What Could Noah Do?

(ט) אֵ֚לֶּה תּוֹלְדֹ֣ת נֹ֔חַ נֹ֗חַ אִ֥ישׁ צַדִּ֛יק תָּמִ֥ים הָיָ֖ה בְּדֹֽרֹתָ֑יו אֶת־הָֽאֱלֹקִ֖ים הִֽתְהַלֶּךְ־נֹֽחַ׃

(9) This is the line of Noah.—Noah was a righteous man; he was blameless in his age; Noah walked with God.—

בדרותיו. יֵשׁ מֵרַבּוֹתֵינוּ דּוֹרְשִׁים אוֹתוֹ לְשֶׁבַח, כָּל שֶׁכֵּן אִלּוּ הָיָה בְדוֹר צַדִּיקִים הָיָה צַדִּיק יוֹתֵר; וְיֵשׁ שֶׁדּוֹרְשִׁים אוֹתוֹ לִגְנַאי, לְפִי דוֹרוֹ הָיָה צַדִּיק וְאִלּוּ הָיָה בְדוֹרוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם לֹא הָיָה נֶחְשָׁב לִכְלוּם (סנה' ק"ח):

Rashi on Genesis 6:9:2

בדורותיו IN HIS GENERATIONS — Some of our Rabbis explain it (this word) to his credit: he was righteous even in his generation; it follows that had he lived in a generation of righteous people he would have been even more righteous owing to the force of good example. Others, however, explain it to his discredit: in comparison with his own generation he was accounted righteous, but had he lived in the generation of Abraham he would have been accounted as of no importance (cf. Sanhedrin 108a).

סנהדרין ק״ח א:י״ז-י״ח

(בראשית ו, ט) אלה תולדות נח [נח איש צדיק תמים היה בדורותיו] א"ר יוחנן בדורותיו ולא בדורות אחרים וריש לקיש אמר בדורותיו כ"ש בדורות אחרים א"ר חנינא משל דרבי יוחנן למה הדבר דומה לחבית של יין שהיתה מונחת במרתף של חומץ במקומה ריחה נודף שלא במקומה אין ריחה נודף א"ר אושעיא משל דריש לקיש למה הדבר דומה לצלוחית של פלייטון שהיתה מונחת במקום הטנופת במקומה ריחה נודף וכ"ש במקום הבוסם

Sanhedrin 108a:17-18

§ With regard to the verse: “These are the generations of Noah; Noah was a righteous man, and wholehearted in his generations” (Genesis 6:9), Rabbi Yoḥanan says: Relative to the other people of his generation he was righteous and wholehearted, but not relative to those of other generations. And Reish Lakish says: In his generation he was righteous and wholehearted despite being surrounded by bad influences; all the more so would he have been considered righteous and wholehearted in other generations. Rabbi Ḥanina says: There is a parable for the statement of Rabbi Yoḥanan; to what is this matter comparable? It is comparable to a barrel of wine that was placed in a cellar where vinegar is stored; in its place, its fragrance diffuses, i.e., is noticeable, relative to the odor of the vinegar. When it is not in its place surrounded by vinegar, its fragrance does not diffuse, and its pleasant odor is not sensed. Rabbi Oshaya says: There is a parable for the statement of Reish Lakish; to what is this matter comparable? It is comparable to a flask of perfume [palyaton] that was placed in a location of filth. In its place its fragrance diffuses despite the ambient odor, and all the more so is its fragrance noticeable if it is placed in a location where there is perfume.

רמב"ן על בראשית ו׳:ט׳:ב׳

איש צדיק תמים היה יזכיר הכתוב שהיה זכאי ושלם בצדקו להודיע שראוי להנצל מן המבול שאין לו עונש כלל כי הוא תמים בצדק כי הצדיק הוא...

