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Although this may seem to be a bit severe, with a bit of thought we can see that it really is very understandable.
According to Judaism the world belongs to G-d. He creates it and it’s all His… so He can do with it what He wants.

But what is not clear is what this story is doing in the Torah.
First of all, the Torah is a practical teaching of life and the flood is not very practical; it occurred thousands of years ago and G-d swore He would never do it again.
Secondly, the Torah is, primarily, a Jewish book and Noach was not a Jew. The first Jew was Abraham who lived after the flood.
But on the other hand, why wasn’t Noach the first Jew? The Torah calls him a Tzadik Tamim (completely righteous man) and says that he found favor in G-d’s eyes (6:8) so why wasn’t he the first Jew?

To understand this here is a story I read recently in Bait Moshiach Magazine.

Rabbi Shabtai Slavtitzki is the Chabad Rebbe’s representative (Shilach) in Antwerp Belgium.
He has a large congregation and is well respected by even non-religious Jews.
One Sunday he received a phone call from an older fellow, a successful diamond merchant, who said he had to talk to him urgently.
Rabbi Slavtitzki, himself a very busy man, told the man to come over immediately.
A half-hour later a man with a wild look on his sweating face as though he was about to burst out in tears entered the Rabbi’s office. He was a heavy-set fellow, perhaps in his sixties, dressed in an expensive suit with an open collar and a new, black yarmulke on his head.
He closed the door behind him, sat down, took out a handkerchief, wiped his forehead and began.
“Rabbi, about three months ago I decided to get more serious about Judaism and begin doing what it says in the Torah. Perhaps it was a bit too much to bite off at once but I took on myself Tefillin, eating kosher and keeping the Shabbat.
“Putting on Tefillin every morning wasn’t that difficult; I had done it as a young man and it only took a few minutes each day. Not only that but I actually enjoy putting them on and talking with HaShem every morning.
“And keeping kosher also was also no major problem … I could afford it and I never really enjoyed not-kosher food anyway.
“But Shabbat was a problem. First of all, it was an entire day. Second, keeping the store closed Saturday is a big financial loss. But the worst thing is I love working and I don’t enjoy resting.
“But I did it… and even started getting used to it. You know, there is a pride to being Jewish and … well… it’s just good to do the right thing. So, for three months I kept Shabbos.
“But then, yesterday, Friday evening when Shabbat began, something happened. I was walking back home from your Synagogue here and as I passed the street where my store is I see the street is full of people, long lines of important-looking people standing in front of all the stores…. except mine. Suddenly I remembered! It was International Gem Day and all the diamond dealers, the biggest and the richest from the entire world came here to Antwerp to buy. It happens every year and this year it was yesterday… Shabbat!!
“But I said to myself… ‘Shabbat is Shabbat… I’m not opening the store and that’s it!!’ And I continued walking. That should have been the end of it but suddenly I heard someone yelling my name! I turned to see the owner of the store next to mine. What he was doing in the street I don’t know but he was there and he came running up yelling like a madman.
‘What happened?’ he asks me, ‘Are you feeling all right? Did something happen in your family? Where are you going?!!” he says “Its diamond day! Look at those lines!! Go open your store.”
“I told him that, thank G-d, everything was fine and continued walking but he wouldn’t let me go.
‘Fine? Everything is fine!? Are you crazy or something! Today is International Gem Day! Look!! Look!! You can make more today than in a month! Where are you going??!”
I tried to explain to him that I’m a Jew and today is Shabbat; it’s G-d’s day. You know what he said? He said, ‘Listen, give all the other Shabbats to G-d. This one is for YOU!!’
“I told him I had to go. Rushed home and tried to put the whole thing out of my mind. But I couldn’t. I wanted to work! I wanted to sell gems! That’s what I love doing, what I was brought up doing!! I took the Kiddush cup in my hand, filled it with wine and made kiddush but I couldn’t think straight. I wanted to run back and open my store!!
“So I told my wife and guests that I didn’t feel good, that I had a headache. I went to my room, took a bottle of vodka, drank five big cups until I was so drunk I couldn’t stand up and then flopped unconscious on my bed and slept for the entire Shabbat.”
Rabbi Slavtitski listened patiently but didn’t understand what the man wanted.
“I understand” he said, “But why are you telling me this? What would you like me to do?”
“Rabbi,” he said almost crying “I want to know what sort of repentance I have to make for such a terrible Shabbat! Can I give charity? Or maybe I should fast? Or maybe something else? Rabbi, what does it say in the books?”
Rabbi Slavtitski saw the simple sincerity of this Jew and couldn’t hold himself back, his eyes filled with tears.
But when the man saw this, he too began to weep. His eyes opened in horror and, shaking his head in disbelief said, “Rabbi, why are you crying? Is it so bad? Is there no forgiveness for my sin? Is there nothing I can do?”
“You don’t understand” The Rabbi replied. “Exactly the opposite!
“You know what I did yesterday for Shabbat? I sat at my Shabbat table with my family and guests, sang Shabbat songs, said words of Torah talked to my children and really enjoyed myself. I did everything that G-d wants a Jew to do. No problems.
“But you made a sacrifice! You didn’t work! You sacrificed your money and your nature. Whose Shabbat do you think is more pleasing to G-d; yours or mine? Well, I’m sure it’s yours!!”

This answers our question about Noach.

Noach lived and acted exactly the way G-d wanted. He didn’t sin, he built an ark, he invited all the animals just as G-d said. But like the Rabbi in our story, he didn’t sacrifice anything. He was a righteous man that saved himself and family but did nothing to save others.

That’s why he wasn’t the first Jew.

Judaism is based on self-sacrifice. Namely, being willing to lose everything, even heaven to do what G-d wants to perfect the world and the people in it.
This was begun by Abraham and will be completed by Moshiach.

Moshiach will bring all mankind to the awareness and service of the Creator through the Noahide Commandments and the Jews to the observance of all the Torah with total devotion to the truth alone.  That is called ‘Geula’ i.e. redemption.
Then, unlike in our story, gems and riches will not be tempting. Indeed, the world will be filled with blessing, peace and plenty.
And not much is lacking to make it happen now.

We are standing on the merits of thousands of years of Jewish self-sacrifice and good deeds. Now it could be that just one more good deed, word or even thought can bring ….
Moshiach NOW!!
Rabbi Tuvia Bolton
Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim
Kfar Chabad, Israel

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