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Noah and Abraham:
Contrasting Patriarchs

RABBI MORTON F. YOLKUT

Special to The Jewish News

T

he early chapters of
the Torah portray two
important and con-
trasting personalities: Noah
and_ Abraham. Noah began
his career with great promise,
as an ish tzadik, a righteous
and perfect man. Noah alone
is chosen by God to survive
the flood which destroyed his
entire generation. But after
reaching the spiritual sum-
mit, Noah suffered a sharp
eclipse — and at the end of his
life the Ibral refers to him as
a ish hadamah, a common
materialist. Abraham, on the
other hand, began life very
humbly. The son of an idol

Shabbat Lech
Lecha:
Genesis 12:1-17:27,
Isaiah 40:27-41:16

worshiper, he was raised as an
ignorant shepherd. Yet from
these humble beginnings,
Abraham rises to great
heights and eventually
becomes the progenitor of our
people and the founder of our
faith.
The question that must be
asked is: What was it that
caused Noah's precipitous
decline in status and
Abraham's meteoric rise?
Why was Abraham, and not
Noah, chosen to be the father
of the Jewish people?
As our sages understood
their characters, Noah and
Abraham were utterly
dissimiliar in their sense of
responsibility toward the peo-
ple around them. When God
asked Noah to build an ark
because the Flood was com-
ing, scripture notes that this
was about all that he did: He
followed orders and he built
an ark. We have no hint that
he tried to change God's
decree or save his society. He
quietly accepted God's awe-
some decision and no word of
concern ever passed his lips in
defense of his fellow men.
In Yiddish there is an ex-
pression, a tzaddik in peltz, a
righteous person in a fur coat.
The phrase is derived from a
story of a group that finds
itself freezing in a very cold
room. The leader has two
ways to achieve warmth. He
can either build a fire, which
will warm everyone in the
room, or he can wrap himself

Morton F Yolkut is rabbi at Cong.
B'nai David.

in a fur-lined coat and warm
himself alone. If he chooses
the fur coat, Yiddish folk-lore
calls him (and by extension
anyone who follows his ap-
proach), a tzaddik in peltz
(furs). Noah chose the pelts:
he built his ark.
Abraham, however, was
concerned with his fellow
men and his society
throughout his lifetime.
When he discovered God and
the truths of monotheism, he
did not withdraw to wrap
himself in those truths, warm
and secure. He spoke out, he
acted, he guided people from
the confusion of idolatry to
the clear light of his faith.
Abraham cared dearly
about people and he acted to
assist them with their pro-
blems. When his nephew Lot
was captured in battle,
Abraham gathered his men
and fought superior numbers,
to rescue him. When God in-
formed him of the imminent
destruction of Sodom,
Abraham pleaded, entreated,
even bargained for the lives of
people who were the very per-
sonification of evil.
Abraham kept an open
house, where any stranger
was welcome to enter and eat
at his table. What price did he
ask for his warm and gracious
hospitality? — that the
stranger give thanks to the
Almighty. And the Talmud
states succinctly: "Whoever
has compassion on people, it
is certain that he is a descen-
dant of Abraham, our father?'
(T.B. Betzah 32b)
Yes, Noah was a righteous
man, but there was a
character flaw in Noah, a
glaring deficiency which
precluded him from becoming
the founder of a new faith and
community. He lacked com-
passion; he was indifferent to
the spiritual welfare of his
society. Consequently he
forfeited his place in history.
Abraham goes on to become
the founder of our people
because he was not a tzaddik
in peltz. He found a world icy
cold with fear, superstition
and evil, in which people
thought only of themselves.
And he spent a lifetime try-
ing to warm that world with
the knowledge of God and
love and concern for his fellow
man.
Abraham exemplified a
new and unique form of
saintliness not being satisfied
with one's own virtue, but
constantly striving to elevate
others to his level. Abraham's
life made a difference. He left
the world a far better place
than he found it.

For a free consultation
and portfolio viewing

CALL 358-4234

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Sun. 12-5 • 647-0550

THE

SHAARIT HAPLAYTAH

SURVIVORS
OF 1945
cordially invites you to attend

A PRE•CHANUKAH DINNER DANCE

Sunday, November 8

Adeline A. Laforet, R.N.
Presidoit

"Rent-A-Mom"

newborns/sick children
post-hospital adult care
elder care
• nursing/therapy
• personal care services
• homemaking

423-6500

Health Care

PROFESSIONALS LTD.

employment opportunities

Medicare/Blue Cross/Private Insurance

6:30 at
Temple Emanu-El
14450 West 10 Mile Rd., Oak Park
Music by

Eric Rosenow and His Continentals

Open Bar, Hot and Cold Hors D'oeuvres
Delicious Sit-Down Dinner
by Jewel Kosher Catering
Donation: $18 (Chaff) per person

• Make your reservations early
Abe Weberman 626-6903
Sonia Popowski 557-3994
Miriam Slaim 357-0069

A GREAT TIME FOR EVERYONE

Congregation B'nai Moshe

proudly invites you to the start
of three exciting programs:

1. Torah Club - the Torah: Conflict of God and

Evolution November 1st, 7:00 p.m. Rabbi Meyerowitz
will lead us in a monthly ongoing investigation of the
Torah's impact on modern society.

2. Torah for Tots - Sunday, November 8th 10 a.m.-

11 a.m. A monthly special . . . a delightful, funfilled hour
of Jewish life and laughter for pre-school students. Led
by Robin Sack Meyerowitz and Rabbi Allan S.
Meyerowitz.

3. Monthly Family Service - Shabbat Kodesh,

November 21st - 4 p.m.-5 p.m. . . . A special service for
parents and children includes prayers, stories, dancing
and Rabbi Meyerowitz' surprises!!

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

43