שאמר שהוא איש צדיק כי איננו איש חמס ומשחית דרכו כבני דורו החייבים אמר שהיה מתהלך את השם הנכבד ליראה אותו לבדו איננו נפתה אחרי הוברי שמים ומנחש ועונן וכל שכן אחרי עבודה זרה ואיננו שומע להם כלל רק בשם לבדו הוא דבק תמיד והולך בדרך אשר בחר השם או אשר יורה אותו כי נביא היה וזה כטעם אחרי יי אלקיכם תלכו ואותו תיראו (דברים יג ה) הנאמר בהרחקת המתנבא לעבוד עבודה זרה ונותן אות ומופת כאשר אפרש ועוד אזכיר זה בפסוק התהלך לפני והיה תמים (בראשית י״ז:א׳) אם יהיה תמים דעות עמי והנה אחר שהיה נח צדיק ואיננו ראוי ליענש גם בניו וביתו ראוים להנצל בזכותו כי היה עונש עליו אם יכרת זרעו או יאמר כי הוא צדיק שלם וגם בניו וביתו צדיקים כי הוא למדם כענין שכתוב (בראשית י״ח:י״ט) כי ידעתיו למען אשר יצוה את בניו ואת ביתו:

Ramban on Genesis 6:9:2

HE WAS A RIGHTEOUS MAN AND WHOLE-HEARTED. Scripture mentions that he was guiltless and perfect in his righteousness in order to inform us that he was worthy to be saved from the flood without any punishment whatever since he was whole-hearted in righteousness....

Now after Scripture said that Noah was a righteous man, meaning that he was neither a man of violence nor one who perverted his ways as did the guilty ones of his generation, it further said that he walked with the glorious Name, fearing Him alone. He was not enticed by the astrologers, enchanters and soothsayers, and surely not by idolatry, and he paid no heed to them at all; to G-d alone he did always cleave, and he walked in the way G-d chose or taught him for he was a prophet. This is analogous in meaning to the verse, After the Eternal your G-d shall ye walk, and Him shall ye fear, which is stated in connection with the removal of him who prophesies to encourage the worship of idols and gives a sign or wonder to verify his words, as I will explain.

I will again mention this in connection with the verse, Walk before Me, and be thou whole-hearted, if He Who is perfect in knowledge will be with me.

Now since Noah was a righteous man and undeserving of punishment, it was fitting that his sons and his household be saved by his merit for if his sons were to perish, it would have been a punishment upon him. Or it may be said that he was a perfectly righteous man, and his sons and household were also righteous since he taught them; this is analogous to that which is written concerning Abraham: For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household.

בראשית ז׳:ו׳-ז׳

(ו) וְנֹ֕חַ בֶּן־שֵׁ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָ֑ה וְהַמַּבּ֣וּל הָיָ֔ה מַ֖יִם עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (ז) וַיָּ֣בֹא נֹ֗חַ וּ֠בָנָ֠יו וְאִשְׁתּ֧וֹ וּנְשֵֽׁי־בָנָ֛יו אִתּ֖וֹ אֶל־הַתֵּבָ֑ה מִפְּנֵ֖י מֵ֥י הַמַּבּֽוּל׃

Genesis 7:6-7

(6) Noah was six hundred years old when the Flood came, waters upon the earth. (7) Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the Flood.

חזקוני, בראשית ז׳:ז׳:א׳

מפני מי המבול ולא מפני הצווי.

Chizkuni, Genesis 7:7:1

מפני מי המבול, “on account of the waters of the deluge, and not on account of G-d’s command to enter the ark.

רש"י על בראשית ז׳:ז׳:ב׳

(ב) מפני מי המבול. אַף נֹחַ מִקְּטַנֵּי אֲמָנָה הָיָה, מַאֲמִין וְאֵינוֹ מַאֲמִין שֶׁיָבֹא הַמַּבּוּל, וְלֹא נִכְנַס לַתֵּבָה עַד שְׁדְּחָקוּהוּ הַמַּיִם:

Rashi on Genesis 7:7:2

(2) מפני מי המבול BECAUSE OF THE WATERS OF THE FLOOD — (מפני properly means ‘‘from before”) — Noah, also, was of those people who are wanting in faith: he believed and he did not believe that the Flood would come, and he would not enter the Ark until the waters forced him to do so (Genesis Rabbah 32:6).

רד"ק על בראשית ז׳:ז׳:א׳

ויבוא נח וגו' שבעה ימים נכנס קודם בא המבול זהו.

Radak on Genesis 7:7:1

"Before the water..." - He went in before they came. And we don't know the reason why he (Rashi) says in his interpretation that he was of little faith. Because the text testifies that he was righteous and pure and that he did everything God commanded!

