What Happened During Noach's Flood

0:06But it's important to know that Parashat Noach is a critical parasha for every person to know back and forth. Why? Because HaKadosh Baruch Hu showed us there that He doesn't need us. Clearly. Anyone that tells you HaKadosh Baruch Hu needs you, well, how come He didn't need the entire world at the time of Noah? Why? Are we better than them? How? They were more skilled, they were bigger, they were smarter; there were a lot of things. Back and forth. Why? Because HaKadosh Baruch Hu showed us there, He doesn't need us. He doesn't need us. Clearly. Anyone that tells you HaKadosh Baruch Hu needs you, well, how come He didn't need the entire world at the time of Noach? Why? Are we better than them? How? They were more skilled, they were bigger, they were smarter; there were a lot of things. So what are you talking about? HaKadosh Baruch Hu doesn't need us. And that's why we read in the tefillah right before the Amidah of Shabbat, on Friday night, it says, Hashem sat while the entire flood was happening, meaning He let the world be destroyed. Why? I don't need it. If you're not going to serve Me, there's no point.

1:22So we learn a lot from Parashat Noach. We also learn that a tzaddik can make a mistake that can change his entire destiny. He can change his entire reputation in a second. How? By doing the opposite of what he was supposed to do. One example, Rabbi Yagen, alav hashalom, said in a lecture one time, he says, look at Noach. Torah calls Noach an "ish tzaddik tamim b'dorotav" – a righteous man, complete in his generations. A tzaddik, a righteous person, tamim, complete with Hashem. What does this mean? It signifies that whatever Hashem decrees, I will follow. Whatever He commands, I will fulfill, and I am content with it. It's not about understanding first and then doing; it's about doing it regardless of understanding. It's not saying, "I'll do it, but I'm not happy about it," or questioning why one should be the tzaddik when everyone else is reshaim. None of that. Noach, despite the fact that everyone is destroying each other in the streets, Noach says, "Listen, what they do is their problem. No matter what's happening, my bull's in the teivah for a year." Imagine, the Gemara says Noach did not even close his eyes for an entire year. Now, you can try to be a superhero and pull an all-nighter, but the next day, even if you manage it, you're still like half functioning.

2:28Everything, people are destroying each other in the streets. Noach says, "Listen, what they do is their problem, no matter what my bulls are doing." He was in the teva for a year. Imagine, the Gemara says Noach did not even close his eyes for a complete year. Now you can be a superhero and try to do an all-nighter. The next day, even if you pull the all-nighter, you're like half-exhausted. You didn't sleep. The Gemara says you want to be a superhero; you want to stay up for three nights in a row. They hit you and force you to go to sleep; they hit you and force you to go to sleep. All right, relax. But Noach stayed awake for a year. Why? He didn't want to stay awake; it's just that the animals, he was all over the animals. This one eats breakfast at six o'clock in the morning, this one eats at 8:30. This one has coffee with sugar. This one only wants tea, this one wants orange juice, this one wants gefilte fish, and this one wants sardines. Everyone has meals at different times, at 12 o'clock, at two o'clock in the morning. Everybody is on Australian time, he's on New York time, he's on CNN. Everyone's on different schedules. Noach has to feed them little by little: Here you go, here you go, here you go. One time he was late with the lion, and the lion hit him, so Noach suffered the entire year because of it.

3:53Agony and pain for a year. So imagine, imagine what a tzaddik he was. Imagine there's a pasuk in the Torah that says you are a tzaddik. Imagine. Imagine that. Noach was an ish tzaddik tamim b'dorotav. Ishtabach shemo la'ad. Yaron Reuven, tzaddik b'dorotav. I give up. I retire, guys. If there's a pasuk in the Torah, saying I'm a tzaddik, then every time, I'm finished. I'm finished. I achieved my life's goals. It's not just any pasuk. What are you talking about? The pasuk in the Torah says that Noach is Ish Tzadik Tamim. But then, what do we see? The Gemara says the Mabul is named after Noach. It's not called, like in English, it's called the flood. In Lashon Kodesh, it's not called the flood. It's the Mabul. It's called the Mabul, and Noah. What is that like? It's like saying the Holocaust and the Holocaust of Noah. Why? HaKadosh Baruch Hu says, "I killed everybody, while you, Noah, saved everybody. I'm the reason why you guys are alive." Why is it called after me? Meaning, you know why? Why, first and foremost, Chazal tells us, because Noah did not rebuke the people.

5:17You have to come back as a gilgul, the Arizal says, as Moshe Rabbeinu. You have to come back in a gilgul. Second, Noach made a mistake. What mistake did he make? What's the whole point of everything I just said? Despite being a tzaddik, despite being a tamim, Noach made one mistake that HaKadosh Baruch Hu shows every first grader every year. What? After the whole mabul is over. What does Noach want? Peace of mind. Leave me alone. I survived a year with all these animals, a year with all these beasts, a year with all the barking, a year with all the peeping, a year with all this. Cleaning up after every... a year... Let me have a drink. Let me have a little drink. Let me get some... a little bit of wine. What's the problem? No. Kadosh Baruch Hu says to Noach, "Mistake." Why Noach? Why a mistake for Noach? If you have a drink for Kiddush, no problem. Noach gets drunk - mistake. Why? Noach, you are an Ish Tzadik Tamim. You were always straight.

6:25Complete with Hashem, never asking any questions, never complaining, never having anxiety, never thinking, "Oh, I need a break, I need a vacation." You always had your head straight. The wine is the exact opposite of you. Why? What does the wine do? Shake your mind up a little bit, it goes dancing a little, looks over here, looks over there, sometimes at the same time, sometimes simultaneously. It's not you, Noach, your tzaddik. You're a tzaddik; it's not you. It's like somebody who always says wonderful things suddenly says one of these curse words. "Hey, what happened?" Now, if you see a truck driver, or somebody at the gas station, or someone at the store saying a few curses, it's whatever—it's a common language. Common language is a big deal. But someone that has a Pe'er Hadosh, he says something, it shakes up the world. Why? Because you're a tzaddik. It's not you. It's not your doing. By the name of Hashem, we are very excited to offer you the new B'ezrat Hashem app 3.0. It's a newer, faster app, full of Torah and lots of Kedusha, featuring shiurim from myself, Rabbi Refael Aharon, Rabbi Chaim.

7:52where you'll also have newer features that allow you to use the app while using other applications on your phone. You'll be able to share the shiurim directly from the app. You'll be able to donate online and support our kehillah and the Torah work that we are doing. And the most exciting feature is that you'll be able to actually ask questions directly on the app and get answers from the rabbis directly from the app. This is something unprecedented, and Baruch Hashem, we will be able to offer it. Thank you again for all of your support. Check it out. Make sure you have the kosher Torah that will re-energize your neshama each and every single day. Call to b’hatzlacha.