This week’s Parshah, Noach, speaks about the Flood that annihilated mankind in Noach’s lifetime, over 4,000 years ago. Noach was a tzaddik, a righteous man, and was thus spared. Not only him, but his wife and children too. Everyone else died in the Flood.
A righteous person has many merits, and they can help even those who aren’t righteous. But those who can be helped must have some association with that tzaddik. This is a lesson for all of us—to seek refuge and guidance from righteous people, not from scoundrels and false leaders who have nothing substantial to help us with!
What were the sins of the Generation of the Flood? Idolatry, immorality and theft. And what are the main issues of today? Idolatry—the idolization of unworthy leaders who cannot lead, have no knowledge of how to benefit the citizens of their domain, yet people remain hell-bent on following them. (Take Iran’s leaders, or Hamas and Hezbollah leaders—how misled their people have been by these false leaders!) Add to this “so-called leaders” in their fields, say musical performers, sports heroes, political aspirants and so on. This is idolatry, as these idols cannot provide meaningful instruction on how to live decently. Their contributions to society are nil, yet they stir up emotions that are definitely negative to life.
Immorality—betrayal of one’s spouse, one’s community, even one’s own self. Simply, betrayal. This deed is so common that it needs no elaboration. The same applies to theft. Stealing doesn’t only mean taking someone else’s property; it also includes “stealing” someone’s understanding by presenting false information or concealing the truth. This is an area where the media excels in fooling and subverting mankind.
These sins are commonplace today, creating a modern-day “Flood” that parallels the sins of the Generation of the Flood. We are inundated with falsehood, incapable leaders and the concealment of truth. Instead of HaShem sending a Flood, we create one for ourselves.
Rebbe Nachman teaches (Likutey Moharan I, 9) that the antidote to these attacks on our senses is prayer. One should pray as best as he can, placing as much honesty as possible into the words that emit from his mouth. In this way, one draws close to HaShem and can be spared the destruction of the current Floods of heresy, immorality and theft of self! Amen.