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Dear  Naaleh Friend,

This week  we read Parshat Noach.  There are many shiurim avalable on Naaleh on this weeks Parsha and a brand new one was put up today!  The new class is titled Galvanizing Gratitude and is from the series Living the Parsha 5777.  In this class, Mrs. Shira Smiles discusses Parshat Noach (of this year 5778.)  

 To watch this class now and to learn more please click on the image below: 
 

This week's edition of our Torat Imecha Newsletter on Parshat Noach is available on our  Newsletter pageClick here for the printer friendly version, to share at your Shabbat table! Be sure to visit the homepage as well, for many more inspiring Torah classes! 
 
Shabbat Shalom!

-Ashley Klapper and the Naaleh Crew
 
After spending 120 years building the ark, Noach finally enters it.  He did not enter in response to Hashem's command, but because the flood waters had reached his ankles and he fled inside. The commentators criticize Noach for this delay, calling him a man of small faith. Did Noach really not believe that the flood would come? The  Shaarei Derech  explains that there is a difference between faith based on intellectual knowledge and faith that contains emotional certainty, which propels the person to live and act by that faith. Certainly, Noach knew that Hashem would flood the earth, but he never internalized that belief. In order to act, Noach needed an external stimulus, the waters at his ankles. Rabbi Gifter focuses on this point, that absolute faith requires no external stimuli. And this is precisely the challenge we face today, notes Rabbi Frieman. Many Jews observe Torah and mitzvot, but much of this observance is external, without the inner passion and joy that true faith and commitment would evoke. This may be compared to someone who seems perfectly healthy on the outside, but has an illness that other do not know about. We must feel the joy of Judaism in our "kishkes." As Rabbi G. Rabinowitz points out, we all know there's a Creator, but do our everyday actions in business or society reflect that knowledge? Has it penetrated our inner core?
 
How do we bridge this disconnect? Rabbi Frieman suggests we be consistent in our davening and in our learning. We will begin feeling the connection to Hashem, and every time we pray or study Torah, we will strengthen that connection. But it is not enough to have the perspective of a life based on faith; one must actualize it, notes the  Sefat Emet . Our goal should be to feel happy every time we do a mitzvah , writes  Mizkeinim Etbonan  citing the Steipler. The  Ohr Doniel  cites an analogy from the Steipler. The Torah compares man to a tree of the field. As long as it is attached to its roots, a tree can bear fruit. However, once it is cut off it can no longer grow. Similarly, we must feel the nourishment coming from our roots, providing our lifeblood and our excitement in doing mitzvot . This excitement is what we must transmit to our children.
 
This passion was missing from Noach's faith. This disconnection from his roots was why Noach did not succeed in influencing his generation to change, unlike Avraham Avinu who created many converts.
             
Rabbi Y. Berkowitz discusses love and awe of Hashem and how they are interconnected. We are commanded to believe that Hashem loves us, but we must be careful not to let that undermine our fear of the Almighty and expect Hashem to forgive our transgressions. A good parent must often dispense "tough love" to teach a child that his actions have consequences. General permissiveness does not express love, but rather weakness. Similarly, Hashem wants to prepare us for the ultimate joy of spending eternity in His presence, and therefore punishment comes as a consequence of sin, not as revenge. It is meant as a corrective measure, so that we will merit the ultimate pleasure of eternity in  Gan Eden .
 
Although Noach was full of love for Hashem, continues Rabbi Berkowitz, his lack of faith was in fear of Hashem, for he could not fathom that Hashem would carry out his decree and enforce the consequences of sin.
 
Rabbi Pincus explains further that faith is beyond our understanding. How can One who has infinite love also punish so consummately? This was Noach's dilemma. Noach didn't pray for his generation because he couldn't reconcile these two aspects of Hashem. Since he did not pray the prophet refers to the flood as, "the waters of Noach." Contrast this with the rent clothing and prayers of Mordechai as soon as he heard of Haman's evil decree. Certainly, Mordechai understood God's unlimited love, but he also feared Hashem and the consequences of sin.
 
We must work on developing this fear of Hashem, for we are inclined to rely on God's love and His desire to forgive us. Fear and awe of God is grounded in one's ability to follow Hashem's command - even when it goes contrary to our personal logic.
 
When a person believes in the power of free will but discounts the negative consequences of our poor choices, he can get caught in a constant inner struggle between faith and lack of faith. Do I really believe the world was created for me, and if I cause a group to curtail their Torah study five minutes early, there will be ripple effects throughout the universe? Conversely, do I believe that my one act of kindness also has such cosmic ripple effects? If we can internalize these concepts and live our lives constantly with these thoughts, we will achieve true, full faith.
 
