Noach and the Fur Industry

Question: Why was Noah, a most righteous man, not the first Jew? Answer: He was a Tzadik in a fur coat…

Noach was an enigma. Noach was a righteous man. The Torah heaps effusive praise on him. Yet, notwithstanding his righteousness, Noach did nothing to prevent the flood.

Our sages tell us that Noach was engaged in the Ark building business for close to 120 years, so that he would have ample opportunity to speak to people about the impending flood. The odds were that if a man as righteous as Noach would spend 120 years of his life (he lived to the ripe old – Social Security busting – age of 950!) trying to influence people to mend their ways, he would have changed, at least, one person. In fact, Noach failed to even influence one person! Only Noach, his wife, his three sons and their wives were spared.

How could this be? How could a righteous person fail so miserably?

There is an analogy given to describe two very different types of righteous people.

Imagine living in the “old-country.” It is in middle of the winter and it is bitter cold outside. Our first individual leaves the house with his ax in hand, chops down a few trees, cuts the logs into firewood and shleps it all home, works for an hour or two to get a decent fire going in his fireplace. But, finally, the house turns into a warm and cozy place not only for himself, but for his family and guests as well..

The second personality type also feels the bitter cold and makes an effort to alleviate the situation by simply putting on his fur coat. This individual has been termed in Yiddish, “A tzadik in peltz-a righteous person in a fur coat.” He might be capable of warming his own body, but he has no concern for anybody else’s discomfort. The other individual who warms his house by chopping wood is no less warm than his “tzadik in pelts” counterpart, but, the others in his household are also beneficiaries of his efforts. This is a genuine tzadik.

Noach, notwithstanding his righteousness had been labeled a “tzadik in peltz,” because of his insensitivity to the needs of his own generation.

The question has been raised. Had Noach not spoken to people for the 120 years it took for him to build the Ark it would have been appropriate for us to label him a Tzadik in Peltz. In fact, our sages tell us that he complied fully with G-d’s request to lecture the people about their wickedness and to try to steer them in the right direction. Why then should we fault him for not succeeding, considering the fact that he tried?

The answer given by the Rebbe and discussed in the preceding essay, is that there are two ways of trying. The first is where one invests not only time and effort, but also heart and soul, in the process of getting others to change.

The second individual does everything he is told to do, but invests none of his/her emotions. This individual acts out of a sense of duty.

Noach, knew that he had a responsibility to do what G-d had told him to do. And that was it. There was no feeling of genuine concern for the well-being of his generation. He did precisely what he had to do. No more and no less.

In the preceding essay we discussed the contrast between Noach and Moses who was prepared to sacrifice everything dear to him to save the Jewish people.

Noach, Not the First Jew

In truth, Noach is also unfavorably compared with Abraham. When Abraham hears about the impending destruction of Sodom, he intercedes on their behalf, not because he was told to, but because he could not bear to see the suffering of others.

This explains the fact that Jews trace themselves back to Abraham and not to Noach. Abraham was the first to display such concern and empathy for others.

The question can still be asked, why we refer to Abraham, not Moses, as the first Jew.

If we go back to our formation as a nation, we should trace ourselves back to the Jews of the Sinai revelation and to Moses their leader, whether or not we are his biological descendants.

On the other hand, if we are interested in tracing ourselves back to a man of great moral character, a perfect Tzadik, then we should have listed Noach as one of our Patriarchs. Why do we ascribe our genesis to Abraham?

The answer is that as Jews there are two dimensions of G-dly energy that we must possess in order for us to fulfill our Divine mission of making this world a “dwelling place for G-d.” This mission was the very purpose of creation and will be fully realized in the Messianic Age.

The first condition is the fulfillment of the commandments of the Torah. Each Mitzvah generates the Divine energy to transform the world, one Mitzvah at a time. This mission was given to us at Mount Sinai through Moses.

When we perform a Mitzvah the consciousness we must have is the recollection of Mount Sinai, when G-d’s mission statement was forever seared in our souls’ memory. We are G-d’s soldiers marching forward with determination to make G-d’s plan come to fruition, with the coming of Moshiach.

But, being a Jew also entails a personality that is suited for spreading the message to others. This includes educating and inspiring other Jews to observe the commandments and transmit them to the next generation.

To do that, simple adherence to G-d’s will cannot suffice. One must be imbued with the mindset and emotional capacity of empathy, caring for others.

So while our marching orders we got at Mount Sinai, at which time we became a Jewish nation, the Jewish individual’s propensity for kindness and compassion, empathy and care, we inherited from the Patriarchs and Matriarchs beginning with Abraham.

Thus, Abraham is the first Jew in terms of our Jewish personality, while Moses can be considered the first Jew in terms of became a nation under the Divine Constitution. This might be compared (l’havdil) with the founding fathers of our country, who bequeathed to us a Constitution. But the emotional and spiritual underpinnings of our country can be traced back further to those who came to our shores with the idea of religious freedom.

“The End is Wedged in the Beginning”

As we approach the imminent Messianic Age, the above lesson is even more relevant. There is a Kabbalistic principle, “The end is wedged in the beginning.” In our context this means that the end of days is more profoundly connected to the genesis of days.

Our genesis is Abraham, not Adam or Noach, and it is his empathy that is most crucial in these last moments of exile as we stand on the threshold of Redemption.

For the Jewish people, particularly now, it does not suffice to merely fulfill our obligations. We must condition ourselves to feel the needs of others.

Noach’s Defense

In Noach’s defense it has been suggested that the world was then not sufficiently sophisticated to realize this ideal. Indeed, the flood actually accomplished the refining of the world that ultimately led the way for an Abraham. But, even after the flood it took ten generations for his arrival on the world’s stage.

This is the level of love and feeling we will all, however, experience in the fullest measure in the age of Moshiach, and have the capacity now to experience this empathy in the most heightened way.

As we prepare for the Age of Redemption, we must recognize the need to foster greater feelings of love and concern for each other. This display of unity will not only hasten the process of Redemption, but it will also make the process a more meaningful and profound experience

From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Noach by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.