Mitzvos draw chayah, Torah draws yechidah

במד' אלה תולדות נח נח פרי צדיק ע"ח איזהו פירותיו של צדיק מצות ומעש"ט.

In the Midrash: "These are the offspring of Noach, Noach" (Bereishis 6:9) — "the fruit of a tzaddik is a tree of life" (Mishlei 11:30); what are the fruits of a tzaddik? Mitzvos and maasim tovim (good deeds).

The Midrash teaches that a tzaddik's true "offspring" are his mitzvos and good deeds — these are the fruits that give him life, like a tree of life.

כי צדיק נקרא חי כדכ' בן איש חי.

For a tzaddik is called "alive (chai)," as it is written, "the son of a living man (ish chai)." (Shmuel II 23:20)

The tzaddik is fundamentally associated with life itself, as Scripture designates him with the term "living."

ורשעים בחייהם קרוים מתים והצדיק ע"י מצות מושך החיים כדכ' וחי בהם.

And the wicked, even in their lifetime, are called "dead," while the tzaddik, through mitzvos, draws down life, as it is written, "and he shall live by them." (Vayikra 18:5)

The resha'im, cut off from their source, are considered dead even while alive. The tzaddik, by performing mitzvos, draws genuine life into himself, fulfilling "v'chai bahem."

כי האדם יש לו נר"נ ח"י כדאיתא במד' ה' שמות יש לנפש.

For a person has nefesh, ruach, neshamah, chayah, yechidah (the five levels of soul), as it is brought in the Midrash: the soul has five names.

The Sefas Emes introduces the five ascending levels of the soul, from the lowest (nefesh) to the highest (yechidah).

חי' שהוא חי' בגוף.

"Chayah," which is the life-force within the body,

Chayah is a higher soul-level that animates the body from a more elevated source.

יחידה שהיא יחידה בגוף.

"Yechidah," which is the singular point within the body.

Yechidah is the highest, utterly unique soul-level — the singular point of absolute connection to Hashem within a person.

ואדה"ר הי' לו כל הה' בחי' הנ"ל כמ"ש האדם הי' כאחד ממנו זה בחי' יחידה שהיא למעלה מכולם.

And Adam HaRishon possessed all five of the aforementioned aspects, as it is written, "the man has become like one (k'echad) of us" — this is the aspect of yechidah, which is above them all.

Before the sin, Adam possessed all five soul-levels, including the loftiest yechidah, alluded to by "k'echad" (like one) — the level of absolute oneness with Hashem.

והוא דביקות באחד האמת.

And this is attachment (dveikus) to the One True G-d.

Yechidah is the soul's bond of dveikus with the absolute Oneness of Hashem.

וע"י החטא שנפרד מהאחדות ניטל ממנו גם בחי' חי' כדכ' פן ישלח ידו כו' מעה"ח ואכל וחי וכו'.

And through the sin, by which he became separated from the Oneness, even the aspect of chayah was taken from him, as it is written, "lest he send forth his hand… from the Tree of Life, and eat, and live forever." (Bereishis 3:22)

Adam's sin severed his connection to Hashem's Oneness, costing him not only yechidah but even the level of chayah, which is why he was barred from the Tree of Life.

ובנ"י ע"י תורה ומצות יכולין להמשיך הארה מבחינת חי' ויחידה.

And Bnei Yisrael, through Torah and mitzvos, are able to draw down an illumination from the aspects of chayah and yechidah.

What Adam lost can be regained: Bnei Yisrael, through Torah and mitzvos, draw down light from these two highest soul-levels.

ונח שנק' צדיק התקין בחי' חי'.

And Noach, who is called a tzaddik, established the aspect of chayah.

Noach, the tzaddik, accomplished the rectification of the chayah level of the soul through his righteousness.

רמז לדבר נח ר"ת נשמה חי'.

A hint to this: "Noach" is the acronym (roshei teivos) of "neshamah chayah" (a living soul).

The very letters of Noach's name (nun, ches) allude to "neshamah chayah," confirming his connection to the chayah level.

ואאע"ה תיקן בחי' יחידה דכתיב אחד הי' אברהם לכן ניתוסף לו ה' לרמוז שהשיג כל הה' שמות הנפש כנ"ל.

And Avraham Avinu rectified the aspect of yechidah, as it is written, "Avraham was one (echad)" — therefore a letter "hei" was added to his name, to hint that he attained all five names of the soul, as above.

Avraham reached the highest level, yechidah ("echad"). The letter hei added to his name (from Avram to Avraham) alludes to his attainment of all five (hei = 5) soul-levels.

ומאברהם אע"ה התחיל בחי' התורה שב' אלפים תורה התחילו מאבות וע"י המצות זוכין לבחי' חי' כדכתיב וחי בהם.

And from Avraham Avinu the aspect of Torah began, for the "two thousand years of Torah" began with the Avos; and through mitzvos one merits the aspect of chayah, as it is written, "and he shall live by them."

Avraham inaugurated the era of Torah. Two distinct attainments emerge: through mitzvos one reaches chayah ("v'chai bahem"), while Torah reaches even higher.

