Noach & Historical Hubris
Rabbi Tom Samuels
January 2020
אֵלֶּה, תּוֹלְדֹת נֹחַ–נֹחַ אִישׁ צַדִּיק תָּמִים הָיָה, בְּדֹרֹתָיו: אֶת-הָאֱלֹקים, הִתְהַלֶּךְ-נֹחַ
"Noah was a pure and righteous man in his generation, and Noah walked with God." (Gen. 6:9)
Rashi’s comments on "In his generation" - “Some of our rabbis read this as praise, as if to say, ‘[Even in his generation], all the more so if he were in a righteous generation!’
But some read it as a critique, as if to say:
בדורותיו: יש מרבותינו דורשים אותו לשבח, כל שכן שאלו היה בדור צדיקים היה צדיק יותר, ויש שדורשים אותו לגנאי, לפי דורו היה צדיק, ואלו היה בדורו של אברהם לא היה נחשב לכלום
‘He was righteous in his generation, but if he had been in the generation of Abraham, he would have been considered a nothing!’”
This makes me think about much of our current political discourse which all too often, in my opinion, demonizes historical figures by examining their record through a narrow, modernist lens. Columbus, Jefferson… they can only be understood in their specific, historical context. And as with Noah’s generation, what was considered to be commonplace, normative, would be seen as abhorrent in later generations. One day, no doubt, our own descendants will be horrified by us.
Hindsight is, after all, 20/20.
Rabbi Tom Samuels
January 2020
אֵלֶּה, תּוֹלְדֹת נֹחַ–נֹחַ אִישׁ צַדִּיק תָּמִים הָיָה, בְּדֹרֹתָיו: אֶת-הָאֱלֹקים, הִתְהַלֶּךְ-נֹחַ
"Noah was a pure and righteous man in his generation, and Noah walked with God." (Gen. 6:9)
Rashi’s comments on "In his generation" - “Some of our rabbis read this as praise, as if to say, ‘[Even in his generation], all the more so if he were in a righteous generation!’
But some read it as a critique, as if to say:
בדורותיו: יש מרבותינו דורשים אותו לשבח, כל שכן שאלו היה בדור צדיקים היה צדיק יותר, ויש שדורשים אותו לגנאי, לפי דורו היה צדיק, ואלו היה בדורו של אברהם לא היה נחשב לכלום
‘He was righteous in his generation, but if he had been in the generation of Abraham, he would have been considered a nothing!’”
This makes me think about much of our current political discourse which all too often, in my opinion, demonizes historical figures by examining their record through a narrow, modernist lens. Columbus, Jefferson… they can only be understood in their specific, historical context. And as with Noah’s generation, what was considered to be commonplace, normative, would be seen as abhorrent in later generations. One day, no doubt, our own descendants will be horrified by us.
Hindsight is, after all, 20/20.