There Were Ten Generations From Adam To Noach To Indicate How Great Is His Patience; For All Those Generations Repeatedly Angered Him, Until He Brought Upon Them The Waters Of The Flood.
There Were Ten Generations From Noach To Avraham To Indicate How Great Is His Patience, For All Those Generations Repeatedly Angered Him, Until Avraham Our Father Came And Received The Reward Of Them All.
Ten represents the full cycle of worldly existence. G-d waits patiently for man to return to Him. When, however, man's evil grows to encompasses all ten dimensions of his existence, G-d initiates a change (the Flood, or the emergence of Avraham) which is intended to transform the nature of the entire world.
(Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XV, p. 71)
The
mishnah does not make such a statement concerning Noach, for two differences separate Noach and the generations which preceded him from Avraham and the generations before him.
The generations before Noach had no redeeming virtues whatsoever. They "repeatedly angered G-d," and lived in constant friction, conflict, and discord. In contrast, although the generations that preceded Avraham also "repeatedly angered G-d," they at least shared a kindred spirit and treated each other with love.[10] Hence, their conduct generated reward; they themselves, however, were unfit to receive it.
There was also a basic difference between Noach and Avraham. Noach did not seek to influence the behavior of the people around him,[11] while Avraham tried to make all mankind conscious of G-d.[12] Through this conduct, Avraham "received the reward" generated by all the comradely deeds done by the generations which preceded him.
(Likkutei Sichos, Vol. III, p. 753)
Notes:
- (Back to text) Sanhedrin 109a.
- (Back to text) Zohar I, 67b.
- (Back to text) Sotah 10a.
Chapter Five - Mishna 1