Rashi at the begining of the Parsha notes the famous חז”ל on the words
נח איש צדיק תמים היה בדורותיו יש דורשים לשבח ויש דורשים לגנאי
According to one opinion had Noach lived in the same period of other צדיקים, he would have been even greater. According to the second opinion, had Noach lived in the times of אברהם אבינו he wouldn’t have been considered great at all. Why would חז”ל look to describe Noach in a negative way, if we can translate the פסוק in its simple form, that Noach was a צדיק for all generations? This opinion is further difficult to understand, when looking at another פסוק in the Parsha, when הקב”ה says to Noach
כי אותך ראיתי צדיק לפני
The רבש”ע Himself attests to Noach being a צדיק. Why then is he נדרש לגנאי?
Harav Aharon Lopiansky explains: There are 2 types of great people. There are those who are born with great abilities and a natural drive to do great things. Such individuals live their lives being great using the talents and abilities they were given at birth. They were born for greatness and lived greatness. Then there are self made people, who were not born into greatness, but rather transformed themselves through a lifetime of hard work.
The פסוק says on נח ונח מצא חן בעיני ה’ Noach was born into greatness, and he lived a life of greatness. The great צדקות he had was not something he had to acquire through hard work. It came to him naturally. By Avraham אבינו this was not the case. He was born into a house of רשעים who worshiped עבודה זרה. At a young age he started exploring and searching until he came to the realization there is a רבש”ע. He then continued to develop himself through the 10 נסיונות he was tested with, until he finally became the great person he was. His greatness was acquired, not gifted.
This is alluded to in another רש”י in the Parsha on the words
: את האלוקים התהלך נח
Says רש”י
נח היה צריך סעד לתמכו אבל באברהם כתוב התהלך לפני
Noach needed assistance to be great, but אברהם did it on his own. The פסוק is telling us that Noach’s greatness was a complete gift from הקב”ה, whereas by אברהם אבינו it was built up and developed through his own hard work.
We can now understand the concept of דורשים לגנאי Noach was surely a giant. But the רבש”ע values even more when that greatness comes about through hard work and toil. Greatness acquired through hard work is more appreciated then greatness given as a natural gift. So when חז”ל say דורשים לגנאי, they are not retracting from Noach’s greatness. Rather they’re saying that אברהם אבינו was much greater since he became great through his own hard work, unlike Noach who was born perfect.
This is also a lesson for life of every person. None of us were born perfect. Rather we’re meant to utilize every day to become better people.
We’ll conclude with a story that highlights this concept. Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz, founder of Artscroll, was close with the Kapichnitzer Rebbe זצ”ל. One year he joined the Rebbe for his מצה baking Chabura. After completing the baking, the Rebbe generously tipped all the bakery workers. On Erev Pesach afternoon, they once again returned to the bakery, this time to bake the famous מצות מצוה, the special Erev Pesach Matzos. Once again the Rebbe generously tipped the workers. Rabbi Zlotowitz said to the Rebbe, ” you just tipped them a few days ago. You were יוצא with that.” The Rebbe replied: ” I didn’t come to this world to be יוצא” Life is meant to be a process of ongoing growth and accomplishment. Good Shabbos
Weekly Parsha Shiur 