וזה הי' בחי' נח איש צדיק.

And this was the aspect of Noach, an "ish tzaddik" (a righteous man).

Noach's righteousness, achieved through deeds, corresponds to the chayah level attained via mitzvos.

ולפי שבמצות זוכין לבחי' חי' נעשה כברי' חדשה וכקטן שנולד בכל עת.

And because through mitzvos one merits the aspect of chayah, he becomes like a new creation, like a newborn child at every moment.

Drawing down the life-force of chayah through mitzvos perpetually renews a person, making him reborn afresh constantly.

לכן תולדות נח נח כמ"ש חז"ל מעלה אני עליכם כאלו עשיתם עצמיכם.

Therefore "the offspring of Noach [is] Noach," as Chazal said: "I consider it as though you made yourselves."

The repetition "Noach, Noach" hints that through his mitzvos Noach in effect re-created himself — his own deeds gave birth to a renewed Noach.

ועשיתם אותם אתם.

"And you shall do them (osam)" — [read as] "you yourselves (atem)."

Chazal expound "va'asisem osam" as "va'asisem atem" — in doing the mitzvos, you make yourselves anew.

וע"י התורה זוכין לבחי' יחידה וזה שייך רק לבנ"י המייחדים שמו ב"פ ביום ה' אחד.

And through Torah one merits the aspect of yechidah, and this belongs only to Bnei Yisrael, who unify His Name twice daily [declaring] "Hashem is One (echad)."

The higher level of yechidah is reached specifically through Torah, and it is unique to Bnei Yisrael, who proclaim Hashem's Oneness twice each day in Krias Shema.

וכ' אנכי ה' אלקיך יחדתי שמי עליכם והוא בכח התורה.

And it is written, "I am Hashem your G-d" — I have unified My Name upon you — and this is by the power of the Torah.

Hashem's Name rests uniquely upon Bnei Yisrael, and this unification (the yechidah connection) is accomplished specifically through the power of Torah.

ובאברהם אע"ה התחיל בחי' תורה לכן בנח איתא עשרה דורות עד שהביא עליהם המבול.

And with Avraham Avinu the aspect of Torah began; therefore regarding Noach it is taught: there were ten generations [from Adam to Noach] until He brought the flood upon them.

Noach belonged to the pre-Torah era of mitzvos alone. The Mishnah counts the ten generations until the flood to show how the wickedness accumulated in that period.

ובאברהם איתא עד שבא אברהם וקיבל שכר כולם.

And regarding Avraham it is taught: until Avraham came and received the reward of them all.

The Mishnah continues that the ten generations from Noach to Avraham endured until Avraham came and earned the reward of all of them — because his level was higher.

כדאיתא עבירה מכבה מצוה.

As it is brought: a sin extinguishes a mitzvah,

Chazal teach that an aveirah can snuff out the protective light of a mitzvah.

ואינה מכבה תורה כמו שהוא בפרט כל אדם כן הוא בכלל שעבירות הרשעים כיבו כח מצותיו של נח.

but it does not extinguish Torah; and just as this is true for each individual, so too it is true in the collective: the sins of the wicked extinguished the power of Noach's mitzvos.

While sin can extinguish mitzvos, it cannot extinguish Torah. On a national scale, since Noach had only the power of mitzvos (chayah), the sins of his generation overwhelmed and snuffed out their protection.

והוצרך להנצל בתיבה.

And therefore he needed to be saved in the teivah (ark).

Because the mitzvos alone could not withstand the surrounding wickedness, Noach required the ark to physically survive the flood.

אבל כחו של אברהם לא יכלו הרשעים לכבותו כדכ' מים רבים לא יוכלו לכבות האהבה.

But the power of Avraham the wicked could not extinguish, as it is written, "Many waters cannot extinguish the love." (Shir HaShirim 8:7)

Avraham's level was that of Torah (yechidah), which sin cannot extinguish; therefore the "many waters" of wickedness could not put out his light, and he needed no ark.

ולכן בנ"י שניתן להם התורה יכולין להתקיים תוך שבעים אומות ולקבל שכר כולן:

Therefore Bnei Yisrael, to whom the Torah was given, are able to endure among the seventy nations and to receive the reward of them all.

Inheriting Avraham's power of Torah, Bnei Yisrael can survive and remain spiritually intact amid the seventy nations of the world, and like Avraham, ultimately receive the reward of all — for Torah's light can never be extinguished.

Summary: A tzaddik is called "alive" because through mitzvos and good deeds he draws down genuine life. The soul has five levels, rising to chayah and yechidah, which Adam possessed before the sin but lost. These can be regained: Noach, through mitzvos, rectified chayah (hinted in "Noach" = neshamah chayah), while Avraham, through Torah, reached yechidah (the level of "echad," marked by the added letter hei). Crucially, sin can extinguish the power of mitzvos but never Torah — so Noach needed the ark to survive his generation's wickedness, while Avraham's love could not be extinguished by "many waters." Therefore Bnei Yisrael, who possess the Torah, can endure among the seventy nations and receive the reward of all.