounts of Kayin, the generation of the Flood, and the generation of the Dispersion were written because every person contains something of these generations.

Citing the Maggid of Kozhnitz, the Sefas Emes explains that the Torah records these three fallen generations because each of them corresponds to a flaw latent within every individual.

וצריך לתקן עצמו.

And he must rectify himself.

Therefore each person's avodah is to repair within himself the very tendencies that these generations embodied.

והם בחי' קנאה תאוה וכבוד.

And these are the aspects of kinah (envy), ta'avah (desire), and kavod (honor).

The three generations map onto the three destructive traits of Avos: envy, desire, and the pursuit of honor.

קין קנאה.

Kayin — envy.

Kayin, who killed his brother out of jealousy, represents the trait of kinah.

דור המבול תאוה.

The generation of the Flood — desire.

The generation of the Mabul, sunk in immorality and corruption, represents ta'avah.

דור הפלגה כבוד.

The generation of the Dispersion — honor.

The generation of the Tower, seeking to "make a name" for themselves, represents the pursuit of kavod.

עכ"ד.

Thus far his words.

This concludes the teaching cited in the name of the Maggid of Kozhnitz.

ונראה דזה פי' המשנה קנאה ותאוה וכבוד מוציאין האדם מן העולם.

And it appears that this is the meaning of the Mishnah: "Envy, desire, and honor remove a person from the world." (Avos 4:21)

The Sefas Emes connects this to the Mishnah's warning that these three traits "remove a person from the world."

פי' שמאבדין ע"י דברים אלו הצלם אדם.

That is, that through these things one loses the "tzelem Adam" (the image of man).

"Removing a person from the world" means that envy, desire, and honor cause one to forfeit the Divine image — the very thing that makes him fully human.

וידוע שזה הצלם הוא בנפש רוח ונשמה ובג' דברים הנ"ל פוגמים הדמות אדם.

And it is known that this tzelem resides in the nefesh, ruach, and neshamah, and through the three things mentioned above one blemishes the form (demus) of man.

The Divine image is borne by the three levels of the soul — nefesh, ruach, neshamah — and the three corrupting traits each damage the human form by harming one of these levels.

בקנאה כ' רקב עצמות קנאה ועצמות בחי' מוח נשמה.

Regarding envy it is written: "envy is the rot of the bones" (Mishlei 14:30), and "bones" correspond to the aspect of the brain — the neshamah.

Envy "rots the bones," and the bones — especially the skull housing the brain — correspond to the highest level, the neshamah. Thus kinah damages the neshamah.

תאוה בחי' רוח.

Desire corresponds to the aspect of ruach.

Ta'avah, the realm of emotional drives, blemishes the middle level of the soul, the ruach.

כבוד נפש.

Honor corresponds to the nefesh.

The pursuit of kavod damages the lowest level, the nefesh.

ועיקר קיום הצלם בשמירת הברית ולכן זכה נח לחן.

And the main preservation of the tzelem is through shemiras habris (guarding the covenant), and therefore Noach merited chein.

The chief way to keep the Divine image intact is through guarding the bris — moral purity. Because Noach guarded this, he merited the favor of "chein" (the letters of which are noted to reverse "Noach").

והנה איתא נח הי' צריך לסעד ואברהם נתעלה ממנו משמע שהם ענין א'.

Now it is taught that Noach "needed support" while Avraham rose higher than him — implying that they are one matter.

Chazal compare Noach, who needed support to walk before Hashem, with Avraham, who walked before Hashem on his own. The very comparison implies that they share a common theme.

וכן דורש במד' החכמה תעוז לחכם מי' שליטים על נח ואברהם ע"ש.

And so the Midrash expounds the verse "Wisdom strengthens the wise more than ten rulers" (Koheles 7:19) as referring to Noach and Avraham; see there.

The Midrash applies the verse about chochmah overpowering "ten rulers" to both Noach and Avraham, again linking them as embodiments of the same idea.

ולבאר הענין כי החכמה רומז לחותם ברית קודש שהוא היו"ד שנחתם במילה.

To explain the matter: chochmah alludes to the seal of the holy covenant, which is the letter "yud" that is sealed in the milah.

The "wisdom" of the verse hints at the bris kodesh — the holy covenant whose sign is the yud-shaped imprint formed by milah, the seal stamped upon the body.