Kedushat Levi
… Let us consider Rashis comment that “Noah was among those of limited faith.” How could this be, since the Torah itself testifies that Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his age? … We can explain the matter as follows: there are two types of tsaddikim who serve the Creator: there is the tsaddik who serves God faithfully and believes that he was the power to direct the cosmos according to his will. As our sages of blessed memory stated, “the Holy one decrees and the Tsaddik annuls the decree in favor of the good!” (Moed Katan 16b). There is another type of Tsaddik who serves the blessed Creator but who is so very lowly in his own eyes that he thinks to himself, “Who am I that I should pray and annul the decree?” and therefore does not pray to do so.
Now even though Noah was a great and blameless tsaddik, he was very small in his own eyes and did not have faith that he was a powerful tsaddik with the ability to annul the decree of the flood. In fact, he thought of himself as being equal to the rest of his generation. He said, “If i am to be saved in the ark, and I am not more righteous than the rest of the generation, they too will be saved.” Therefore, he did not pray to save the people of his generation. This is what Rashi meant when he said he was of limited faith...

מועד קטן ט״ז ב:כ״ד-כ״ה

יוֹשֵׁב בַּשֶּׁבֶת בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהָיָה יוֹשֵׁב בִּישִׁיבָה לֹא הָיָה יוֹשֵׁב עַל גַּבֵּי כָּרִים וּכְסָתוֹת אֶלָּא עַל גַּבֵּי קַרְקַע דְּכֹל כַּמָּה דַּהֲוָה רַבֵּיהּ עִירָא הַיָּאִירִי קַיָּים הֲוָה מַתְנֵי לְהוּ לְרַבָּנַן עַל גַּבֵּי כָּרִים וּכְסָתוֹת כִּי נָח נַפְשֵׁיהּ הֲוָה מַתְנִי דָּוִד לְרַבָּנַן וַהֲוָה יָתֵיב עַל גַּבֵּי קַרְקַע אֲמַרוּ לֵיהּ לִיתֵּיב מָר אַכָּרִים וּכְסָתוֹת לָא קַבֵּיל עֲלֵיהּ תַּחְכְּמוֹנִי אָמַר רַב אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא הוֹאִיל וְהִשְׁפַּלְתָּ עַצְמְךָ תְּהֵא כָּמוֹנִי שֶׁאֲנִי גּוֹזֵר גְּזֵרָה וְאַתָּה מְבַטְּלָהּ

Moed Katan 16b:24-25

Josheb-Basshebeth [yoshev bashevet] indicates that when David would sit [yoshev] in the study hall, he would not sit upon pillows and cushions, as an important person ordinarily would. Rather, he would sit on the ground like one of the students. For as long as David’s teacher, Ira the Jairite, was alive, Ira would teach the Sages while sitting on pillows and cushions. When Ira passed away, David would teach the Sages, and he did this while sitting on the ground. They said to him: Master, you should sit upon pillows and blankets. He did not accept their suggestions, since in his humility he did not wish to appear as the teacher of the Jewish people. In this verse, David is described as “a Tahchemonite [taḥkemoni].” Rav said: The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him: Since you have humbled yourself, be you now like Me [tehe kamoni]. How so? As I issue a decree, and you, owing to your righteousness, may nullify it.

עירובין י״ח ב:י״ג-י״ד

וְאָמַר רַבִּי יִרְמְיָה בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר: מִקְצָת שִׁבְחוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם אוֹמְרִים בְּפָנָיו, וְכוּלּוֹ שֶׁלֹּא בְּפָנָיו. מִקְצָת שִׁבְחוֹ בְּפָנָיו, דִּכְתִיב: ״כִּי אוֹתְךָ רָאִיתִי צַדִּיק לְפָנַי בַּדּוֹר הַזֶּה״, כּוּלּוֹ שֶׁלֹּא בְּפָנָיו, דִּכְתִיב: ״נֹחַ אִישׁ צַדִּיק תָּמִים הָיָה בְּדוֹרוֹתָיו״.

Eruvin 18b:13-14

And Rabbi Yirmeya ben Elazar further said: Only some of a person’s praise should be said in his presence, and all of it may be said not in his presence. Only some of his praise should be said in his presence, as it is written: “And the Lord said to Noah, come, you and all your house into the ark, for you have I seen righteous before Me in this generation” (Genesis 7:1). And all of it may be said not in his presence, as it is written: “These are the generations of Noah; Noah was a righteous man, and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). When not referring to him in his presence, God refers to Noah as a righteous and perfect man.