When Opportunity Knocks... (Parashat Noach)

In this week's parasha, we are told that Noach was a tzaddik (righteous person) "in his generation."  Rashi explains that the term "in his generation" indicates that, had he lived in another generation, he would not have been so special.  The midrash expounds that the reason for this is because Noach was given 120 years to get people to do teshuva and yet he didn't even get one person to do it.

Later in the parasha, after the flood has subsided - Noach plants a vineyard, gets drunk and passes out naked in his tent.  The pasuk states that Ham (father of Canaan) finds Noach and runs to tell his two older brothers who deal with the matter.  When Noach awakens he says "Cursed is Canaan."  Why Canaan??  Rashi says that it was, in fact, Canaan who originally saw Noach.  Rather than tending to him, he ran and got someone else who then got someone else.  This is why Noach curses Canaan.

Based on these two Rashi's, Noach and Canaan seem to share a negative trait - both of them were slow to perform mitzvot.  Each was presented with an opportunity to do something positive - and, instead, they let the opportunity slip away.  This teaches us a wonderful lesson!

So often in life, Hashem presents us with opportunities to do something.  Though it may be easier to pas it up and let someone else do it instead - that is not what Hashem wants, and it is not what we should want!  Rather, we should jump at the chance to to the mitzvah!!  Noach was documented in the Torah as a "tzaddik in his generation" - but this is only because of who he is being compared to.  Perhaps, had Noach really tried to help others he could have gone down in history as tzaddik stamm!!

Baruch Hashem, last week my wife and I were blessed with the birth of another son whom we named Yitzchak after my father a"h.  My father, a retired Senior Center director, devoted his life to helping and doing for others.  He never passed up the opportunity to lend a helping hand.

Anyone who knows my wife knows that she never makes it to the 40th week of her pregnancy - each of our children have been born before their due date.  Yitzchak, however, chose to break that mold.

This past Succot, as we sat in the succah, we were all discussing how crazy it was that my wife was still pregnant - upon which someone at the meal commented "the baby isn't finished learning Torah yet."  We know that while a child is developing in his mother's womb, an angel sits with him and teaches him the entire Torah.  In fact, the Rambam explains that the reason a bris is done on the 8th day is because we take 7 days to mourn the loss of Torah. 

Noach and Canan were similar in their slowness to perform mitzvot.  My father and son are similar in their desire to do mitzvot!!  It is my greatest beracha to Yitzchak that he never lose that desire and that he continue to follow in the footsteps of his namesake.

As for the rest of us, may we take heed to the lesson of Noach and Canaan and may we never pass up on the opportunity to do a mitzvah.  Rather, may we run to do it "b'simcha."  In this zechut, may we merit to see the coming of Mashiach speedily in our days!

Shabbat Shalom!