ושניהם זכו לחותם זה.

And both of them merited this seal.

Both Noach and Avraham attained this "seal" — each guarded the covenant in his own way.

והנה כ' ראשית חכמה יראת ה' והוא בחי' סור מרע והוא שמירת הברית מחטא כמ"ש חגור חרבך על ירך גבור.

Now it is written: "The beginning of wisdom is the fear of Hashem" (Tehillim 111:10), and this is the aspect of "turn away from evil" (sur mei'ra), which is guarding the bris from sin, as it is written: "Gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one." (Tehillim 45:4)

The "beginning of wisdom" is yiras Hashem, which corresponds to "turning away from evil" — the negative, protective dimension of guarding the bris against sin. The verse "gird your sword upon your thigh" hints at this guarding of the area of the bris.

ועי"ז שליט על הגוף כדאיתא במד' קהלת עשרה שליטים הם המשמשין הגוף והנפש ע"ש.

And through this one rules over the body, as taught in Midrash Koheles that the "ten rulers" are those that serve the body and the soul; see there.

By guarding the bris, a person gains mastery over his body. The Midrash identifies the "ten rulers" as the faculties serving body and soul — which a person can either be ruled by or come to rule over.

וע"י החכמה זוכה להיות שליט על החומר וגשמיות.

And through chochmah one merits to be the ruler over the material and the physical.

The wisdom of the bris empowers a person to govern his physical and material self, rather than being dominated by it.

וזה ראשית חכמה בחי' נח מלשון ונוח מאויביהם להיות גבר זכאי כמ"ש בתרגום.

And this is "the beginning of wisdom," the aspect of Noach — from the language of "v'noach mei'oyveihem" ("and they had rest from their enemies," Esther 9:16) — to be a "gevar zakkai" (worthy man), as the Targum renders.

This protective "beginning of wisdom" corresponds to Noach, whose very name means "rest" — the rest of being free from enemies, i.e., mastering the body and being a "clean, worthy man."

ואח"כ זוכין לבחי' ועשה טוב זה סוף החכמה כמ"ש אח"כ שכל טוב לכל עושיהם.

And afterward one merits the aspect of "do good" (asei tov) — this is the culmination of wisdom, as it then says: "good understanding to all who perform them." (Tehillim 111:10)

Beyond "turning from evil" lies the positive dimension of "doing good," which is the consummation of wisdom — the active, illuminating service alluded to by "good understanding to all who perform them."

וזה בחי' אברהם תכלית החותם התגלות אור זרוע לצדיק אחר הסרת הערלה.

And this is the aspect of Avraham — the ultimate purpose of the seal — the revelation of "light sown for the tzaddik" (Tehillim 97:11) after the removal of the orlah (foreskin).

Avraham represents this higher, positive fulfillment of the bris: not merely guarding against evil, but the active revelation of hidden Divine light that shines forth once the orlah is removed.

כי במילה יש ב' דברים הסרת הערלה והתגלות האור לכן היו"ד כפול במלואו לרמוז על ב' היודין והוא ב' יודין בוייצר ב' יצירות וגם בזה נא' החכמה תעוז לחכם לקבל הארת עשרה שליטין פנימיים המיוחדין לנפש הקדושה כי זה לעומת זה עשה.

For in milah there are two things: the removal of the orlah and the revelation of the light; therefore the "yud" is doubled in its full spelling (yud-vav-dalet), to hint at the two yuds — and these are the two yuds in "vayyitzer" (Bereishis 2:7), corresponding to the two formations (yetziros); and concerning this too it is said "wisdom strengthens the wise" — to receive the illumination of ten inner rulers (shliten penimiyim) that are designated for the holy soul, for "this corresponding to that He made." (Koheles 7:14)

Milah accomplishes two things — removing the orlah and revealing the light — which is why the yud is "doubled" when fully spelled, and why "vayyitzer" is written with two yuds, alluding to two formations (yetzer tov and yetzer hara, or two natures). Just as there are ten "outer" rulers of the body, "this corresponding to that," there are ten inner, holy rulers belonging to the sanctified soul; the wisdom of the bris enables one to receive their illumination.

