Musar sobre Génesis 6:7

At first glance we are perplexed why G–d should be mentioning or even alluding to periods of distress at the very time when the Torah reports creation, i.e. something positive. Do we not have a principle that at a time of joy one only concentrates on joyful matters?! (based on Rashi Genesis 6,7 and more ancient sources).

On Genesis 6,7 and 8, “כי נחמתי כי עשיתם. ונח מצא חן בעיני השם," Rav Kahana comments in Bereshit Rabbah 29,1 that the end of verse 6 shows that even Noach had not really been found to be worthy. He was "lucky" to have found favor in the eyes of G–d. Whereas Noach מצא, "found," G–d did not "find " The meaning is that Noach "found" that G–d awakened him, G–d however, did not "find," i.e. did not see in Noach, something He felt he had to "respond" to. The reverse was true of Abraham, as demonstrated by the verse we have quoted. This is also the meaning of ומצאת את לבבו נאמן לפניך, "You have found his (Abraham's) heart loyal before You." (Nechemia 9,8)

– whereas Noach even at the height of his spiritual accomplishment, after he had been called צדיק, and after G–d had made a covenant with him and promised never again to bring a deluge, is still called איש האדמה, a man of the soil. All of this means that even Noach was included in G–d's comment in Genesis 6,7 כי נחמתי כי עשיתם, and that, if he was saved, this was due to the אדמה, which was destined to exist indefinitely and which could not be left to be completely desolate -or its existence would become meaningless. The meaning of איש האדמה, when viewed from this perspective is: "he remained as an איש, for the sake of the earth, אדמה." This consideration explains why at the very moment Noach is described as צדיק he is also called איש האדמה.