Rabbi Sholom Twerski
October 16, 2026
The Medrash draws parallels between what we find regarding Noach in this week’s parsha and what we find by Moshe Rabbeinu. It contrasts the Torah’s description of their respectivetrajectories.
Noach is described by the Torah as “אִישׁ צַדִּיק- a righteous man”, yet after he leaves the Ark and plants a vineyard, the Torah describes him as “אִישׁ הָאֲדָמָה- a man of the earth”. Whereas by Moshe, he is originally described as “אִישׁ מִצְרִי- an Egyptian man” and at the end of his life, it is written וְזֹאת הַבְּרָכָה אֲשֶׁר בֵּרַךְ מֹשֶׁה אִישׁ הָאֱלֹקִים אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לִפְנֵי מוֹתוֹ – He is personified as “A man of G-d”. What was the defining characteristic that caused a sharp decline for one, and for the other, an incredible ascent?
The Meshech Chachma posits that it comes down to one point- involvement and concern for others. Noach’s approach was to isolate and sequester himself while Moshe offered himself completely for the needs of his People. Noach kept himself and his family separate from the world. He did not shed a tear when G-d told him that He was going to destroy the world. Moshewas completely invested in the welfare of the Jewish people, putting his own safety and comfort on the line for them time and again.
There are people that are focused on their own spiritual perfection- but to the exclusion of everyone else. They close themselves off from the world and are not present to help anyone else. There are others that put aside their own desires of attaining lofty spiritual heights because they feel that they are needed by the community. They sacrifice would they could have achieved by themselves to be of service to others in their environs. While empirically it would seem that the former would be much better off, the Torah indicates otherwise, with the example of Moshe Rabbeinu.
Rabbi Motti Neuberger quotes the Zohar that takes it a step further and informs us that Noach and Moshe are not merely contrasting individuals, but that Moshe was a gilgul, a reincarnation, of Noach and came back to fix up his mistakes. The Zohar highlights two errors that Noach made- his inability to give tochacha or rebuke, and his dereliction in not praying on behalf of his generation.
R’ Pinchas Friedman in his sefer, Shvilei Pinchas, suggests that these two deficiencies were hinted at in Moshe’s first conversation with Hashem at the Burning Bush. Moshe claimed that he was not a good candidate to go to Pharoah and demand the release of the Jewish People. He said,
לֹא אִישׁ דְּבָרִים אָנֹכִי גַּם מִתְּמוֹל גַּם מִשִּׁלְשֹׁם גַּם מֵאָז דַּבֶּרְךָ אֶל־עַבְדֶּךָ כִּי כְבַד־פֶּה וּכְבַד לָשׁוֹן אָנֹכִי׃
“I am not a man of words- not yesterday nor the day before- nor from when You first began speaking with Your servant, for I am clumsy of mouth and clumsy of speech.”
כְבַד־פֶּה may be a reference to his not issuing words of rebuke and כְבַד לָשׁוֹן would be his lack of davening on behalf of the generation when he was Noach. This would also explain Moshe’s strange statement, “Also from when You first spoke with Your servant.” When would that havebeen? This is Moshe’s first encounter with Hashem! But perhaps he is referring to a prior encounter- when he was in a different body.
In fact, R’ Shlomo Fisher understands this entire conversation focusing on this point. Moshe was saying, “I am the wrong man for the job. This demands that I focus on the good in Klal Yisroel even when they stray from the path. What You need is a man of Chessed, while I am a man of Din- strict judgement.” The final letters of לֹא אִישׁ דְּבָרִים אָנֹכִי spells out the name “Shammai”. In the times of the mishna, Hillel’s counterpart, Shammai, was known for his stern character. While Hillel had abundant amounts of patience for dealing with people and their idiosyncrasies,Shammai was intolerant of shortcomings and did not mince words when he perceived faults.
To which Hashem responded, “That’s why I am choosing you. You must fix that perspective now. The way you were when you were Noach cannot be the way you remain. You will yet come to a point when you can dedicate yourself solely on behalf of your nation. You will find yourself in the same situation as Noach, where I will tell you that I am prepared to wipe out the nation and begin again from you. Yet, instead of quietly acquiescing, you will fight me tooth and nail to avert that decree.”
After the Chet HaEgel, when Hashem tells Moshe that He is going to destroy Klal Yisroel, Moshe responds, “מְחֵנִי נָא מִסִּפְרְךָ” “If you are not going to forgive them, erase me from Your book.” מְחֵנִי is the same letters as מֵי נֹחַ- the waters (flood) of Noach. Moshe says, here is my chance to redeem my behavior when Hashem told me about the flood He would bring to the world.
In fact, it may be that this was the reason Noach was saved from the Mabul himself. Moshe was 17 generations from Noach (Noach until Avraham was 10. Then we have Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Levi, Kehas, Amram, Moshe.) Despite the disappointment that Noach didn’t daven for the generation, Hashem tells him, “בֹּא־אַתָּה וְכׇל־בֵּיתְךָ אֶל־הַתֵּבָה כִּי־אֹתְךָ רָאִיתִי צַדִּיק לְפָנַי בַּדּוֹר הַזֶּה׃ Let you and all your household go into the Teiva for I have seen you to be righteous בַּדּוֹר הַזֶּה - in this generation.” Leaving aside the simple translation, we may understand the words בַּדּוֹר הַזֶּה in a new light. The gematria of הַזֶּה is 17. Meaning, in 17 generations from now, you will achieve your state of being completely righteous.
May we all seek spiritual growth while still maintaining care and concern for our brothers and sisters, both in their physical and spiritual well-being.