Daily Zohar # 2266 – Noah – Corrupted generation
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Hebrew translation:
39. וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָאָרֶץ וְהִנֵּה נִשְׁחָתָה. לָמָּה נִשְׁחָתָה? מִשּׁוּם כִּי הִשְׁחִית כָּל בָּשָׂר אֶת דַּרְכּוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר. רַבִּי חִיָּיא פָּתַח פָּסוּק וְאָמַר, (יונה ג) וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם כִּי שָׁבוּ מִדַּרְכָּם הָרָעָה.בֹּא רְאֵה, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁבְּנֵי אָדָם זוֹכִים וְשׁוֹמְרִים אֶת מִצְווֹת הַתּוֹרָה, אָז הָאָרֶץ מִתְחַזֶּקֶת וְנִמְצֵאת בָּהּ כָּל הַשִּׂמְחָה. מָה הַטַּעַם? מִשּׁוּם שֶׁהַשְּׁכִינָה שׁוֹרָה עַל הָאָרֶץ. וְאָז הַכֹּל, עֶלְיוֹנִים וְתַחְתּוֹנִים, בְּחֶדְוָה.
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Zohar Noah
Genesis 6:12
“וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת-הָאָרֶץ, וְהִנֵּה נִשְׁחָתָה: כִּי-הִשְׁחִית כָּל-בָּשָׂר אֶת-דַּרְכּוֹ, עַל-הָאָרֶץ”
“And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.”
God saw first that the earth was corrupted and then the Torah gives the reason: because the people corrupted their ways.
The Zohar asks, why the earth was corrupted and can it be ‘punished’; and answers that the earth was corrupted because the people were corrupted.
The Torah and the Zohar teach us here that our actions affect the environment. When we see chaos and nature disasters in the world we should not see it as ‘act of God’ but act of humanity. The animals don’t have the freedom to choose between good and bad and they usually sense the nature’s intent to react before it actually happens and run to seek distance or shelter. We live in a corrupted world where negative behavior is the norm. People who don’t do negative actions are considered as ‘righteous’ even though being good is supposed to be the normal, and righteous is the one who helps and does for many others.
The politics in the US and all around the world are very dirty. Almost all politicians have inflated ego and personal agenda to benefit themselves. They use and abuse the power given to them by the people.
The Zohar gives us hope by quoting Jonah: Jonah 3:10
“וַיַּרְא הָאֱלֹהִים אֶת-מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם, כִּי-שָׁבוּ מִדַּרְכָּם הָרָעָה; וַיִּנָּחֶם הָאֱלֹהִים, עַל-הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר-דִּבֶּר לַעֲשׂוֹת-לָהֶם–וְלֹא עָשָׂה”
“And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.”
If we correct our ways God will suspend the negative effect on the environment that would’ve come on because of our inequities.
Our best tool for cleansing the world is studying the Zohar.