Bless You
At the beginning of this weeks parsha the Torah says that "These are the offspring of Noach" then out of the blue it says "Noach was a tzaddik and complete...". Hey! What about his offspring.
"This is what I ate for breakfast: I really enjoy clipping my toenails." It just doesn't follow!
So Rashi noticed this [of course] and explains that when mentioning a tzaddik, we praise him as it says "zecher tzaddik livracha". [Afterwards the pasuk continues and lists his sons].
3 questions:
1] How come when we are first introduced to Noach in Parshas Beraishis we don't hear his praise [that he was a tzaddik and complete] and only in Parshas Noach we read this?
2] How come when introduced to other tzaddikim in the Torah we don't hear their praise?
3] The pasuk Rashi quotes to prove that when mentioning a tzaddik you praise him is "zecher tzaddik livracha". But that doesn't mean to PRAISE a tzaddik but to BLESS him? In fact, in Vayera 18/18 we see Rashi quoting this pasuk to show that when mentioning a tzaddik we BLESS him!!
Food for thought.
"This is what I ate for breakfast: I really enjoy clipping my toenails." It just doesn't follow!
So Rashi noticed this [of course] and explains that when mentioning a tzaddik, we praise him as it says "zecher tzaddik livracha". [Afterwards the pasuk continues and lists his sons].
3 questions:
1] How come when we are first introduced to Noach in Parshas Beraishis we don't hear his praise [that he was a tzaddik and complete] and only in Parshas Noach we read this?
2] How come when introduced to other tzaddikim in the Torah we don't hear their praise?
3] The pasuk Rashi quotes to prove that when mentioning a tzaddik you praise him is "zecher tzaddik livracha". But that doesn't mean to PRAISE a tzaddik but to BLESS him? In fact, in Vayera 18/18 we see Rashi quoting this pasuk to show that when mentioning a tzaddik we BLESS him!!
Food for thought.
1. he was - "VeNoach matza chen be'einei Hashem"
2. because of his generation - with the way we ended last parsha (Velakchu nashim mikol asher bacharu) - we have to emphasize the contrast between Noach and everyone else - could we have doen so with Avraham or Moshe? Yes, but the contrst perhaps is not as great (or necessary)
Posted by
JJ |
4:08 PM
1] He is mentioned a number of times before that.
2] Rashi says zecher tzaddik livracha - when you mention a tzaddik you praise him. It has nothing to do with contrasting him to others.
Have a great shabbos!
Posted by
Rabbi Ally Ehrman |
10:58 AM
Ayein Sham...
http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2008/11/zatzal.html
Posted by
Dovid'l Weinberg |
1:30 AM
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