GEN506 Repentance for murder is inevitably incomplete, because reconciling with one’s victim is impossible.  Furthermore, murder is often a sin that extends even beyond the victim’s life span.  Thus, after Cain murders Abel, God says to him [this verse]. The word used for blood, d’mei, is plural, so the verse literally reads, “the bloods of your brother.”  From this plural usage, the Talmud deduces that what cries out is not only Abel’s blood, but also that of all his future, never-to-be-born descendants (Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5).  This is an additional reason why it is impossible to fully atone for murder.  TELVOL I:184-5

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GEN575 Why did the Torah include the words, “in his generation”?  Jewish tradition favors the answer offered by Rabbi Yochanan [ben Zaccai]: “in his generation” emphasizes that only in a generation of moral depravity could Noah be regarded as great. But had he lived in another, more moral, age, he would not have been regarded as special.  More insightful and fair, I believe, is the often ignored observation of Yochanan’s contemporary, Resh Lakish: “If even in his [awful] generation was he was righteous, he would certainly have been righteous had he lived in another, more moral, generation” Sanhedrin 108a.  The Talmud elsewhere relates that Resh Lakish grew up in deprived circumstances.  One source claims that as a young man he was part of a band of thieves (suggested by Rabbi Yochanan’s words in Baba Metzia 84a, another that he was a member of a [gladiator] circus Gittin 47a.  Because Resh Lakish had been raised in a rougher and less moral environment than Rabbi Yochanan, he could judge Noah more compassionately and fairly; he appreciated the efforts needed to overcome a deprived background.  Indeed, as Resh Lakish suggest, if someone like Noah could grow up without a good role model and emerge as a righteous man, how much greater would he have been with support and encouragement.   TELVOL 1:77-78

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GEN580 Rashi teaches that “the main accomplishment [literally “offspring”] of the righteous are their good deeds.”   TELVOL 1:23

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GEN584 When God told Abraham that He intended to destroy the wicked city of Sodom, Abraham repeatedly argued and pleaded with Him not to do so Genesis 18:16-32.  However, when God told Noah that He was planning to destroy humankind, and that Noah should build an ark for himself and his family, Noah neither argued with God nor warned his fellow humans to repent.  Instead, he built the ark and seems to have said northing to others about why he was doing so Genesis 6:11-7:10. Abraham, in short, spoke to God on behalf of others; Noah, it would seem, did not.  TELVOL 1:45

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GEN649 The Torah has a skeptical view of human nature, although it is by no means hopeless about people’s capacity to change and improve.  In Genesis, God, disappointed by humankind’s propensity for violence and dishonesty, laments [this verse].  This does not mean that we are born bad, or as certain Christian groups believe, damned (hence the need for baptism), but it also means that we are not born good (and corrupted by society, as Enlightenment thinkers taught).  Rather, human beings are born morally neutral, with strong inclination toward evil. Children, for example, are born self-absorbed, and have to be educated toward sharing, empathy, and generosity.  … Because of the Bible’s assumption that human nature cannot be relied upon to ensure that people do what is right, Jewish law does not issue general edits on matters of ethics, such as “Be generous,” when it comes to giving to charity.  If there were no specific guidelines on how much to donate, many people would regard themselves as having fulfilled this command by giving small sums of money to other in need.  Hence Jewish law speaks of donating between ten and twenty percent of one’s net income to charity. Jewish law prescribes numerous other ethical acts, the practice of which refine our natures and lead us to goodness. The Jewish view of human nature would seem to be “Do good and you will become a good person in spite of yourself.”  Therefore, at the heart of Judaism’s teaching on how to improve our character is the mitzvah (commandment), the obligatory deed.  TELVOL 1:33-4

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GEN709 Love of God is rooted in the belief that God loves us. As the Mishnah teaches, “Beloved is humankind, for they are created in the divine image. It is indicative of an even greater love [by God] that it was made known to them that they are in God’s image, as it is said [this verse, Ethics of the Fathers 3:14.  Our creation in God's image, the ultimate source of human self-esteem is an act of love by God which evokes our love in return.  TELVOL 1:492

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GEN743 Be particularly careful not to dishonor your parents, even when one of them has done something wrong.  Protect your parent’s dignity, as Noah’s two sons did.   Jewish law notes several instances in which guests and hosts must exercise case not to embarrass one another.  For example: Don’t ask a guest intellectually demanding questions unless you have reasons to believe that he will know how to answer them; otherwise you will cause him embarrassment (Sefer Chasidim 312).  [Author’s note:  Attempting polite conversation, I once asked a fellow dinner guest what kind of work he did.  Our host immediately interceded and changed the subject.  Only later did I learn that the guest was indigent and had been invited to dinner as an act of chesed.  From that incident I learned to be more circumspect about personal questions. This might equally apply to questions about marital status, children, residence location, personal history, etc.].  TELVOL1:290

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GEN745 Many people, when they are angry, say things they don’t – in their rational moments – want to see happen.  When Noah’s son Ham showed him a gross lack of respect, Noah didn’t even bother to curse Ham, but he cursed Ham’s son, Canaan, that he should become a slave to his brothers.  Is it likely that when Noah recovered from his initial outburst of rage, he truly wished to see this fate befall his own grandson?  TELVOL 1:252

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GEN772 Over three thousand years ago, when God revealed himself to Abraham, the first Jew, He told him, “And you shall be a blessing” [in the lives of those with whom you come in contact; this verse].  I think it is fair to say that if we undertake to incorporate into our behavior the age-old Jewish teachings in this book, we too will become a blessing in the lives of all those with whom we come in contact, and a blessing in our own lives as well.  TELVOL 1:5; TELVOL 2:3

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GEN793 Sarah does not dispute Abraham’s fears.  She proceeds to tell the lie Abraham asked her to related, and even stands by it when the king takes her into his home.  Only when God sends a plague on Pharaoh’s house does the Egyptian monarch learn that Sarah is a married woman, and he immediately releases her.  Abraham lies about this matter once again Genesis, chapter 20) and his son Isaac acts in the same way Genesis 26:6-11. On none of these occasions does God express displeasure with what Abraham or Isaac has done (since God communicates with the Patriarchs on other occasions, He could have easily expressed disapproval of their actions).  TELVOL 1:427

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