ואז נגמר הצלם בשלימות ונקרא אדם זה הציור ניתן רק לבנ"י ואז כל האומות עע"ז יראים מהם כמ"ש וראו כל ע"ה שם ה' נקרא עליך כו' ז) כדאיתא אתם קרוין אדם ועיקר סיוע לאדם בכח הנשמה דכתיב יצר לב האדם רע מנעוריו ובמדרש משיוצא מבטן אמו בא היצה"ר וכ"ז נעשה בעצת הרשע ערום שע"י החטא מעה"ד הקדים היצה"ר באדם.

And then the tzelem is completed in its wholeness and one is called "Adam"; this form (tziyur) was given only to Bnei Yisrael. And then all the idol-worshiping nations fear them, as it is written: "and all the peoples of the earth will see that the Name of Hashem is called upon you..." (Devarim 28:10), as it is taught: "you are called Adam." And the main support for a person is through the power of the neshamah — for it is written "the inclination of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Bereishis 8:21), and in the Midrash, that from the moment he leaves his mother's womb the yetzer hara comes; and all this came about through the counsel of the cunning wicked one (the snake), for through the sin of the Tree of Knowledge the yetzer hara gained precedence within man.

When both dimensions of the bris are fulfilled, the Divine image reaches completeness and the person is truly "Adam" — a status given uniquely to Bnei Yisrael, before whom even the idolatrous nations come to tremble. A person's primary aid in this struggle is the neshamah, for the yetzer hara assaults a person from birth — a consequence of the sin of the Eitz HaDa'as, engineered by the cunning serpent, which gave the yetzer hara a head start within man.

ולכן קשה להיצ"ט לגבור עליו.

And therefore it is difficult for the yetzer tov to overpower it.

Because the yetzer hara arrives first and gains a foothold from birth, the yetzer tov, which comes later, faces an uphill battle to prevail.

והיה רצון השי"ת שיאכל אדם מקודם מעה"ח ולא הי' מזיק לו אח"כ עה"ד וע"י החטא הקדים היצה"ר.

And it was the will of Hashem that Adam should first eat from the Eitz HaChaim (Tree of Life), and then the Eitz HaDa'as would not have harmed him; but through the sin the yetzer hara gained precedence.

Hashem's original design was that Adam first partake of the Tree of Life, after which the Tree of Knowledge would have posed no danger. By sinning prematurely, Adam allowed the yetzer hara to take the lead before the protective influence of the Tree of Life was in place.

אכן איתא במד' כי הנשמה קודמת לבוא בעודו בבטן אמו לכן הנשמה מסייע ליצ"ט לגבור על היצה"ר.

However, it is taught in the Midrash that the neshamah comes first, while one is still in his mother's womb; therefore the neshamah assists the yetzer tov to overpower the yetzer hara.

There is a counterbalance, though: the neshamah is implanted even earlier — already in the womb — before the yetzer hara arrives at birth. This "head start" of the neshamah empowers the yetzer tov to ultimately overcome the yetzer hara.

ולכן שבת נקרא מנוחה שיש בו הארת הנשמה יתירה:

And therefore Shabbos is called "menuchah" (rest), for in it there is the illumination of the neshamah yeseirah (the additional soul).

Shabbos is "rest" because it brings the radiance of the neshamah yeseirah — an extra measure of the very soul-power that supports the yetzer tov — granting a person heightened strength to overcome the yetzer hara and to restore the tzelem.

Summary: Noach "found favor" because his purified soul bore the tzelem Elokim, the Divine image — which a person must guard, chiefly through shemiras habris. The generation of the Flood lost this image, so animals ruled over them. The three fallen generations — Kayin, the Flood, and the Dispersion — correspond to envy, desire, and honor, the traits that "remove a person from the world" by blemishing the neshamah, ruach, and nefesh. Noach and Avraham both attained the "seal" of the bris: Noach embodies "the beginning of wisdom" — yiras Hashem and "turning from evil," mastering the body — while Avraham embodies its culmination, "doing good" and revealing the hidden light after the orlah is removed. The completed tzelem makes one truly "Adam," a status unique to Bnei Yisrael. Though the yetzer hara assails a person from birth, the neshamah — implanted earlier, in the womb — aids the yetzer tov to prevail, and Shabbos, with its neshamah yeseirah, grants extra strength for this victory.