In this week’s Sedra Noach is commanded to build a Teiva (Ark) to shelter him and enable him to survive the cataclysmic Flood (Mabul) Hashem tells Noach that He will bring to the world.  Noach obeys Hashem’s command and builds the Teiva.   Noach persists throughout the lengthy construction period in spite of the taunting for his belief in Hashem and in the forthcoming Flood.  Chazal tell us, however, that despite his fervent trust and belief in Hashem Noach didn’t go into the Teiva when the Mabul started, but rather waited until he could no longer stay outside the Teiva (see Medrash Rabba and Rashi). As the text states it – ויבא נח… אל התיבה מפני מי המבול – “and Noach etc came (entered) the Teiva because of the flood waters” [and not because Hashem had ordered it].

Chazal explain that although Noach had great faith in Hashem and therefore followed Hashem’s command (despite the fact that it made him highly unpopular among his generation) – he nonetheless had a flaw in his Emuna and for that reason waited for the waters to almost literally push him and his into the Ark.  While Chazal derive this idea from the passuk it seems almost incredible.   Noach, who fervently believed in Hashem and followed Hashem’s instructions to the last detail (see Passuk 7, 5) — who was being mocked for it – would now at the last minute somehow hesitate?  If anything, in light of the years spent in building the Ark, of being ridiculed for it, would it not have made more sense for Noach to be relieved, and to be glad that he could now say to all the doubters “didn’t I tell you that it would happen?” Shouldn’t he have run into the Teiva with glee?

In life we are all in a sense ‘prisoners’ of  routine. We have certain day-to-day expectations and we don’t really expect things to change. Noach wasn’t any different. While he listened to Hashem’s instructions and built the Teiva, he still lived in a world of routine. This world of routine was so powerful that it (almost) overpowered his trust in Hashem. Noach somehow allowed routine rather than his faith in Hashem to take charge. Noach couldn’t imagine the flood actually coming and thus denied it until he no longer could.

We are surrounded by the entrapment of routine. We don’t expect anything more or less from tomorrow than we got today. We need to realize that this is a mistake and that change does happen, and that it could happen to us as well. May we be Zoche to experience the Ultimate Change and may we merit the Geula Asida Bekarov.

A very warm Good Shabbos, Rabbi Y. Dov Krakowski