Mankind continued its downward spiral until Hashem felt He had no choice but to destroy humanity and begin again. Noach was chosen to be the second Adam; he would be the one, who together with God, would rebuild the world in the aftermath of the flood.
The Torah states:
“These are the generations of Noah; Noah was a righteous man, he was perfect in his generations (b’dorosav); Noah walked with God.” (Bereishis 6:9)
Rashi is bothered by a simple question: Why add in the words “b’dorosav, in his generation”? Why the need for this modifier? Simply state – Noach was righteous. This leads Rashi to comment:
“In his generations”: Some of our Sages interpret it [the word b’dorosav] favorably: How much more so if he had lived in a generation of righteous people, he would have been even more righteous. Others interpret it derogatorily: In comparison with his generation, he was righteous, but if he had been in Abraham’s generation, he would not have been considered of any importance. (Sanh. 108a, Gen. Rabbah 30:9, Tan. Noach 5)
There is a dispute – was Noach an objective tzaddik or a subjective one? Was he considered righteous relative to the evildoers of his generation or was he truly pious? The Lubavitcher Rebbe advances a remarkable insight. The Rebbe notes that Rashi quotes two opinions. The first is attributed to the “Sages (Rabboseinu)” who contend that Noach was an objective tzaddik, while the second opinion is attributed to “others, acheyrim,” who hold that Noach was a relative tzaddik. The Rebbe explains that anyone can see the faults and shortcomings of another. Anyone who is an “other” can see the negativity and that which is broken within another individual. But Rabboseinu, great people, can discern the objective good even where others find fault. Great people, who are happy, confident and lead lives of fulfillment, can see the greatness in others. It is “rabboseinu/sages” who see the objective good in Noach and “acheyrim/others” who find fault.
The Rebbe’s insight is a tremendous lesson for life. It is easy to deconstruct, pick apart, and see what is broken within the other. It is one who possesses true spiritual strength, one who has worked on and is happy with himself, who is able to see the good in every other Jew.
May we be privileged to become “sages” and avoid the temptation of becoming an “other.”