WHO AM I?
This week’s Parsha, Noach, tells us that Noach was perfectly righteous and walked with HaShem. In next week’s Parsha HaShem instructs Avraham to “walk before Him and to be perfect”. The implication is that Avraham was not yet perfect while Noach had already achieved perfection. It therefore begs the question why is Avraham chosen to father the Jewish people and not Noach. Isn’t Noach, who had achieved perfection al-ready, greater than Avraham who had not yet achieved that state?
Another interesting note is that Noach was not able to influence the people of his generation to change their evil ways even though he already achieved perfection and Avraham who had not yet achieved that state was very successful in changing the behavior of his generation. It seems counterintuitive that the less perfect is more successful in influencing others than the perfect.
There are two types of people. Most people define themselves by where their comfort level is. Take for example, the 10th grader who tells his parents that he is just not a math person, please leave me alone. This boy may, in fact, be a math genius but he is not comfortable doing math. He therefore defines himself as no being a math person. Adults do this as well. Nobody wants to get out of their comfort zone. Instead of taking responsibility, they define themselves as being limited to their comfort zone and hence, that are not able to do their responsibility because that is not who they are.
However, there are some people who decide who they will be based on their dream, even if they are not that person, because they will make themselves that person. There are not limited in becoming greater because they are willing to go out of their comfort zone.
Perhaps we can answer our questions if we recognize Noach as the former and hence, he was, in fact, perfect.
He was truly someone who did all the requirements expected of him. There was no more for him to do. He did not achieve perfection, he just was perfect. He did not create his state. Noach simply maintained his state of perfection that HaShem blessed him with.
Avraham, on the other hand, was the latter. Therefore, HaShem told him how to define his dream; “walk in front of Me and become perfect”. Avraham’s perfection was a lifelong work; walking before HaShem and becoming perfect.
That is why Noach could not move anybody to become better, because he was not even able to change him-self. Avraham, however, who was all about changing himself was able to encourage others to do the same.
Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind