VOLUME 123 NUMBER 1
Tishrei 28, 5787
October 9, 2026
Parshas Bereishis
Candlelighting Time 6:12
If one peruses even superficially the history of the world clearly there have been many generations of evil corrupt people. Was it truly necessary to have all these wicked individuals? Couldn’t we have just had generations that also contained righteous and outstanding people?
Rav Shlomo Kluger cites the explanation of the Ba’al Akedah who likens this to a person who is planting his fields. It is understood that until he has mastered the planting and nurturing of his crops efficiently there will be times when his yield will not be remarkable. However, with time the efficacy of the process will improve and eventually he will be very successful. So too, mankind is incapable of perfecting society immediately and it takes many years of trial and error until our conduct is refined. Therefore, each successive generation was able to improve from the previous one and hone their behavior so that it would be acceptable to Hashem.
However, the need to reform is only valid if there isn’t someone of stature to learn from. In the last generations before the major flood, although the generations were rampant with evil still they had the opportunity to derive from Noach and his lifestyle the appropriate way to please Hashem. Yet they didn’t and Hashem ‘lacked’ the desire to give them more time to atone for their immorality and rehabilitation. Even though Noach was preparing for the flood for 120 years, which is sufficient time to observe what he was doing and change their lives for the better, they were so steeped in their decadence that they were unable to remedy their situation. Hashem did not forgive their depravity since they could have at least attempted to correct their evil ways.
In sefer Bereishis and specifically in this week’s parsha we observe the lack of reflection that was absent from these thousands of people who had the occasion to indeed ponder their way of life and consider whether or not they were serving Hashem in the correct manner.
We have just completed a cycle of repentance and reexamination of our lifestyle and indeed we do have others in our lives that we can derive from them the motivation to enhance our lives and merit that Hashem ‘sees’ us and is prepared to accommodate us in the best way possible because our efforts will not go unnoticed.
Indeed, the Talmud refers to sefer Bereishis as the ‘Book of those who are Straight,’ in other words as the verse in Koheles states that Hashem made man respectable and upright yet we have distorted our original perspective and deviated from a discernment that is moral and appropriate and veered off and advanced a progressive agenda that is corrupt and destructive. Rashi comments that before the major flood a third of the earth was inundated, still mankind did not learn from that event and continued to live in a way that was unacceptable and then another flood engulfed the entire world which persisted in ignoring Hashem’s will.
A BYTE FOR SHABBOS
The snake’s approach to seduce Chava to eat from the Tree of Knowledge was that it contained all kinds of pleasures that one could hope to enjoy in one’s lifetime. However, the pleasure that one receives from fulfilling the will of Hashem far surpasses all of them. And in falling prey to the entreaties of the Evil Inclination, one is demonstrating that he detests Hashem’s mitzvos. CHOFEZT CHAIM
GOOD SHABBOS
