Noach and Technology Part 1
Ideas based on a Shiur given by Rabbi Sacks
Chapter 5 verse
28. And Lamech lived a hundred and eighty two years, and he begot a son.
29. And he named him Noach, saying, "This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands from the ground, which the Lord has cursed."
the curse that Pasuk 29 is referring to can be found in Perek 4 Pasuk 11-12. It is the curse Hashem placed on the earth after Kayin had killed Avel.
Chapter 6
Pasuk 9-11- These are the generations of Noah, Noah was a righteous man of his generation; Noah walked with God. And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Now the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth became full of robbery.
Chazal comment that Noach invented the plow which made working the land easier. That is what is referred to in pasuk 29. That is also the reason why Noach was considered to be a righteous person. He fulfilled his father's wish by bringing rest (from labor) to the people by inventing a scientific tool which could help man master the land. The justice of the act was tremendous since it helped make survival much easier.
This act of justice reflected the proper view towards society. Instead of seeking self interest and living in a self centered reality, Noach went out comprehended the nature of creation, and used that knowledge to make the life of a human better.
This is a stark contrast to the rest of the generation at the time. People began to steal from one other and the “earth was corrupt”. Without going into deeper meaning of these pesukim, it is clear that the generation of the flood was one that rejected a system of creation, and instead chose to live a selfish existence where everybody saw everybody else as a means for their own pursuits.
From this it seems quite clear why Noach was saved when the rest of the people were destroyed. While Noach tried to uphold justice, the rest of the world rejected it. They lived destructive and immoral lives.
However, one question remains. Chazal teach us that the pasuk adds the words “of his generation” (chapter 6 verse 9) to teach us that Noach was not a completely righteous person.
In what way was Noach not a completely righteous? His very name and essence was to do justice for the world by letting man rest from toiling in the land that Hashem had cursed.
Noach's Mistake
The reason Hashem placed the curse on the land in the first place was because of what Kayin did to Avel. The generation of the flood was simply an expression of Kayin's actions on a larger scale. Kayin too, viewed himself as the center of existence and everybody else as a tool for him to forward his own interests.
And when Kayin murdered Avel, God cursed the earth because man was living with a distorted view of reality.
Noach's response to the curse of the land was not completely proper. If the reason for the curse was man's distorted view, than man's solution should have been to reevaluate his views. Instead, Noach simply used technology to make working the land easier. Noach was righteous because he would make the lives of people easier. But because he had never addressed the primary problem, the curse would always remain, and there was something lacking in his righteousnesses.
Chapter 5 verse
28. And Lamech lived a hundred and eighty two years, and he begot a son.
29. And he named him Noach, saying, "This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands from the ground, which the Lord has cursed."
the curse that Pasuk 29 is referring to can be found in Perek 4 Pasuk 11-12. It is the curse Hashem placed on the earth after Kayin had killed Avel.
Chapter 6
Pasuk 9-11- These are the generations of Noah, Noah was a righteous man of his generation; Noah walked with God. And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Now the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth became full of robbery.
Chazal comment that Noach invented the plow which made working the land easier. That is what is referred to in pasuk 29. That is also the reason why Noach was considered to be a righteous person. He fulfilled his father's wish by bringing rest (from labor) to the people by inventing a scientific tool which could help man master the land. The justice of the act was tremendous since it helped make survival much easier.
This act of justice reflected the proper view towards society. Instead of seeking self interest and living in a self centered reality, Noach went out comprehended the nature of creation, and used that knowledge to make the life of a human better.
This is a stark contrast to the rest of the generation at the time. People began to steal from one other and the “earth was corrupt”. Without going into deeper meaning of these pesukim, it is clear that the generation of the flood was one that rejected a system of creation, and instead chose to live a selfish existence where everybody saw everybody else as a means for their own pursuits.
From this it seems quite clear why Noach was saved when the rest of the people were destroyed. While Noach tried to uphold justice, the rest of the world rejected it. They lived destructive and immoral lives.
However, one question remains. Chazal teach us that the pasuk adds the words “of his generation” (chapter 6 verse 9) to teach us that Noach was not a completely righteous person.
In what way was Noach not a completely righteous? His very name and essence was to do justice for the world by letting man rest from toiling in the land that Hashem had cursed.
Noach's Mistake
The reason Hashem placed the curse on the land in the first place was because of what Kayin did to Avel. The generation of the flood was simply an expression of Kayin's actions on a larger scale. Kayin too, viewed himself as the center of existence and everybody else as a tool for him to forward his own interests.
And when Kayin murdered Avel, God cursed the earth because man was living with a distorted view of reality.
Noach's response to the curse of the land was not completely proper. If the reason for the curse was man's distorted view, than man's solution should have been to reevaluate his views. Instead, Noach simply used technology to make working the land easier. Noach was righteous because he would make the lives of people easier. But because he had never addressed the primary problem, the curse would always remain, and there was something lacking in his righteousnesses.
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