By Ryan Kagin
University of Illinois

One of the most puzzling stories in the Torah is that of Noah. Even though God is "slow to anger, and abounding in kindness," God decides that it is time to wipe the world clean and start fresh. God chooses a lone righteous man, Noah, and instructs him to build an ark to hold his family, seven animals of each kosher species, and two animals of each unkosher species. After Noah has done what God asked for, God covers the land with water, which remains for 150 days before it recedes.

There are a couple of outstanding questions that should be asked about this story. If God is "slow to anger, and abounding in kindness," why decide to destroy almost everything that’s been created? Why was Noah chosen to be the man to build the ark? What made Noah such a notable man?

The Torah says in Genesis 6:9, "Noah was a righteous man; he was blameless in his age." At first, it seems to answer the question quite forwardly that God chose Noah for his righteousness. However, delving deeper into the meaning of this pasuk (verse) gives us two different interpretations.

According to Midrash Tanhuma, an early medieval compilation, the meaning of "in his age" is "righteous in his age, but not in others…If someone places a silver coin among copper coins, the silver appears attractive. So Noah appeared righteous in the age of the flood." This interpretation would indicate that Noah was merely a righteous person in the context of the corrupt society in which he lived.

However, the midrash (commentary) continues with another interpretation of what the pasuk means: "Others interpret the verse to Noah’s credit. How so? It may be compared to a jar of balsam placed in a grave, and giving off a goodly fragrance. Had it been inside a home, how much the more so!" This aspect of the midrash indicates that Noah was a righteous person despite his evil surroundings. Had Noah been in a righteous community, how much greater he would have been.

This midrash doesn’t just have its implications in biblical times. It can relate to our lives today. Where does our righteousness, our kindness, come from: does our society shape how righteous we appear, or does our righteousness come from within?

It seems the answer to this question is a mixture of the possibilities. Surely our righteousness appears great in the context of our surroundings. We appear to be righteous when we refrain from murder or theft, even when those around us engage in such activity. We appear to be righteous when we refrain from cheating, even when those around us are doing so themselves. Although we are not doing something out of the ordinary, our appearance of righteousness is influenced by our surroundings.

On the other hand, our community does not always influence our appearance. Children growing up in the same household under the same values grow up to be different people. Each individual has their own set of morals which determine their righteousness; how we appear in society is partly influenced by the actions in which we engage and the choices that we make.

But no matter how we interpret the source of our righteousness, it is important to understand that it our righteousness is significant and necessary. We need to be moral in our decisions, even if we only refrain from murder or theft. Just as Noah prevailed in a corrupt society, so too can we prevail, and be the righteous people in our age.