WAS NOAH REALLY RIGHTEOUS?

The portion of Noah begins by declaring that the hero of the Great Flood, Noah, was “righteous” and “perfect”, or possibly even “perfectly righteous”. But Rashi immediately throws a spanner in the works by reproducing the words of the Talmudic sages who appear to have a rather more jaundiced view of Noah’s so-called righteousness.

So which is it? Was Noah actually righteous, or is there some other way of understanding why the Torah would refer to him as a “tzadik” who walked with God?

Rabbi Dunner delves into the sources offering a variety of explanations and interpretations, solving some of the mysteries and puzzles surrounding the inclusion of the Great Flood and its protagonist Noah in the Holy Scriptures.