The  Divrei Yisroel  writes that the description of Noach as one of little faith refers not to his faith in Hashem, but rather in his lack of faith in his own merit to be saved. Noach had no doubt Hashem would bring the flood, but he waited until the flood waters reached his ankles because he had little faith in himself and his own worthiness. Full faith and belief in our Creator takes many forms, including faith in ourselves as reflections of His image. Perhaps the greatest challenge of every Jew is to internalize the faith we are born with so that we can truly attain our potential as human beings and as God's emissaries on earth.


Mussar's Path for Life

The 10 th  of the 13 attributes of mercy is  nosei avon , Hashem bears our sins and forgives iniquity. The 11 th  attribute is  v'pesha , Hashem forgives our transgressions. Pesha  refers to a purposeful transgression and avon  refers to an unintentional sin. The Tomer Devora explains that when man sins he pollutes the atmosphere and creates destruction, affecting the existence of this world. The Mishna in Avot says one who commits a sin goes against creation. In fact  Chazal  say that in the times of  Mashiach , if a person will go out on Shabbat and try to pick an apple off a tree, the tree will call out, "Today is Shabbat."
 
When a person commits a sin, he creates a prosecutor that accuses the sinner before Hashem. Hashem not only allows the angel to exist but also sustains it. 
 
According to human logic this seems preposterous. We imagine that Hashem should say, "Go to the one who created you and let him take care of you. And how? By taking the sinner's soul." If the Jew is not keeping Torah and mitzvot, he is going against creation and deserves to die. But the Tomer Devora says this is not what Hashem does. Instead, He bears iniquities and waits for the sinner to repent. A person can also go through suffering as an atonement or be purified in  gehinom.
 
Everyone has a portion in the World To Come.  The question is will the soul get there via the express lane or through local stops.  Just as a person takes precautions with his physical body, he should take precautions with his soul's needs. If you want to get to  Olam Habah , study  mussar,  learn about yourself, learn about  ahavat  and  yirat  Hashem and  shemirat mitzvot . We too can emulate Hashem's attributes, including  nosei avon,  by being patient to the degree that no matter what a person does to us, we will not retaliate, but instead continue to help him.

Laws of Lending Part 2

In Sefer Ahavat Chesed, the Chofetz Chaim writes that if one promises to lend someone money or to give money to  tzedakah one must be very careful to keep his word. This is because it is considered a  kabbalah  (commitment) for a  davar mitzvah . He quotes the Shulchan Aruch in Yoreh Deah based on the Ran in Nedarim that if one accepts upon oneself to do a mitzvah it becomes like a vow and one must make sure to keep it. One cannot go back on it without annulling the vow or going to a  talmid   chacham  to see what to do. This is why when a person gets an  aliyah  to the Torah and commits to give a specific amount to the shul one must be careful to do so.
 
The Chofetz Chaim continues to discuss the optimum way to give  tzedakah . It is better to lend $10 dollars to 100 people rather than $1000 to one person. He quotes  Pirkei Avot , " Hakol lifi rov hamaasa , it is all based on the amount of actions." The Rambam points out that it doesn't say  lifi gadol hamaasa  (based on the size of the action) but rather lifi rov hamaasa  (based on the amount of actions).
 
Still, there are exceptions to this rule. For example, there is a special mitzvah of  V'hechezakta bo , to lend money to someone who is struggling financially but is not yet destitute. If lending such a person $1000 will keep him financially stable so he isn't forced to ask others for money it may override lending $10 to 100 people. But in an ordinary case, many smaller loans are better than one large loan. The Chofetz Chaim explains that doing a smaller mitzvah many times trains a person to do good and affects one's soul more than a person who did one great mitzvah and overcame his inclination only one time. The more a person performs mitzvot the more he conditions himself to fulfill Hashem's command. This impacts his soul in a deep way.
 
A similar idea is mentioned in the Mishna in Peah, which discusses the town of Beit Namar. The mitzvah of  peah  requires that one leave over 1/60 th  of one's produce in the corner of one's field for the poor. The city of Beit Namar had an interesting custom. Instead of setting aside one corner, they would rope off a row of wheat at a time and leave a small amount of  peah . What they could have set aside in one big portion they set aside in ten small portions and our sages praised them for it.


Bchasdei Hashem Torah Tapestry Devarim is available for sale.
The sefer contains a lengthy essay on a topic from each Parsha, with a focus on spiritual growth.  There is a special chapter devoted to our personal development in the month of Elul.
To order email:  smilestorah5@gmail.com
Cost $20 plus $5 shipping.

Featured Classes
The Mitzvah of Prayer 
Rabbi Hershel Reichman
Parshat Noach
Rabbi Hanoch Teller
Primary and Secondary Vessels 
Rabbi Shimon Isaacson
Please visit our Refua Shleima Page for a current list of Cholim.
E-mail Ashley@naaleh.com to add a name to our Tehillim list.